Нью-Йорк Рейнжерсийн ирээдүйтэй довтлогч Томаш Хренкогийн тоглолтын онцлох чадвар

Editor’s note:For the second consecutive year,The Athletic’s Vincent Z. Mercogliano and Peter Baugh are doing a series ranking the New York Rangers’ top 10 prospects. The order is based on detailed analysis of the organizational pipeline, along with conversations with evaluators, coaches and many of the players. The aim is to balance where each prospect is on his development path while weighing projected upside over time.

Only prospects who maintain rookie eligibility and are yet to reach their second contract are included, bumping previously ranked players such as Noah Laba, Scott Morrow andlast year’s No. 1, Gabe Perreault,out of consideration.

Each of the top 10 will be profiled in a series of stories that began Monday and concludes Sept. 4.

No. 10: Adam Sýkora, LW

No. 9: Drew Fortescue, D

Half an hour had passed since the end of an Aug. 12 practice for HK Nitra, the reigning champions of Slovakia’s top league, but the Zamboni driver was still waiting for the ice to clear.

Eventually, Tomáš Chrenko — a third-round pick in this year’s NHL Draft and The Athletic’s eighth-ranked New York Rangers prospect — was politely asked to leave.

“He’s a guy who really likes to work,” said HK Nitra coach Erik Čaládi, shortly after delivering the message.

The 18-year-old, right-shot forward is coming off a year that he described as “like some American movie.” The highlights included scoring the overtime winner in HK Nitra’s Game 7 championship clincher and leading Slovakia’s World Juniors team in both goals (five) and points (eight).

But moments after being drafted by the Rangers at No. 81, Chrenko was pushing to turn the page.

“It started today,” he said then. “Right now, I’m getting to work.”

His father has seen this strive-for-more mindset evolve over the years. The elder Chrenko, also named Tomáš, played 20 professional seasons in Europe, mostly for the same HK Nitra organization where he now serves as general manager. His son was raised around hockey rinks and locker rooms, sparking an early passion.

“He was playing and walking with the hockey stick since he was maybe a year-and-a-half old,” the father recalled.

The younger Chrenko was also a talented soccer player who enjoyed doing anything competitive with his friends. His father believes that was important to him becoming a well-rounded athlete, but a heightened focus on hockey has recently taken hold.

“When he was younger, it was just fun for him. … He loved to score goals, but he loved to play all kinds of sports,” the older Chrenko said. “But then, when he started to be part of national teams in Slovakia when he was 16, 17 years old, I think he realized that he can reach something more than just having fun with sports.”

The next steps will be critical for a prospect with the potential to become something the Rangers’ pipeline is sorely lacking: a center who can drive offense.

‘This winning aura’

After splitting time between HK Nitra’s under-20 and men’s teams in 2024-25 — he dominated for the former with 30 goals and 31 assists in just 28 games — Chrenko spent last season as the top club’s youngest player. He accounted well for himself with 31 points in 44 games, and his 22 assists tied for third on the team. But his most memorable moment came during the championship series against HC Slovan Bratislava.

HK Nitra lost three of the first four contests, then rallied to win the series. Chrenko netted the decisive Game 7 tally on a tough-angled one-timer off a feed from Joshua Lawrence, the older brother of this year’s No. 11 pick, Tynan Lawrence (St. Louis Blues).

Gólem v prodloužení sedmého zápasu proti Slovanu rozhodl 18letý Tomáš Chrenko o titulu pro Nitru, která jako první tým v nejvyšší slovenské soutěži dokázala otočit finálovou sérii z 1:3 na 4:3.🔥pic.twitter.com/ka6SiOwoED

— Sporťák (@SportakCZ) April 30, 2026

The goal dramatically capped HK Nitra’s 100th season and earned the club a berth in the European Champions League for the 2026-27 campaign.

“I don’t know how to express it in English, but it was so special that our Nitra-born player decided the championship,” the older Chrenko said.

Čaládi was watching from afar during a one-year hiatus with another Slovakian team, HK Dukla Michalovce, but will return as HK Nitra’s new coach for the coming season. He previously played for Nitra and worked as its video coach, getting to know the younger Chrenko well over the years.

“What’s different about him, and what makes him successful, I think, is he has this winning aura around him and everything he does,” Čaládi said. “Maybe he’s not the toughest guy in the battles, but his compete level is really high. He wants to win, and he makes everybody better around him.”

