Something happens to NHL prospects when they make their debut in the league they’ve been working toward their whole lives.
Just ask Rangers rookies Adam Edstrom and Brennan Othmann, who both got their first string of games with the varsity club last season.
Living the life of an NHLer — even for less than a week in Othmann’s case — is living the dream these players always envisioned for themselves.
That will be a unique force of motivation driving both Edstrom and Othmann as they work through rookie camp and prepare for main camp.
“You get a taste for it, you want to live that life everyday,” Edstrom said. “I worked hard and I feel prepared.”
Of the two, Edstrom probably has the clearer path to the opening-night roster than Othmann does.
The 6-foot-7 Swede appeared in 11 games last season, including a 10-game stretch spanning from mid-February to early March.
In addition to collecting two goals, Edstrom brought some size and forechecking to the Rangers bottom six.
If it weren’t for the upper-body injury he sustained upon returning to AHL Hartford following his debut on Dec. 15, as well as the emergence of Matt Rempe, Edstrom likely would’ve seen more NHL games.
Othmann played in three contests with the Blueshirts last season, skating on the third line alongside the likes of Nick Bonino and Jonny Brodzinski while Tyler Pitlick was week-to-week with a lower-body injury.
It wasn’t a memorable stint, considering Othmann finished with zero points, but it impacted the 21-year-old wing all the same.
“I think knowing that I can do it,” Othmann said of how his three-game cameo will influence him going forward. “Being able to play at that level and that pace, knowing that I can play at that capacity, I think. Play with the players there. I can handle myself.
“The first couple games, first couple shifts, you’re a bit starstruck at the players you’re playing with and against at MSG. It’s just exciting to be back, and I’m excited to get it underway. ”
This is Othmann’s fourth rookie camp and Edstrom’s third.
Though there are plenty of other organizational veterans out there in the same boat, the aforementioned two are the closest to cracking the Rangers roster.
It has created an opportunity for someone like Othmann, who captained the OHL’s Flint Firebirds and was part of the Peterborough Petes leadership group, to serve as a leader.
“I think I kind of took on that role at development camp,” Othmann said. “I think this is kind of a bigger role to take on. I’m excited to take on that role. I was able to be a leader in junior. … I enjoy being a leader. I enjoy helping guys out and guys asking questions about the facility.”
Each year brings a new set of goals for Othmann, who particularly focused on getting heavier this offseason.
Othmann weighed in at 192 pounds at the start of rookie camp, describing it as necessary “corner weight” for the way he likes to play the game.
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Edstrom returned to his home country of Sweden this offseason to train.
Noting that he would like to take the body a little more than he did last year, Edstrom said he focused on getting bigger and stronger without taking away from his explosiveness.
“I mean, it’s a childhood dream playing in the NHL,” Edstrom said. “Just getting out there, packed MSG. It was a special feeling. I really want to get back, so I’m excited.”
The Rangers have extended PTO’s to defenseman Madison Bowey and wing Adam Erne, The Post confirmed.
Bowey, 29, spent last season in Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League.
The last NHL game he played was during the 2021-22 season with the Canucks.
Erne will come into Rangers training camp with 379 games of NHL experience.
The Connecticut native spent part of last season with the Oilers, for whom he posted one goal and one assist in 24 games.
