Thriving on the World Stage

For two weeks every year, the hockey world is fixated on the IIHF World Junior Championship, a tournament that features the best players who are younger than 20 years old from around the world.
The tournament gives teams the opportunity to see its prospects - many of whom will be key components of their future NHL rosters - play in high-pressure situations and how they perform in them. And although a two-week tournament is certainly not the only barometer to judge a player, there is cause for excitement about what could lay ahead for several Rangers prospects based on how they played over the past two weeks.
Five Rangers prospects played in the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship, as Brennan Othmann represented Canada, Adam Sykora represented Slovakia, Jaroslav Chmelar played for Czechia, and Kalle Vaisanen represented Finland, while a fifth Rangers prospect, Noah Laba, made his World Juniors debut in the United States' win in the bronze medal game. Othmann, Sykora, Chmelar, and Vaisanen were all participating in the tournament for the second time, which enabled them to provide experience for their teammates and perhaps calm some of the nerves they might have felt when playing in this tournament in the summer of 2022.

"All four of those guys had a pretty identified role and knew what to expect from what their role was," Rangers Director of Player Development Jed Ortmeyer said. "I thought they all played their roles really well. I think they gained confidence knowing that they put the work in and did things the right way, and they got rewarded for it during the tournament.
Othmann entered this year's tournament fresh off a gold medal win with Canada during the past summer (the tournament was postponed due to COVID issues) and an outstanding offensive season in the Ontario Hockey League in which he has tallied 35 points (13 goals, 22 assists) in 26 games. In this year's tournament, Othmann was not only able to provide offense for a Canada squad that was loaded with talent, but he also had an impact on the game by doing the little things to help win. He finished the tournament with six points (two goals, four assists) in seven games, which included two assists in the gold medal game, while helping Canada win a gold medal.
"Othmann has been doing a lot of the dirty work in this tournament and hasn't gotten rewarded as much on the scoresheet," Ortmeyer said. "He shows up every game with big hits, getting in on the forecheck, and being hard to play against and getting under the other team's skin.
"You can also see that Othmann is a more complete player in this tournament than he was in the summer. I think that's why his line has had success, because he's been a driving force on that line regardless if he's getting points on the scoresheet. He's playing a more detailed, hard game that we've come to expect from him."
Sykora is the embodiment of a player whose impact goes beyond what appears in the box score at the end of the game. Selected by the Rangers in the second round of this past year's draft, Sykora's game is built on tenacity and speed, and he is difficult to play against in all three zones. Therefore, it shouldn't be a surprise that even though he only scored one goal in five games for Slovakia, he was named one of the team's top three players in the tournament this year.
"Sykora's energy, his forechecking ability, and his tenacity enabled him to break up plays that ultimately benefited his linemates, and they were getting points," Ortmeyer said. "He was kind of the straw that stirred the drink for his line and his team, and you could see that every time he was on the ice. That's what we love about him. He's a guy who brings it every shift and you know what you're going to get from him. And he has the ability to finish and score, even if he didn't get rewarded on the scoresheet in this tournament.
"You could see the emotion in him when they lost; you saw how passionate he is and how much he wants to win," Ortmeyer added. "That desire was great to see."
Chmelar and Vaisanen are two prospects who may not have been on the radar of many Rangers fans prior to the start of the tournament, but each player made a significant impact for his team. Vaisanen, a fourth round pick of the Rangers in 2021, recorded two points in five games with Finland and was selected as one of the team's top three players in the tournament. Chmelar recorded five points (three goals, two assists) and a plus-eight rating in seven games while helping Czechia earn a silver medal.
"Vaisanen split last season between the junior team and men's team with TPS in Finland, and had a good tournament at World Juniors in the summer," Ortmeyer said. "He got a lot of confidence from that tournament, and he's gone back to TPS and has established himself as a full-time player with the men's team and has been working his way up the lineup. The confidence he gained in the men's game this year really showed in this tournament, because he took the next step and was more confident with the puck."
"Chmelar took another step in his development this year, in terms of adjusting to the college game (as a freshman at Providence College) and in international play," Ortmeyer said. "It was fun to watch his confidence with the puck and how he used his size and strength to hold onto the puck and get in front of the net to be a force."
While the five Rangers prospects may have left the tournament with different sentiments based on how their respective countries did, the one thing they all will share is how the experience helps them in pursuing their dreams of being NHL players and contributing for the Rangers in years to come.
"It's an honor to represent your country as one of the best players in your age group," Ortmeyer said. "Playing against the best competition in the world at the biggest stage gets guys ready for playing on the big stage and dealing with the pressure that comes with that. I think that gets them ready for situations like playing in the playoffs and having the confidence to perform well when the pressure is at its highest."