That, combined with Chrenko’s imaginative skill and vision, is what Čaládi believes makes him such an exciting prospect.

“He sees the ice,” the coach said. “He knows what’s going on. He doesn’t just play; he thinks on the ice, and it’s really crucial in his game.”

“When you coach a team, and everybody is in the right spots and playing structured hockey, you (want) to have a couple guys who can make a play and create offense,” Čaládi added. “He will be that guy. … He brings that one move or one step or one more pass that can make a difference.”

As part of HK Nitra’s player development ideology, the team deploys an aggressive attack and empowers its players to take chances — much like its GM did during his former career, and like his son is doing now.

“We always (encourage) kids and young players to do special things, not just simple hockey,” the older Chrenko said. “We want them to be creative, and we let them play. I was always telling him, ‘Do something different. Don’t be like thousands of others.’ …

“So I think part of it is from DNA, and then the other part is from our philosophy in Nitra, that we support creative players and offensive hockey.”

‘All roads are open’

Chrenko’s playmaking and competitiveness are his shining attributes, but there are reasons he slipped to the middle of the third round.

He is listed at a slight 5-foot-11 and 172 pounds, with many NHL evaluators preferring bigger centers. Chrenko himself pointed to “physical battles and dynamic skating” as important parts of his game to improve.

“He has to develop in what we call the dirty areas,” Čaládi said. “Not playing dirty, but sometimes you have to go to the front of the net, take some hits, or go somewhere where it hurts. Don’t just play nice hockey.”

The other focus has been playing with better pace. Chrenko’s skating was graded as above average by The Athletic’s Corey Pronman, but his coaches believe it can be even better, especially when paired with quicker decision-making.

“I’m just trying to tell him to make sure that he does everything fast,” Čaládi said. “In Europe, hockey is a little different. Here, he needs to keep the puck one second longer on his stick. But in the NHL, I think it’s going to be important that he adjusts and finds that speed. I think he’s smart enough to do that.”

Where Chrenko will hone those skills in 2026-27 remains to be seen.

He spent time in Aspen, Colo., before the draft, working with fellow clients of agent Paul Theofanous, then attended Rangers development camp in early July. He returned to Slovakia, where he trained for much of the summer, and will open the new season with HK Nitra. Their promotion to the Champions Hockey League would provide a chance to compete against some of the best teams across Europe, with a glimpse coming when Chrenko scored twice during Friday’s preseason friendly against reigning Hungarian league champion Ferencvárosi TC.

Tomáš Chrenko v piatkovej príprave prispel k výhre Nitry 6:2 nad Ferencvárosom 2 gólmi a pri obidvoch nechal počas PP vyniknúť svoje zručnosti 🏒🚨🚨 Btw pri jeho druhom presnom zásahu mal asistenciu 17-ročný Oliver Botka 👀
🎥YT HK NITRA TV pic.twitter.com/2p7t7wQ8WQ

— Peter Vretenička (@vretenicka) August 22, 2026

It’s a challenge he may embrace for the full season, which would also allow him to complete his high school degree at home. But he’s indicated that “all roads are open.”

According to his father, Chrenko will travel to New York for Rangers rookie camp in September and finalize his plans after that. He was selected by the Kitchener Rangers (OHL) in the 2024 CHL Import Draft, then by the Muskegon Lumberjacks (USHL) in the 2026 Phase II Draft. Both junior clubs are options if he decides to shift to North America.

“We understand that the hockey overseas is a little bit different, but there are a couple things we are thinking about, so it’s still open,” the senior Chrenko said.

Outside of 2023 first-round winger Gabe Perreault, the Rangers mostly targeted size and grit from 2022 to 2025. They stockpiled bottom-of-the-lineup depth during those lean draft years, but they remain light on forwards who project as capable point-producers.

Chrenko has been that at every level thus far and was one of only two centers selected by The Athletic for this year’s organizational top 10. Some scouts think he may end up on the wing, where he spent time for HK Nitra last season, but Čaládi believes he is best as a puck-dominant player in the middle and intends to use him there for however long he stays in Slovakia.

That would be a boon for the Rangers, who took a worthwhile upside swing on a prospect with an intriguing tool kit and fierce determination.

“I always tell other players that to be drafted is important, but not as important as the next day after the draft,” Chrenko’s father said. “If you are not drafted and you work hard, you still can reach the NHL. If you are just drafted and don’t work hard, then the draft means nothing. When he was drafted and realized that he is a little bit closer to his goal, it motivated him to work harder than before.”