Adam Sykora’s brief run with the Rangers gave him something he can’t shake, and he’s carrying that feeling straight into rookie camp.
The 22-year-old forward, a 2022 second-round pick at No. 63 overall, made his NHL debut on March 25 and then stayed in the lineup for the final 11 games of the 2025-26 season. He chipped in three goals during that stretch and brought a physical, energetic edge that helped him stand out even at 5-foot-11.
When rookie camp opened Friday afternoon, Sykora said the biggest lesson from that cameo was the jolt it gave him.
“I feel like the biggest part was motivation,” Sykora told reporters. “What I felt the last two weeks at the end of the season, it was something unbelievable, indescribable.”
That taste of the NHL clearly left him wanting more.
“Just pushing myself every day and thinking about the end of the season. That was kind of my mindset,” he said.
“Discipline, motivation, go hard every day in the gym, on the ice. Just improve myself to be ready maybe to get here earlier.”
The path back won’t be simple. The Rangers added Pavel Dorofeyev in a draft-day trade with the Vegas Golden Knights, then brought in Eeli Tolvanen and Oliver Bjorkstrand on one-year deals in free agency. With Will Cuylle, Tye Kartye, Taylor Raddysh, and his friend Jaroslav Chmelar also in the mix, there doesn’t look to be an obvious opening on the wings in the bottom six, where Sykora fits best.
He’s also in a crowded fight for what may be a non-existent roster spot unless somebody forces the issue, the way Noah Laba did last September. Liam Greentree, Cole Beaudoin, Juuso Parssinen, and Matt Rempe are all in that mix too. And because Sykora is still waivers exempt, the Rangers can send him back to the minors more easily than they can with players such as Rempe or Parssinen.
Still, there’s a lane for him under coach Mike Sullivan. The system values speed, forechecking, and dependable defensive work, and Sykora said he spent the offseason leaning into exactly what the staff asked him to clean up.
“I remember what the coaches said at the end of the last season, what I need to improve, and I was focusing on that,” he explained. “Like role play - especially in the D-zone - chipping pucks out, better angles on the forecheck. That’s my strength, and I always need to improve some of those details with the stick.”
The calendar makes things tougher, too. The Rangers have only four preseason games this September, down from six in previous years, so younger players will get fewer chances to make their case.
Sykora, though, likes the fact that he gets extra game action this weekend against Philadelphia Flyers prospects.
“I’m a guy who likes to play games and competition, so I’m really happy that I can play two more extra games this rookie camp, and I can get myself ready maybe for training camp too,” he explained. “I think that’s an advantage for me to just get ready earlier than the other guys.”
Rookie camp also gives him a chance to make an impression on a new Hartford Wolf Pack coaching staff. The Rangers overhauled the AHL bench after Hartford finished last in the league with 60 points (26-38-5) in 2025-26, firing Grant Potulny, Jamie Tardif, and Paul Mara and hiring Jay Leach, who previously worked under Sullivan with the Pittsburgh Penguins’ AHL affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
“The mindset is the same,” Sykora said. “I always want to have a good first impression.
We have a new coaching staff here, so I wanna be a leader on the ice, off the ice. I think I’ve got a lot of experiences from the last couple of seasons, so I want to share with these guys, be a leader, and just help everybody to make a first step too.”
Sykora has 201 AHL games with Hartford on his résumé, all with the Wolf Pack. In that span, Hartford has had three different coaches, plus interim head coach Steve Smith after Kris Knoblauch left to become head coach of the Edmonton Oilers in November 2023.
Last season, Sykora tied for third on Hartford with 29 points in 62 games. His 12 goals were a career high, and he finished one point shy of matching his personal best of 30 from the year before.
Whether he starts the 2026-27 season in Hartford or pushes his way into the Rangers’ plans, Sykora said his focus is bigger than himself.
“I don’t want to think just about myself. I want to think about the team,” he said. “We have two hard games against Philly, so I want to be the leader, and I want to help this team achieve something.”
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