No. 16 Overall Pick Othmann Attributes His Success To Coaches, Teammates

This past Friday, Rangers President and General Manager Chris Drury made Brennan Othmann the latest first-rounder to join the Rangers prospect pool, selecing him at No. 16 overall in the 2021 NHL Draft.
Othmann, who was ranked eighth among the best North American players according to NHL Central Scouting, is a left winger from Pickering, Ont., standing 6 feet tall and 175 pounds.
"He understands how to play a two-hundred-foot game, and we're excited to bring him into the mix," Drury said after the selection. "Our scouts kind of described him as a Swiss Army knife kind of player. He can play both wings, can play up and down the line up."
Othmann said that he loves playing physical and getting under the skin of his opponents.

"I go out there and I'll score goals. I'll be a playmaker, but also go out there and be physical and get under guys' skin and be tough around the ice," he said.
He noted that his playing style is inspired by the game's prototypical power forwards-full of explosion, agility and power. He said that he wants to bring a similar playing style to the Rangers.
Othmann perfected his game with the help of his coaches and teammates.
In a testimonial on his skating coach's website, Othmann wrote that he "started out skating at a young age but as the years progressed, [he] picked up bad habits in [his] skating stride and poor posture." It wasn't until he started training 20 hours a week with skating coach Lisa Clark that he truly found his stride on the ice.
Othmann's experience with Clark became much more than a skating lesson; it turned into a pivotal time during which a younger skater grew his confidence. "I now have a boat load of confidence when I hit the ice with my team," he said on Clark's website.
Othmann continued to develop during the two years he spent in the OHL and the Swiss League.
In his first year of junior hockey in 2019-2020, Othmann was a member of the Flint Firebirds of the OHL. He scored 17 goals in 55 games and for 33 points on the season.
That was, of course, until COVID-19 struck, which forced Othmann to start working out with his trainer in garages back home in Pickering. When the world began to shut down, Othmann began working harder. "[My trainer] put some great strength on me," Othmann said. "He makes me better in the gym. I'm really thankful for him over the past five years."
Othmann went to Switzerland after the 2020-21 season was canceled due to COVID-19, joining the Swiss League's EHC Olten. In 34 games, Othmann scored seven goals and tallied 15 points--finishing seventh on the team in scoring, despite playing 10 fewer games than many of his teammates.
Playing overseas helped Othmann as a person and as a player. "I got bigger, I got stronger, I got a little more confident with my style of play and being able to be physical," he said.
Othmann's father and uncle played 11 and 16 seasons in Switzerland, respectively. Judging from their experiences, Othmann knew he would leave Switzerland with a new perspective.
"I learned a lot from the older guys there and the different coaches we had on the team," he told the IIHF. "I think it's just going to benefit me as a person and a player. I can't wait to show that at the next level. I know it's going to take hard work to get there and to play a top-six role, but what I learned in Switzerland is really going to help with that and make the transition a lot easier.
At the conclusion of the 2020-21 season, Othmann returned to Canada to compete.
In the 2021 IIHF Ice Hockey U-18 World Championship in Frisco and Plano, Texas, he and Hockey Canada racked seven straight regulation victories, and Othmann walked away from the tournament with six points.
Now, with the 2021 Draft in the rearview mirror, the Rangers have another valuable asset to add to their prospect pool: a physical playmaker who can put the puck in the back of the net.