In his third professional season, Adam Sykora earned his first call-up to the NHL on Tuesday, when the New York Rangers recalled the 21-year-old forward from the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League.
Sykora was New York's top pick in the 2022 NHL Draft , selected in the second round (No. 63 overall). He's played 201 AHL games with Hartford, and is currently tied for third on the Wolf Pack with 29 points this season, one shy of his career best set in 2024-25.
The popular native of Slovakia already set a career-high with 12 goals this season, and his three short-handed goals are one off the most in the AHL. He is is the first Hartford player since current Rangers forward Jonny Brodzinski to score that many shorties since 2021-22.
On Wednesday, Sykora scored a short-handed game-winning goal against Charlotte by hunting the puck in the offensive zone, then tucking it past former Rangers goalie Louis Domingue . Promoted to the Wolf Pack's top line with Brendan Brisson and Trey Fix-Wolansky on Sunday, Sýkora recorded a secondary assist on the game's first goal, when he protected the puck against Rochester, keeping the play alive for his linemates.
Sykora provides the Rangers a solid bottom-six option in their forward group, not to mention an excellent penalty killer. With his speed, determination, and smarts, it's not hard to imagine him playing on New York's third line with Tye Kartye and J.T. Miller (or Noah Laba once he's healthy again). He could fit on the fourth line, as well.
This past weekend, Sykora's long-time Hartford teammate Dylan Garand made his NHL debut with the Rangers. Garand stopped 35 of 37 shots in a 3-2 shootout loss to the Winnipeg Jets .
Adam Sykora — photo courtesy Hartford Wolf Pack
Losers in six of their past 10 games (4-6-0-0), Hartford's Calder Cup Playoff hopes are dwindling with 10 games remaining in the season. Last week featured mixed results, with Hartford remaining six points out of a playoff spot.
Initially closing the gap to two-points when they swept the Charlotte Checkers, winning 5-2 on Tuesday and Wednesday, the Wolf Pack followed up with back-to-back losses on Saturday and Sunday, losing 6-3 to the Toronto Marlies and Rochester Americans.
The eighth-place Wolf Pack (24-32-4-2, 54 points) host Charlotte this weekend for a pair of games on Saturday and Sunday.
The Wolf Pack blue line received a boost Tuesday when Connor Mackey was reassigned by the Rangers. Mackey played three games with the Rangers, but lost his roster spot to rookie Drew Fortescue , who signed his entry-level contract this past weekend.
Hartford's currently dealing with injuries to defensemen Blake Hillman (day to day), and Travis Dermott (week to week).
Inserted on to the Wolf Pack's third line with Bryce McConnell-Barker and Carey Terrance , Brody Lamb played a significant role in its resurgence. The trio produced 12 points (five goals, seven assists) in the past four games, after Lamb joined Hartford on an ATO following agreeing to terms on his entry-level contract with the Rangers coming out of the University of Minnesota.
Lamb complemented the line, finding ways to generate offense throughout his four-game point streak (two goals, two assists). On Tuesday, his first professional assist was from a shot on net, found by Terrance on the rebound. The following day, his second assist came from being at the right place at the right time when McConnell-Barker scored in front of Charlotte's goalie, Kirill Gerasimyuk. Then on Saturday, Lamb scored his first professional goal , when McConnell-Barker's shot clipped him in front of the net. On Sunday, he battled in the crease and was rewarded with a greasy goal.
The prospect is playing well in his brief time with Hartford. Given his success, coach Grant Potulnly may bump the line up if they remain consistent collectively.
His linemate, McConnell-Barker, has three points (one goal, three assist) since Lamb joined the team. The 21-year-old is up to 19 points (nine goals, 10 assists) for a new career high, surpassing his total from 2024-25 (15).
Terrance, who's had a quiet year offensively, has four points (two goals, two assists) on the new look line. He recorded his first three-point performance (one goal, two assists) on Saturday.
Spencer Martin 's struggles hamper Wolf Pack
Spencer Martin hasn't lived up to expectations after signing a two-year deal with the Rangers in the fall. Martin's rocky tenure with Hartford continued as he extended his losing streak to four games (0-4-0-0). In that span, Martin conceded 21 goals, averaging 5.25 goals allowed per game. Martin's surrendered three or more goals in nine of 16 starts with the Wolf Pack. The 30-year-old goaltender is on pace to have his worst performing season in the AHL, with a career-worst 3.84 GAA, and a low of an .867 save percentage. Martin recorded three wins, 10 regulation losses, and two overtime losses.
The troubled stats remain of concern, especially when Hartford is leaning on Martin while Garand is up with the Rangers. He does not provide stability in net, and has not come up with timely saves often enough.
All games can be viewed on AHLTV and heard on Mixlr .
This is the seventh of eight meetings in the season series. Hartford is 4-2-0-0 against Charlotte.
Charlotte is 37-20-5-0 (79 points), third in the Atlantic Division and fifth in the Eastern Conference.
Ben Steeves leads the Checkers with 40 points (19 goals, 21 assists). Next is Jaack Devine with 36 points (16 goals, 20 assists).
This is the eighth and final meeting in the season series.
Hartford is 10-16-3-1 at home.
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