Jaroslav Chmelař gives the Rangers a win-win developmental dilemma for 2026-27

New York Rangers fans should be pretty optimistic about the upcoming season, not just because of the improvements made to the main organization, but due to the fact that the Hartford Wolf Pack are going to be full of quality options ready to step up should the moment arise. One such option, should he not claim a varsity spot in training camp, is Jaroslav Chmelař.

While there's every reason for Chmelař to break camp with the Rangers, it is important to remember that he's still pretty early in his journey as a player. In some ways starting in Hartford could unlock the best version of Chmelař, and in the process it gives the Rangers a great break glass option when the time arises.

Chmelař has gotten better as he's played more games

At 6'4" and 227 pounds, and seemingly still growing, it is hard to overlook Chmelař on the ice. It wasn't all that long ago that he was just another lottery ticket waiting to be scratched, and no one would be mad that he wasn't a known commodity even to the most die hard Blueshirt fan. After all, Chmelař was picked in the fifth round of the 2021 draft, and given the impact the COVID pandemic had on scouting players, there is a real fog of war element when it comes to players picked beyond the early rounds.

In some respects, it is possible the Rangers got a bit of a diamond in the rough, and they may just have their next bottom-six success story being written before their eyes. If you look at Chmelař's stats from Finland, there's nothing that really stands out all that much. Same can be said about his time in the NCAA which includes 13 points in 33 games in year one, and 15 points in 26 games during his second season.

That Chmelař burst onto the AHL scene in 2024-25 with 29 points in 71 games is quite impressive, but he also was a -37 in that stretch which is quite loud. Plus-minus isn't the greatest of stats to use, but whenever a player does something extreme, good or bad, it's worth mentioning. That is precisely why it is notable that last season he posted 25 points in just 46 games while improving to a -7 plus-minus.

It was that continued growth which led him to getting a shot with the varsity squad to end the season, and he was quite impactful during the 28 games he suited up for. His stats included four goals and two assists for six points, and he was also a -2 for New York. Analytically speaking, he was unlucky with a 43.86 GF%, and his CF% of 48.31 and xGF% of 53.68 suggest he deserved a bit of a better fate.

Starting in Hartford will give Chmelař opportunity to round out his game to have larger impact upon return to NHL

The Wolf Pack overhauled their coaching staff in the offseason with Jay Leach now the bench boss in Hartford, Bob Woods was recently named Associate Coach too, and both are tasked with sheparding the next flock of prospects. A lot of attention will go toward names such as Liam Greentree, Cole Beaudoin, and Nathan Aspinall, but I think a name like Chmelař is important to keep an eye on.

Chmelař started to grow on Rangers' head coach Mike Sullivan as he continued to play, and he's a young player who can execute the game plan that's being drawn up. Sullivan is a fan of players who skate hard, are disruptive and think the game in a way that allows them to contribute at all times when they are on the ice, and this March quote really says it all.

If Chmelař doesn't make the team in a few weeks, he automatically becomes the next man up in Hartford. The Rangers could always have him make the team as the 13th forward, but odds are they'd prefer him playing in actual games and then join the team when the time is right. That would result in Chmelař being in a spot in Hartford where he likely gets top six minutes, even though his roster spot at the NHL level would be in the bottom six.

That being said, his offensive skills weren't all that bad at the NHL level, and even though his biggest impact could be grinding and disrupting, there's no reason why he can't continue to get better and potentially be a 40-plus point contributor.

We will get a better sense of what the Rangers are thinking about their roster after rookie camp is over, and once we see who gets featured in main camp. Most of the roster spots are spoken for, but there are some spots that could be up for grabs. I truly think Chmelař is a name that could play a bigger role than anticipated, and even if his season starts in Hartford, you can be sure he'll be back on Broadway before you know it.

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