Recap: Notes From Rangers Rookie Camp Game 1

For the third year in a row, the New York Rangers are taking part in an exhibition series with the Philadelphia Flyers as part of their yearly rookie camp. This year, it was the Rangers taking game one by a score of 4-3 having secured the extra point in a shootout following a last minute effort from the Flyers to tie the game in regulation.

The line combinations for Game 1 of rookie camp appeared as follows: 

Othmann - Korczak - Berard

Roobroeck - Edström - Chmelar

Sýkora - McConnell Barker - Vaisanen

Aspinall - Bouilard - Gredig

Robertson  - Mancini

McCalum McCarthy

Murray - Siedem 

Dylan Garand played the entire game in net. 

Key Takeaways:

Adam Edström was by far the Rangers most noticeable player this evening which shouldn’t come as a surprise seeing as he already has 43 AHL & 11 NHL games under his belt. Edström picked up two goals on the night, looking incredibly comfortable as he was all over the ice from his first shift right up until his last. His first goal of the night came on a Rangers power play about midway through the first. His second came on a juicy rebound the resulted from a clean slap shot from the point provided by Case McCarthy.

In addition to Edström, Brett Berard and Brennan Othmann were the two names fans were likely the most excited to catch a glimpse of or hear about as training camp gets underway. Not only were the two forwards standouts for the Blueshirts but the chemistry the two shared throughout the night was extremely evident. It seemed every power play the Rangers had the two of them were finding each other seamlessly at either end of the offensive zone. Their confidence mixed with that chemistry led to them showing they have potential to live up to the hype surrounding them heading into this years preseason. However, they may have overdone it just a little bit in the final seconds of the game.

With less than 20 seconds to go in the game, the Rangers were up 3-2 with the Flyers net empty. Othmann had the puck on the right wing side and a clear shot to the wide open net. Alas, Othmann decided to pull a Mika Zibanejad and selflessly passed up a clear shot to feed a pass to his friend. Brett Berard took the puck towards the empty net but a great defensive effort from Spencer Gill kept Berard from finding the back of the net and sent play the other way. This inevitably led to the Flyers tying the game with 14 seconds to go. No harm no foul as Othmann would certainly make up for it in the shootout as he sniped a shot past Carson Bjarnason.

You can check out the full shootout here:

Another forward that really stood out was Kalle Vaisanen. Quite noticeable throughout the evening, Vaisanen picked up a handful of quality scoring chances, specifically through the back nine of the outing. Finally in the third period, he was rewarded for those efforts as he capitalized on a beautiful one-handed redirect. It was Adam Sýkora setting him up with the perfect pass on the 2-on-1 to give the Rangers a 3-2 lead.

Vaisanen was a 4th round (106) draft pick by the Rangers in 2021 and made his AHL debut last season in three games with the Wolf Pack. While he is participating in camp this year, he is set to return to Ilves Tampere in the SM-liiga for the 2024-25 season.

Speaking of Sýkora's assist, one of the most common things you hear about this player is he's a bit of a smaller guy but certainly doesn’t play like he is. The aggressive forward continues to prove that point as there isn't an opponent he shies away from. Several times throughout tonights outing Sýkora was pushing and shoving some of the biggest players on the Flyers rookie squad and had his nose in as many battles for the puck as well as space on the ice as he could. Othmann and Berard may be the two youngsters everyone has their eyes on, but Sýkora is right behind them.

On the defensive side of the game, Victor Mancini was far and away the bright spot for the Rangers. Not only was he shutting down the Flyers offense all night, but he contributed in the other end of the nice just as much. One Rangers power play in particular, Mancini ripped a one-timer off the post that nearly gave them the lead. This shift here is a great example of just how hard-working and tenacious he can be when defending.

Mancini is a guy the Rangers are certainly excited about and will look to have an important rookie season with the Wolf Pack this coming season.

Last but surely not least, Dylan Garand had a solid night as the back bone of the Rangers rookie squad. The 22-year old goaltender is no stranger to these rookie camps as he's set to embark on his third full season with the Wolf Pack this year. While there's essentially no chance of making the Rangers opening night roster this season, it will be an important year for Garand who could realistically be one year away from seriously competing for a full-time NHL back-up job. With Jonathan Quick and Louis Domingue entering the final year of their contracts, another strong year in Hartford for Garand could pave the way for him to make the jump next season. As a result, it's great to see him playing strong and confidently even this early on.

All things considered, a rather exciting game for one that really didn't matter one way or the other. Lots of positive notes to take away that will help set the tone as we get closer and closer to the start of Rangers preseason. If you missed tonight's action, the team's will be back at it tomorrow and you can find the live stream to the game on the Philadelphia Flyers website or socials.