Brennan Othmann's outstanding shot is on full display at the dawn of his long-anticipated NHL career.
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New York Rangers prospect Brennan Othmann recorded five shots on goal in his NHL debut on Thursday night against the Chicago Blackhawks.
The hallmark of the 21-year-old’s game is his lethal shot and relentless checking. This is the identity of his game that he's worked to translate from the junior to professional level over the last four months.
So far, it’s been on full display at the NHL level.
Any time Othmann has had the chance to let a shot go, there’s been little hesitation.
That doesn’t mean every shot decision was the right one.
“There were times where I shot the puck in good spots and times where it got blocked,” Othmann said. “I think I could be a little more patient, I think the nerves got to me.”
To understand how Othmann’s elite release came into existence, we must start at the very beginning.
Gerey Othmann, Brennans' father, played professionally in Switzerland and influenced his son's shoot-in-volume mentality.
"My dad played pro hockey in Switzerland and he has his own hockey school,” Othmann said. “When I was a kid, he had a big emphasis on shooting the puck and getting it off the stick fast."
“The way you win games is scoring, so he taught me how to shoot the puck well as a kid...I was more dialed in on my shooting than anything else."
His father's school of thinking was not the only model along his road to the NHL.
“Once I got more serious, I looked at a guy like Kyle Connor shooting-wise," Brennan told The Hockey News. “I play a more gritty style of game, not that he isn't. He’s a hell of a player. My shots were not like [his] but when I was 15 or 16 I was looking at him."
Kyle Connor has 452 points in 492 career games at the NHL level. That includes three 30-goal seasons and a 90-point season (2021-2022).
The cunning young winger also took note of Conners' position on the ice. "He plays the half-wall one-timer side on the power play. I was playing there in Hartford... Looking at the way he shoots, it definitely comes off the stick fast.
Another young Ranger weighed in.
"I thought he was great. He was hitting everything and shooting the puck. He didn't look out of place at all," Zac Jones said, "He didn't look out of place at all. He looked like he was an everyday NHL player from day one. So I was happy for him and thrilled to see him succeed."
Othmann and his lethal shot will continue to hunt for his first career NHL goal, as he has tucked away nine pucks in the AHL this year before his call-up.