Coming into training camp, the resounding consensus around Brennan Othmann seemed to clear. He’ll get his reps, learn Laviolette’s system alongside everyone else, gather some more experience and likely head to the AHL once October rolls around. There are plenty of NHL regulars ahead of him on the depth chart and he’s still only 20-years-old. Although, if he raises some eyebrows and shows he can hang, we’ll cross the bridge of Othmann making the team when we get there. Credit to him, we’re now having the conversation!
Where’d This Kid Come From?
Brennan Othmann hails from Scarborough, Canada. He grew up idolizing #87 Sidney Crosby and chose his number, #78, as a homage to Sid.
Interestingly, Chris Drury’s first draft selection as the Rangers GM was Othmann, with the 16th overall pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft.
At the time he was drafted, Rangers fans were a bit disgruntled, as they expected Drury to draft a center. And also simply because they’re Rangers fans, who always find a reason to be disgruntled. Othmann wasted no time in starting to win angry fans over, by scoring 50 goals for the Flint Firebirds in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL).
He continued his stellar play at the Rangers’ 2022 training camp, but was ultimately sent back to the OHL to continue his development. He was then dealt to the Peterborough Petes and dropped a Twitter thread to coincide with the move, which I thought was pretty forthcoming and unique for a young kid.
Othmann hit the ground running and registered 25 playoff points in 23 games for the Petes, who went on to win the OHL Championship.
On the international stage, Othmann impressed yet again at the 2023 World Juniors, with 6 points in 7 games en route to a gold medal for Canada.
The dude has a history of winning hockey and one can hope it translates to the pros.
NHL Player Comparisons
“The Blue Crew” podcast had a fun discussion on this point (full episode here), where the comparison to Ryan Callahan was made. Othmann is gonna be his own player obviously, but it’s fun to fantasize what us fans might be getting. To me, his game reminds me of Brandon Dubinsky’s in the best way. Except Othmann has a bit more skill with the puck on his stick and more life on his shot. I’d even go as far as saying he has a hint of Sean Avery, which is pretty exciting. He’s not quite as unhinged, but definitely won’t shy away from physicality and a healthy dose of shenanigans either behind the play or after the whistle. Avery was a magician at toeing the line of taking a penalty or coaxing the other team into taking one. I think Othmann has showed signs of possessing that similar, antagonizing sauce.
I can’t get enough of these types of players – the gnat that gets in your face one shift, only to pick up a primary assist on a goal the next. Put them in a sports market like New York and they’re living legends. Unfortunately, they seem to be a lost art and maybe a dying breed. I miss Avery’s beautiful chaos on his best nights.
More broadly, when I think about the most effective players in today’s game, especially in the playoffs, it’s guys that have multiple dimensions. Players with sneaky skill, underrated hockey IQ, freakish compete level and an uncanny ability to get under the opponent’s skin. They’re fan favorites, yet universally hated around the league.
Exhibit A is Matthew Tkachuk, who went on a rampage of scoring goals and pissing people off on his way to taking Florida to the Finals this past season. “The Rat King” is such an amazing nickname.
I’m thrilled to see a prospect that checks all of the aforementioned boxes in Othmann coming up through the Rangers’ ranks. It’s been a long time coming.
Preseason Impressions
The Rangers have been “meh” in the handful of preseason games so far. I don’t really care to comment too much on it – they’re learning a new system and these games are quite literally meaningless.
Although, two definite bright spots have been Othmann and his buddy from the World Juniors, Will Cuylle. There’s definitely a reason why these two haven’t been included in the bunch of guys assigned to Hartford already. Laviolette has sung their praises a few different times and reiterated to reporters that they’ve earned the opportunities they’ve been given.
With Othmann, he’s looked more and more comfortable as training camp and the preseason roll on. He’s been able to showcase pretty much everything in his tool box – physicality, vision, anticipation, scoring and work ethic. He’s a special player in the sense he has a knack for suddenly appearing in the dangerous areas on the ice. He’s not afraid to go to the blue paint and has nice touch around the net.
I was in attendance for the preseason game against the Islanders last Saturday and had a blast watching him do his thing. It was also my first time seeing a game at UBS Arena, pretty cool they let fans down on the glass for warmups. You try doing that at MSG and James Dolan will have you banned for life.
So, Is He Making The Team?
Unfortunately, I don’t think Othmann is going to make this Rangers team out of camp, but it’s absolutely no fault of his own. It’s more so a matter of circumstance with the way this team is constructed. The reality is there are bonafide NHLers up and down the roster without many vacancies to fill.
Injuries either now or during the season may be the trigger for Othmann to get his chance. For a little while there, it felt like Filip Chytil may not be healthy enough to start the season, which would open up a spot. Chytil is tracking towards suiting up for the season opener in Buffalo next week, but now there may be another opening, with Tyler Pitlick sidelined with an upper body injury.
I do wonder if Laviolette might go with Cuylle to fill a potential spare roster spot over Othmann. Cuylle has looked equally as good, if not better, and already has a year with Hartford under his belt. Not to mention, the high sticking penalty Othmann took in last night’s preseason game against New Jersey was a tough look and I’m sure one the coaching staff isn’t thrilled with. Othmann even mentioned to reporters prior to the game that he has to work on keeping his stick down.
Credit to Brennan though, his attitude throughout training camp has been A+. I appreciate his perspective on learning from the veterans, leaning into the comradery of it all, recognizing his weaknesses, working hard and having fun.
Player Development Woes
This topic is probably one for another blog but I’ll try to make it brief. Too many times in recent memory we’ve seen prospects thrown into the fire too early. Naturally they struggle, because they’re not ready, the NHL is hard and it’s a huge adjustment. They lose confidence, and at that point, it becomes a song and dance to answer to the media, mend relations to the player and so on. It ends up being a massive headache for everyone involved. Lias Andersson and Vitaly Kravtsov are perfect examples of this dynamic.
For Othmann and Cuylle, the good news is that both are eligible to bypass waivers in order to be sent down to Hartford. This is a huge bonus, as they can pass freely move up and down without the risk of being claimed by another club on the waiver wire.
I don’t think it’s the worst thing at all to have Othmann start the year in Hartford. Let him get his legs under him, let him sharpen his game and he’ll build confidence over time. There’s no reason to rush his progress. He seems to be all in on the journey of continuing to learn and grow. I’d love for the Rangers to call him up only when there’s no other choice, after he proves he can terrorize the AHL. When it’s his time, it’ll be obvious, and fans will embrace the next iconic pest on Broadway.
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