TORONTO — Adam Sykora did not just make his NHL debut in the Rangers’ 4-3 loss to the Maple Leafs on Wednesday night, but the high-energy wing slotted right into the middle-six role he’ll have to seize if he hopes to have a future as a Ranger.
This marked the beginning of the 2022 second-round pick’s NHL audition.
Considered a middle-of-the-pack prospect, Sykora hadn’t come close to a recall until the Blueshirts entered this organizational evaluation period amid president and general manager Chris Drury’s initiative to retool.
The 21-year-old is the sixth rookie to make his NHL debut in the Rangers lineup this season.
Of all the youngsters who competed in their first games this season, however, Sykora is one of the more unique cases. Whether his relentless game translates to the NHL level will determine the next step in his professional hockey career.
“I feel like I’m going to like realize it after, maybe, a couple hours,” Sykora said after logging three shots on goal in 13:33 of ice time in the loss. “As I slow my body down and get my nervous system back. I feel like I’m just still in the game, but after, maybe on the flight [back to New York], I will just enjoy the moment.”
There’s a lot to like about Sykora.
His feet never stop moving. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a player on the ice who is outworking him.
Sykora is also much stronger than his generously listed 5-foot-11, 193-pound frame suggests. Pairing that with his insistence on giving 110 percent on every single shift, Sykora is a handful in puck battles.
Despite turning 21 in September, Sykora has already played more than 200 AHL games and made over 100 appearances in the Slovak Extraliga. He’s represented his country at World Championships and Olympic qualifiers.
- CHECK OUT THE LATEST NHL STANDINGS AND RANGERS STATS
When he was left off the Slovakian Olympic team that finished fourth in Milan last month, Sykora said he thought he handled it well.
“I was cheering for them a lot,” he said Wednesday morning. “I think they have a very pretty good tournament there, final four. It was pretty exciting for our country, too. And I use it as motivation to show that I can be better. And I use it as my everyday [motivation to] work harder with everything I can, just get there maybe in four years. So I use it [as] my motivation.”
Read the expert take on the Blueshirts
Sign up for Inside the Rangers, a weekly Sports+ exclusive.
Thank you
The only person more excited about Sykora making his NHL debut than Sykora himself was his best friend and Wolf Pack roommate, Jaroslav Chmelar.
Chmelar and Sykora are essentially inseparable, as the former described. Not only do they live together just outside of Hartford, but they also room together during road trips. They cook together all the time, with Chmelar having to teach Sykora a thing or two since they moved in.
The 22-year-old Chmelar, who skated in his 12th straight NHL game Wednesday, said he called him as soon as he heard the news. Before they knew it, they were doing their AHL pregame chest-bump ritual on NHL ice.
“My happiness for him is through the roof,” Chmelar said. “I mean, he’s the best person I’ve met. He’s such a nice guy. … We were kind of dreaming about it at the beginning of the year that we would love to play together one time. So hopefully that comes through.”
For the Rangers, it would be ideal for Sykora to show off his upside in this opportunity.
The organization has an abundance of fourth-line players, so Sykora will likely need to fit in elsewhere.
A third-line role seems more realistic, but with Sykora’s work ethic, there’s no telling how high he can aim.
“I thought he was great,” Sullivan said. “I thought he played really well. His speed was evident. He made a couple of nice wall plays. Didn’t panic with the puck. He made good decisions at the lines. Didn’t force things that weren’t there. I thought he made an impact. I thought he had a really good game.”
