Othmann finally has the role to make an impact with Rangers. Will the goals come?
Brennan Othmann, the New York Rangers‘ 16th overall pick in 2021, has had a unique introduction to his NHL career.
Othmann has been a steady top-six player in his first two seasons with the Hartford Wolf Pack, the Rangers’ AHL affiliate, but he hasn’t been able to find consistency in the lineup through his first 19 games with the big club. He got minimal action last year, playing just three games, but he’s played in 16 games this season with the Rangers and has been up and down the lineup throughout that span.
Over the past few games, Othmann has gotten a look at the top line with Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck, which is a spot Othmann been accustomed to down in the AHL, but he’s getting less ice time, so it’s been an adjustment for the 22-year-old.
“It feels good [playing on the top line]. When I’m down in Hartford, I’m playing top minutes and key minutes. They rely on me to produce and score goals and help our team win the best we can. I play in all situations there, so when I’m up here, and I’m playing with Bread and Troch — you can say it’s almost similar, but at the end of the day, it’s not in a sense just because it’s the NHL, it’s a little bit different”, Othmann told Daily Faceoff. “I’m comfortable in the situation of being put in a reliable offensive spot, just because that’s the type of player I am and that’s the type of player I’ve been in Hartford. When I played there this year, for the 27 games or whatever it is, and then last year, I’m more…I wouldn’t say comfortable, but I know my role is more definitive on this line. I’m pretty comfortable with them, it took the first period last game, then you kind of get used to it and get comfortable with it, so we’ll see what happens going forward.”
His ice time has been all over the place through the 16 games he’s played with the Rangers this season. In some games, he is seeing less than seven minutes on the fourth line, and lately, he’s gotten north of 10 minutes on the top line. It can be a challenge mentally at times to know where he stands.
“I was seeing 18+ minutes in Hartford I’d say. PK, power play, overtimes, and you play everything there, and here, you kind of just get a regular 5-on-5 shift, you may get two a period, three a period, but you kind of just have to make the most of it and you want to be noticeable every shift and every opportunity you get”, Othmann said. “That’s what I did when I was playing those eight minutes a night. For the most part, however many games I played in less than 10 minutes, whatever it is, I think I was pretty noticeable and I think that’s just what I’ve wanted to be. These guys have all the skill in the world. The players in this lineup, they can produce themselves, and I just want to come in and create energy, and I don’t know — new life is a good way to say it. Just fresh legs and fresh energy, a different face in the room. Now, I’m starting to get integrated more with the team and with the guys. It takes a while to get integrated, but I’m happy with how I’ve handled it and the way I’ve been playing. Hopefully, I’ll get more trust and more minutes going forward, especially playing with Bread and Troch, which is awesome as well.”
Othmann has certainly been noticeable, as he stated, but the points on the stat sheet haven’t been there to support it. In his two years with Hartford, he has tallied 69 points in the 94 games he’s played in, scoring 33 goals with 36 helpers. In the 19 NHL games he’s played in, he has only notched two assists and is still searching for that first NHL goal.
“I’m just hoping to get a little bit more luck and some puck luck coming my way here soon. It’s been pretty close, so we’ll see what happens,” he said with a smile.
It’s interesting to hear Othmann speak about his level of comfort. Sometimes, players would feel more pressure playing on the top line as opposed to playing bottom-six minutes, but with Othmann, it almost feels like the opposite. When you’re in a rhythm with consistent ice time, it’s easier to be comfortable and feel like yourself, but when your ice time is limited, there’s almost more pressure to make a bigger impact.
“You’re so worried about a lot of different things. You’re worried about when your next shift is, when you’re going to get your first goal and first point. You’re worried if you’re fitting in properly, if you’re making the right decision on the ice, not to turn over the puck,” Othmann said. “Not to say that you have a little more free will and ability to do that on a top-end line, you get to do that when you’ve played 10 years in the league, but not when you’ve played 20 games. I definitely think you have a little bit more pressure just because you’re the line that creates energy, that creates jam. I’d say that for sure, there is a little more pressure down there to do all of those other little things.”
It’s been odd timing for Othmann, just because the organization is in a position where they’re trying to make the playoffs as opposed to developing some of their younger prospects, but that has been the case within the Rangers organization for years now. This has become way too common of a trend, so at what point will turning younger prospects into high-end NHL players become a priority for the Rangers if they’re not good enough to contend for the Stanley Cup?
It’s hard for the high-end skilled prospects to make an impact when they’re unsure of how or where they fit in the lineup. Hopefully, for Othmann, he can find some stability through the last eight games and can build some momentum going into the offseason or postseason.
He needs to have a big summer so he can come into training camp in the fall and not only make this team but be an impact player.
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