Adam Sykora’s trip back to the Rangers’ player development camp got off to a slow start.
Sykora, the team’s second-round pick (No. 63) in the 2022 NHL Draft, was missing his gear.
It got lost at the airport during his travels back to New York, and he was forced to wear Kaapo Kakko’s skates and borrow equipment from the team.
But after his gear was sorted, Sykora was his old self, providing an authentic source of energy that he’s become known for.
“There were some problems, but it is what it is,” Sykora said with a laugh on Wednesday. “[The coaches] were really happy with me. I didn’t have my gear, but I think they said it was a very good camp for me, and I feel the same way. It was a good start for next season.”
That youthful energy is what most sticks out when watching Sykora — both on and off the ice.
At just 19 years old, he was one of the youngest players in the AHL last year with the Wolf Pack.
A Slovakia native, he’s represented his country at the juniors level and played there as an amateur and pro before his AHL action last year.
“He came into a new country and new culture and he got better as the year went on,” Jed Ortmeyer, the Rangers’ director of player development, said Tuesday. “He was captain of the world junior team for his country. A kid that is happy to come to the rink every day with a smile on his face and infectious energy, it spreads throughout the room. Really excited to have him around and keep working with him.”
Sykora recorded eight goals and 15 assists (23 points) in 66 games last year.
Other than two games with the Wolf Pack the year prior, it was his first action in the AHL.
He knows that in order to put himself into consideration to make the Rangers’ roster next year, he has to turn his energy into production.
“It was kind of different, it was a little harder,” Sykora said of the AHL. “Everything was faster, everything was bigger. The guys were unpredictable, they know what they’re doing. It was harder, but that was better for me.
“I can get more comfortable with the puck. I know the first part of the season, I could’ve gotten more points. But in the other half, I played much better with the puck. … Be stronger, be faster, try to work on my mind. That’s important, too. I know everything’s gotta be better.”
The Rangers lost Jack Roslovic in free agency, as the forward signed a one-year contract worth $2.8 million with the Hurricanes.
The 27-year-old Roslovic finished last season with the Rangers and has 234 points in 481 regular-season and playoff games with them, Winnipeg and Columbus.
— With AP
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