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New York Rangers 23-year-old forward opens up on mental battle after being assigned to the AHL
Photo credit: Dennis Schneidler-Imagn Images
New York Rangers 23-year-old forward opens up on mental battle he has been facing this season in the AHL with the Hartford Wolf Pack, after he had played 35 games in the NHL last season.
During the New York Rangers' 2025 Rookie Camp, 23-year-old forward Brett Berard, came into camp with the proper mindset of making the Rangers opening-night roster as he worked incredibly hard.
Unfortunately, for the 2020 fifth-round pick, he didn't make the Rangers opening-night roster out of camp this season, despite having played a total of 35 games for the Rangers last season, where he tallied six goals and four assists for a total of ten points.
Brett Berard opens up on struggles early in the 2025-26 season
It's safe to say that during Berard's first 14 games of the season with the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League were a bit underwhelming as he couldn't score a single goal.
However, on Tuesday night, Berard finally managed to tally his first goal of the season, during the Wolf Pack's 3-2 victory over the Springfield Thunderbirds, and it surely lifted a weight off his shoulders
«It took a little bit to score, so getting that one in today was great,» Berard said. «For me, I just want to try to provide for the team. Going through a skid, you start to put a lot of pressure on yourself to produce. I mean, I've scored in this league, and it's something that I guess is different for me going through a skid like that, but I think it definitely has made me stronger and mentally tough, kind of dealing with that, especially early on in the season.
«It's a long year. It's easy to kind of think about that too much. I mean, for me, it is just kind of generating the chances they're going to go in. It's just how hockey works, so I'm just waiting for that to happen, and today, it did. I was really happy to see it.»
«It's a long year. It's easy to kind of think about that too much. I mean, for me, it is just kind of generating the chances they're going to go in. It's just how hockey works, so I'm just waiting for that to happen, and today, it did. I was really happy to see it.»
It's not always easy to play in a handful of NHL games and then adapt to life back in the AHL, but now Berard seems to be adjusting to the whole change and is focused on being the best he can for the Wolf Pack.
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