As has been the case in recent years, the Rangers have quickly come to terms with their first round pick in this year’s entry draft – Brennan Othmann.  Othmann signed the regulatory three year Entry Level Contract for the mandated $925,000.

The deal means that the Rangers have enough confidence in him becoming a viable prospect that they’re willing to use one of their 50 contract spots on him today, rather than wait until later after he’s had more opportunity to prove his selection.

For Othmann, it gives him an outside chance at impressing during Training Camp and pushing for a spot, though given the relative depth at wing within the organization, this would seem very unlikely at this stage of his career.

These past two years have been more impactful to prospects who’ve been impacted harder by league shutdowns than those in the NHL.  While the Rangers lost 38 games over the past two seasons, the OHL cut short their 2019-20 season and then cancelled 2020-21 altogether, forcing the 18 year old to leverage his Swiss heritage to get some games with Olten in the second-tier Swiss league.

It would appear more likely that Othmann will return to the OHL this season with the hope of getting a full season under his belt, as he’ll be ineligible to play in the AHL until the following season.