Rangers prospect Adam Sykora got a taste of playing in North America down the stretch last season, including four playoff games with AHL Hartford. The 18-year-old spent most of the year in Slovakia in 2022-23 (producing 21 points in 39 games) and could return to that league next season but he told Mollie Walker of the New York Post that his preference is to play in the minors with the Wolf Pack. Sykora was the 63rd pick by New York in the 2022 draft and has already signed his entry-level deal. His CHL rights are held by Medicine Hat but it seems unlikely that he’d be sent to play major junior after seeing time in Slovakia’s pro league in each of the last three seasons.
Other prospect news from around the hockey world:
- Blackhawks prospect Liam Gorman has transferred to the University of Massachusetts, the school announced. Originally a sixth-round pick by Pittsburgh back in 2018 (177th overall), the 23-year-old had a strong senior season at Princeton, notching 12 goals and 12 assists in 32 games. In his first two campaigns (he didn’t play in 2020-21), Gorman had just 12 points in total. With 2023-24 being his final year of eligibility, Gorman will be looking to earn a pro contract with how he plays for the Minutemen next season.
- Still with Chicago, the Blackhawks tried to move up with their second selection in the first round of last month’s draft, notes Ben Pope of the Chicago-Sun Times. Their target was center Oliver Moore out of the US National Team Development Program but after being ranked as a likely late lottery selection, they didn’t expect him to slip to 19. However, that’s exactly what happened, allowing Chicago to add their second middleman after picking Connor Bedard with the first-overall selection.
- Sabres prospect Gavin McCarthy was part of the trade that saw Shane Wright get traded close to the OHL trade deadline last season. However, he indicated to Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News that despite his inclusion in the swap, he intends to honor his original commitment to Boston University. The 18-year-old defenseman was a third-round pick last month (86th overall) after putting up 27 points in 42 games with USHL Muskegon last season.
Huh, there’s a ray of hope for UMass. According to the coach (in a local newspaper article), UMass got hammered with transfer portal defections: nine as of a week or so ago. I guess playing for UMass was a lot more exciting following a national championship than it is with a losing record and a 9th place finish.