This AHL rule change would have changed everything for Brennan Othmann

The NHL and NHLPA have ratified a four-year Collective Bargaining Agreement, and there's one rumored long overdue change that could have changed everything for Brennan Othmann and his development as a player.

Othmann has found himself holding the short end of the stick on several occasions as he had tried to make it as a prospect. The first and biggest one to date was having the misfortune of having his draft season coming at the height of COVID. That led to him playing overseas in Switzerland while the OHL was shut down, and he did enough right to get selected 16th overall by the Blueshirts during the 2021 NHL Draft.

The second biggest instance of misfortune was Othmann's 2022-23 campaign in which he was clearly too good to still be playing OHL hockey, but not nearly good enough to play NHL hockey. Because Othmann was just 19 years old, he was ineligible to join the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League, and he essentially wasted a year of development playing in the OHL for yet another season.

The Blueshirts' 2021 first rounder was the captain of the Flint Firebirds during his D+1 (one year post draft) season, and he set the league ablaze with 50 goals and 97 points in 66 regular season games and 24 points in 19 playoff games. Based on his size and overall ability, he would have been the perfect candidate to spend a full season in the AHL to face stiffer competition and challenge himself. But he remained in the OHL for his D+2 season, and he tallied 24 points in 16 games with Flint before he was dealt to the Peterborough Petes. He would go on to contribute just 43 points in his final 40 regular season games while also adding 25 points in 23 playoff games.

Othmann hit the ice for the Wolf Pack for the start of the 2023-24 season and put up a respectable 21 goals and 49 points in 67 games, although he was a wreck defensively and finished that season with a minus 24 rating. He also earned a brief NHL stint of three games, and failed to record a point during the minimal minutes he logged.

During the 2024-25 preseason Othmann had some moments where you could start to picture him playing a role at the NHL level, but was ultimately assigned to the Wolf Pack for the start of the season so he could marinate a little longer.

What followed next was another frustrating moment for Othmann as he suffered an injury at the beginning of the season and missed over two months. His injury kept him out of Hartford's lineup and he wasn't an available option to recall when the varsity squad was struggling in November and December.

Othmann played very well we he did get healthy, and in total he tallied a line of 12-8-20 in 27 games before getting called up to spend the remainder of the season with the Rangers. From February to April of 2025, Othmann appeared in 22 games and averaged just 9:58 a night. He took 20 shots on goal and picked up two assists while earning a plus-seven rating. In 214 minutes at 5v5, Othmann posted a 70.66 GF%, a 53.51 CF%, and a 51.69 xGF%, and this very small sample is quite encouraging.

The hope is that Othmann can stay healthy and prove himself in training camp, because he's got the build and set of skills that could make him a productive contributor for the Rangers. It is easy to see names like Gabe Perreault and think of Othmann is less regard, but he's still a prospect of consequence for the Rangers. Given the latest news, you can't help but wonder how much further along he'd be as a player had he been allowed to spend his age 19 season in the AHL. This change will be a beneficial one if implemented, and certainly will benefit future prospects with situations similar to Othmann's.