The 6-foot-4, 226-pound winger has carved out a physical role on the fourth line while flashing glimpses of a scoring touch, too. He tallied his first goal March 5. He added another one Friday and nearly a third Monday, missing a chance near the net that ultimately turned into a learning moment. <\/p>\n
And most of all, Chmelar and Sullivan both said, the game has started to slow down for him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I got this [call-up], I was like, I gotta put more on the line,\u201d Chmelar told The Post after the Rangers\u2019 morning skate Wednesday before their game against the Devils at the Garden. \u201cBe everywhere. The one step ahead. Give a little more effort to be happy with my game, and I\u2019m glad it\u2019s showing.\u201d<\/p>\n
With Chmelar adjusting to the speed of the NHL level, that has allowed him to play with more pace, Sullivan said. <\/p>\n
One layer of that revolves around anticipation. Another includes \u201cphysical foot speed,\u201d Sullivan added.<\/p>\n
![\"Jaroslav](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Jaroslav-Chmelar-3.jpg\")
Jaroslav Chmelar NHLI via Getty Images<\/p>\n
Midway through the second period against the Wild on Friday, Chmelar finished his check along the boards as Minnesota cleared the puck, and moments later, following a turnover in the neutral zone, he ended up on a breakaway \u2014 shifting the puck to his backhand and flipping it into the net.<\/p>\n
Chmelar\u2019s ice time has still been limited, given his lack of a penalty-killing role. He only topped 10 minutes in a game once. But his role in Hartford \u2014 where he collected 25 points across 46 games, with both on pace to shatter his AHL-bests in a full season \u2014 paired with his recent Rangers impression has given Chmelar a foundation to build on during the offseason, with roster spots and roles available on a retooling team.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen he finishes checks, he can create anxiety,\u201d Sullivan said. \u201cHe can unnerve the opponent.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Jaroslav](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Jaroslav-Chmelar.jpg\")
Jaroslav Chmelar watches his shot go past the net during the Rangers\u2019 4-1 loss to the Kings on March 16, 2026 at the Garden. Charles Wenzelberg \/ New York Post<\/p>\n
There are still plenty of areas for growth. Chmelar noticed that he\u2019ll rush into trying to make a play on offense instead of taking a breath, making one more move and then attempting something with the puck. That happened again Monday, when he ended up with a bouncing puck near the post but watched as it hit his stick\u2019s heel and went wide of an open net.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think I could\u2019ve waited there for a little bit,\u201d Chmelar said. \u201cI thought I had more pressure on myself than I had, and yeah, I mean, to be honest, I was pissed. \u2026 That haunts me a little bit, but I gotta put it behind, and hopefully the next one can go in.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRead the expert take on the Blueshirts\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSign up for Inside the Rangers, a weekly Sports+ exclusive.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\tThank you\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Chmelar planned to dive into plenty of video this upcoming offseason, preparing for any situation he ends up in next year. He wants to seek out advice from NHL players. There\u2019s more to develop with maximizing his size, too, he said.<\/p>\n
That, always, will remain at the crux of his skill set. It\u2019s what allowed that goal in Minnesota, placing him in the right place at the right juncture. It\u2019s what allowed him to secure a place in Sullivan\u2019s lineup. And if he can add strength, Chmelar knows that\u2019ll only make it more difficult for opposing defensemen.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think they gotta know that I\u2019m coming, pretty much,\u201d Chmelar said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The lingering feeling that followed Jaroslav Chmelar from the Rangers back to AHL Hartford gnawed at him. He…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":510585,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5111],"tags":[5,2310,3328,35,5190,5193,4,36,43],"class_list":{"0":"post-510584","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-york-rangers","8":"tag-hockey","9":"tag-mike-sullivan-nhl","10":"tag-new-york","11":"tag-new-york-rangers","12":"tag-newyork","13":"tag-newyorkrangers","14":"tag-nhl","15":"tag-rangers","16":"tag-sports"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/116253213923874674","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/510584","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=510584"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/510584\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/510585"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=510584"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=510584"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=510584"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}