The New York Rangers returned top forward prospect Brennan Othmann to the Hartford Wolf Pack and called up Jake Leschsychen ahead of Thursday's game in St. Louis.
Following the New York Rangers 6-3 loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Monday night, rookie Brennan Othmann was returned to the Hartford Wolf Pack after a three-game stint at the NHL level.
"I thought he had a good impact in the first game," Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette told reporters Tuesday. "For young players, I think things become more challenging when you play some of the upper-echelon teams.
"He did well. There were no major flaws. In the first game, I thought he had some impact offensively I thought it was a little bit less the second game."
The young winger recorded six shots on goal, with one block and five hits, averaging 9:05 minutes per game, through his three-game affair.
That was not an emphasis in the Rangers organization in years past.
Othmann only had 23 professional games under his belt before the Rangers elected to call him up for his debut. Now, after getting a taste of NHL action, the 21-year-old will continue to refine his game in Hartford and wait for the next opportunity.
Despite Kaapo Kakko no longer wearing a red non-contact jersey, per USA Today reporter Vince Z. Mercogliano, Laviolette said he wasn't ready to return just yet as the organization recalled 24-year-old centerman Jake Leshchsychen for their game Thursday against the St. Louis Blues.
This move will allow Kakko more practice reps to potentially get him back up to speed a bit faster, as the Rangers getting healthier may be the best and only remedy to turning the tide on what's been a shaky stretch.
On a more macro level, Laviolette likely wants to get a look at his NHL regular lineup without toying with Othmann's confidence.
Leschsychen may allow the Rangers to plug a more Tyler Pitlick-like forward into the lineup if they need to, similar to Adam Edstrom, who made his NHL debut on Dec. 15th.
Pitlick (lower body, week-to-week) suffered his injury last Tuesday in the 6-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes, which was why Othmann was recalled in the first place.
The reason Edstrom wasn't recalled is because he's nursing an injury.
Riley Nash was also a non-option due to an injury.
It is a bit shocking that Alex Belzile was not the call-up choice, as Belizile played top minutes with Jonny Brodzinski and Othmann in Hartford. The 32-year-old skater has 28 points (11 goals, 17 assists) in 31 games for the Wolf Pack this season.
The New York Rangers will focus on another high-intensity practice on Wednesday before traveling to St. Louis to play a Jekyll and Hyde Blues team Thursday night at 8 PM ET.