JAROSLAV CHMELAŘ EXCITED TO BUILD OFF OF PLAYOFF EXPERIENCE
Sep 5, 2024HARTFORD, CT – Making the jump from college hockey to professional hockey is a challenging transition to make for players. For Jaroslav Chmelař, that process began last spring when he agreed to an entry-level contract with the NHL’s New York Rangers.
The deal, which saw Chmelař also agree to an amateur tryout agreement (ATO) with the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack, marked the end of the Czech forward’s two-season career at Providence College.
It was a whirlwind experience that has the 21-year-old forward ready for his rookie campaign this fall.
“From my standpoint, it went pretty well,” Chmelař said about the experience of turning pro and getting a taste of the AHL. “The start here was a little slow for me, and it seemed like the league might be a little too much, but I think the day after I really got into it, and game-by-game, I started getting better and feeling more comfortable.
“I’m just happy that I could make this step, get in the lineup, and get these minutes to prepare for next year.”
In all, the former Providence College Friar played 17 games for the Wolf Pack on his tryout agreement. He notched two goals in seven regular season games, then added three points (2 g, 1 a) in 10 Calder Cup Playoff games.
He was trusted by the Wolf Pack’s coaching staff during the most important time of the season. He rewarded them with the biggest goal of his young career in Game 3 of the Wolf Pack’s First Round series victory over the Charlotte Checkers. That goal was the first of three straight for the Wolf Pack to start the game.
“I don’t think it could have been better, for me at least,” he said of his ten-game playoff run. “Playoffs are where the hardest plays are made, it’s the hardest thing to do. If you can succeed there and show that you are capable of it, it shows a picture, and I think that helped me a lot to get a chance to play in the playoffs. It certainly helped me prepare for next season, so I know what to do.”
Chmelař’s former and current teammate, Brett Berard, went through a similar experience at the end of the 2022-23 season. Berard turned pro, leaving Providence College and joining the Wolf Pack. He got a taste of the professional game and used that experience to prepare for a terrific rookie season.
Berard led the Wolf Pack in goals and finished top three in the AHL in goals by a rookie.
The start of his friend’s career is not lost on Chmelař.
“Coming in as a new guy, you know the lineup could be pretty much set and you could get maybe one game, two games just to try,” the young forward said about his experience. “I was really happy to play as many games as I did, that helped me to get a picture of the league and get comfortable with it. I was happy to compete with everybody because this is on a different level.
“You’ve got to look for different things than in college. It was nice to see that Brett had the same experience (in 2022-23). I was looking forward to having the same thing and I got off to a pretty good start.”
Now, with a taste of the professional game in his mind, Chmelař has embarked on a summer of preparing for the grind of his rookie season. Like teammate Victor Mancini, Chmelař will report to Rangers camp in September having spent the last few months working on things he learned in the spring.
“I will definitely do a lot of cutbacks, I haven’t been really good at it, I have to get the impulse in my brain,” he said when asked what he’ll look to improve on over the summer months. “I will do a lot of cutbacks and just overall try to improve my game, use my size to my advantage. I want to work on tight areas, puck skills, just complete the overall package of my game.”
With an idea of what professional hockey is like, and a taste of success in it to boot, Chmelař looks to be an impact player within the Rangers’ system during his rookie campaign.
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ABOUT THE HARTFORD WOLF PACK: The Hartford Wolf Pack has been a premier franchise in the American Hockey League since the team’s inception in 1997. The Wolf Pack are the top player-development affiliate of the NHL's New York Rangers and play at the XL Center. The Wolf Pack has been home to some of the Rangers newest faces including Igor Shesterkin, Filip Chytil, and Ryan Lindgren. Follow the Wolf Pack on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.