The Hartford Wolf Pack lost 9-0 on Monday to the Charlotte Checkers, and it's been another disappointing season for the New York Rangers' farm club with a few exceptions. Jaroslav Chmelar was drafted 144th overall in the fifth round of the 2021 draft, and even though he failed to make noise in his six games with the Blueshirts earlier this season, he's deserving of a post-Olympic look.
Chmelar on pace for career year with Wolf Pack
The 2024-25 season was Chmelar's first full season in the AHL, and he appeared in 71 games while scoring 12 goals and adding 17 assists for 29 points. What is notable about that season is that those 29 points were more than he tallied in two seasons with Providence College, and it was the first time where it appeared Chmelar could be a competent bottom six forward. Chmelar is 6'4" and 227 pounds, and he certainly has the size to have an impact at the NHL level.
This year he's posted a line of 8-15-23 in 41 games, and he's got a plus-minus rating of minus six. While plus-minus is a pretty bad stat to look at, it is worth pointing out that Chmelar was a minus 37 last season. If Chmelar were to finish the season in Hartford, he's currently on pace to post a line of 13-24-37 in 66 games while finishing -10.
Chmelar is still raw, but the Rangers need to learn more about him
The Rangers had Chmelar up on the roster earlier this year, and in six games he logged 47 minutes at 5v5. In that stretch he posted a 41.79 CF%, and a 42.24 xGF%. He wasn't on the ice for a goal for, and therefore his GF% is 0.00. His average time on ice per game was just 7:51, and the role he was deployed in makes it hard to put any stock in his numbers above.
With the season all but officially over, now is the time for the Rangers to deploy Chmelar in a variety of roles, preferably in the top six, but any consistent deployment with more than 10:00 a night will do for now. It is entirely possible that Chmelar doesn't have it, but it would be better to get an updated sense of what he's capable of. The Rangers aren't learning from playing Taylor Raddysh, Sam Carrick, or Jonny Brodzinski, and hopefully Chmelar can be freed from the dumpster fire that is Hartford soon.