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‘You can’t go wrong’ with J.T. Miller as Rangers captain: Brennan Othmann
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- ‘You can’t go wrong’ with J.T. Miller as Rangers captain: Brennan Othmann
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Brennan Othmann has just 25 games of NHL experience, but the young forward saw enough last season to know that the New York Rangers made a good choice by naming J.T. Miller captain this season.
"There's a lot of guys in that room that were deserving of the C, but you can't go wrong with J.T.," Othmann said after rookie camp concluded Tuesday. "He deserves that. Ever since I got called up he's shown that's he's a leader and he can be a captain in the NHL."
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Miller was officially named the 29th captain in Rangers history earlier Tuesday. The announcement came one day before the Rangers begin training camp with new coach Mike Sullivan.
The Rangers were without a captain since early December last season, when Jacob Trouba was traded to the Anaheim Ducks . Miller is joined in this season's leadership group by alternate captains Adam Fox , Artemi Panarin , Vincent Trocheck , and Mika Zibanejad .
Likely each of those players was under consideration to be the next captain. But Othmann clearly was enthused that Miller will wear the C for the Rangers moving forward.
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"I think it's great," the 22-year-old explained. "J.T. is the type player I look up to. That's the type player I can see myself playing like in a few years. Heavy, physical, every team knows he's on the ice at all times. You have to aware when he's out there, and he leads by example. I think every single team in the NHL would want a guy like J.T. on his team. He talks to every single one of the players on the team, he's a leader, plays the right way, and he plays honest. And that's the way hockey players should play, in my opinion."
Related: Noah Laba prepared to take next step with Rangers: 'I feel like I'm ready'
Brennan Othmann hoping to land spot on Rangers opening-night roster
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The Rangers will be quite happy if Othmann follows in Miller's footsteps and becomes a star one day in the NHL. Right now, Othmann is simply trying to land a spot on the opening-night roster and a regular role in the lineup.
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The 2021 first-round pick didn't hurt his case this past week. He recorded four points (one goal, three assists) in two games against Philadelphia Flyers prospects and was clearly one of the best all-around players on the ice.
"I'm quite happy that I was able to come [to rookie camp], get some confidence and keep that confidence I had from the summer, and take it through the games this past weekend," Othmann said.
Confidence is a big issue for Othmann. A 21-goal scorer two seasons ago with Hartford of the American Hockey League, Othmann had just two assists in 22 games with the Rangers last season. He was pointless in three games after a midseason call-up in 2023-24, as well.
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"When I came up I just didn't have a lot of confidence," he explained. "I wasn't playing much. I didn't put the puck in the back of the net. So that confidence just slowly goes away each day."
Othmann will get a long look in training camp. He's trying to land a spot on the wing in the top-nine, likely on the third line. If he follows Miller's lead to play a smart, physical, two-way game, his natural talent should take hold and leave him with a good chance to remain on the roster with the new Rangers captain.
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