Projected lineup: Rangers prospect Brennan Othmann braces for NHL debut

TARRYTOWN - Even though he found out his NHL dream was coming true prior to the Hartford Wolf Pack's practice on Wednesday, Brennan Othmann still stuck around to skate and get some work in.

It wasn't until he left the rink and called his parents that reality started sinking in.

"They were pretty ecstatic and a bit emotional," Othmann said following Thursday's morning skate at the MSG Training Center. "They got on a plane this morning, so they'll be up tonight, as well."

One of the Rangers' top prospects will make his NHL debut in front of family and thousands of others at Madison Square Garden, where New York is set to host the Chicago Blackhawks.

The news came unexpectedly after Othmann posted 23 points (nine points and 14 assists) through 28 games with the Blueshirts' AHL affiliate.

"A lot of people may look at it and say, ‘Why isn’t he up?’ or something like that," he said. "But I wasn’t too worried about it, to be honest with you. I knew I was down there to learn details and learn to play the professional game properly. I was surprised I got called up. I didn’t know what was going on."

A spot came open after veteran forward Tyler Pitlick went down with a lower-body injury, which head coach Peter Laviolette deemed a "week-to-week" situation.

When previous recalls were required, the Rangers opted for more experienced options. This time, they decided it was time to take a look at Hartford's highest-upside prospect.

"By all accounts, he's playing really well," said Laviolette, who noted that the AHL staff "recommended" Othmann as the choice. "It's been a good start – a learning start. Just chatting with him a little bit, he really spoke highly of the coaching he got from a game in, game out basis to try and help him understand and learn and become a better pro."

That commitment to developing the finer points of his game were critical for Othmann to earn organizational trust.

He's been a prolific scorer at every level but knew the key to taking the next step was proving he could defend and make the right reads in all situations.

"When you're playing junior hockey, you're the go-to guy and you're the guy that everyone relies on," he said. "You don't really focus too much on the stick detail or flying the zone or any of that stuff. You're more worried about, ‘Oh, I want to score.’ You're young at that stage in your life, and then you think about, ‘It’s points, points, points. That's what's going to get me drafted. That's what's going get me this or that.’ But at the end the day, once you get here, everyone's the same. ... It's the little detail game that defines hockey players."

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Laviolette will ease the 2021 first-round pick in by playing him in the bottom six with a familiar linemate.

Othmann skated Thursday morning his natural left-wing spot, with veteran Nick Bonino at center and former Wolf Pack teammate Jonny Brodzinski on the right side.

"When Jonny was down, I was playing with Jonny a lot," he said. "It's my first day here and Jonny's already teaching me and showing me stuff up here, so he's been a great leader and mentor. I'm looking forward to playing alongside of them."

That left Pitlick's spot on Laviolette's defensive matchup line open, with rookie Will Cuylle getting the opportunity to slot in alongside Barclay Goodrow and Jimmy Vesey.

They'll likely draw shifts Thursday against Chicago's top line of Ryan Donato, Philipp Kurashev and No. 1 overall pick Connor Bedard.

"It's a great opportunity for (Cuylle), too, just to take on a different role," Laviolette said. "We're constantly showing shifts. … The next day (after games), you're bringing players in and you're working with them as individuals and as lines – things they did well and things they can do better, trying to try to teach a little bit. He's never caught on camera too much doing the wrong thing. He plays a pretty good game out there. With that, he provides some physicality, good details to defense and is still looking at attack offensively − all things that can play into his strength."

It all adds up to an intriguing game for the Rangers, who have gone 7-6 in their last 13 games after starting the season 18-4-1.

But Othmann, who will turn 21 on Friday, will be the center of attention.

"I've talked to a lot of people, and it's just another game," he said. "Obviously, it's my first NHL game and you want to do well. But at the same time, you're just happy that you're getting that shot to play. I’m just going to be excited go out there and play and take the regular-season MSG crowd in. It's going to be really fun."

NY Rangers (25-10-1) projected lineup: Game 37 vs. Chicago Blackhawks (11-24-2)

When: Thursday, Jan. 4 at 7 p.m.

Where: Madison Square Garden

TV/Radio: MSG Network/98.7 FM

Forwards

Top line ⊳ Chris Kreider (LW) ⋄ Mika Zibanejad (C) ⋄ Blake Wheeler (RW)

Second line ⊳ Artemi Panarin (LW) ⋄ Vincent Trocheck (C) ⋄ Alexis Lafrenière (RW)

Third line ⊳ Will Cuylle (LW) ⋄ Barclay Goodrow (C) ⋄ Jimmy Vesey (RW)

Fourth line ⊳ Brennan Othmann (LW) ⋄ Nick Bonino (C) ⋄ Jonny Brodzinski (RW)

Defensemen

Top pair ⊳ Ryan Lindgren (L) ⋄ Adam Fox (R)

Second pair ⊳ K'Andre Miller (L) ⋄ Jacob Trouba (R)

Third pair ⊳ Erik Gustafsson (L) ⋄ Braden Schneider (R)

Goalies

Starter ⊳ Igor Shesterkin

Backup ⊳ Jonathan Quick

Long-term injured reserve: F Filip Chytil (upper body) and F Kaapo Kakko (lower body)

Injured: Tyler Pitlick (lower body)

Healthy scratch: D Zac Jones

Vincent Z. Mercogliano is the New York Rangers beat reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Read more of his work at lohud.com/sports/rangers/ and follow him on Twitter @vzmercogliano.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Projected lineup: Rangers prospect Brennan Othmann to make NHL debut