Jaroslav Chmelař

Jaroslav Chmelař (born 20 July 2003) is a Czech professional ice hockey player who is a winger for the New York Rangers of the NHL. He was drafted by the Rangers in the fifth round of the 2021 NHL entry draft with the 144th overall selection. He spent the entire 2024–25 season with Hartford, scoring 12 goals and 17 assists in 71 games. He started the 2025–26 season with Hartford and was called up to the Rangers in November after scoring 2 goals and 3 assists in 9 games for Hartford. Ranger coach Mike Sullivan said of Chmelař upon his joining the Rangers that:quote|The conversations I had with Chris Drury and Ryan Martin told me that he's been the best forward. He’s played extremely well, and he’s deserving of getting the call-up, and that’s why he’s here. I think it's a great message for everybody; Performance matters. It matters, it matters in practice, it matters in the games. Whether you're in New York or you're in Hartford, performance matters. He was returned to Hartford on 9 November after playing in two games for the Rangers. After a subsequent recall, he scored his first NHL goal in a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs on 5 March 2026.

International play Chmelař represented the Czech Republic at the 2022 and 2023 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. At the 2022 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships he only played 3 games and was primarily valued for his defensive ability.

Playing style Chmelař is a large forward who plays physically and is responsible defensively. He said "I want to be around the net and make the defense fear going into the corner with me."

Career statistics Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 2022–23 Providence College HE 33 7 6 13 26 — — — — — 2023–24 Providence College HE 26 5 10 15 29 — — — — — 2023–24 Hartford Wolf Pack AHL 7 2 0 2 2 10 2 1 3 0 2024–25 Hartford Wolf Pack AHL 71 12 17 29 48 — — — — — 2025–26 Hartford Wolf Pack AHL 46 8 17 25 42 — — — — — 2025–26 New York Rangers NHL 28 4 2 6 11 — — — — —NHL totals 28 4 2 6 11 — — — — —

International Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM 2021 Czechia U18 7th 5 1 1 2 2 2022 Czechia WJC 4th 3 1 0 1 25 2023 Czechia WJC 7 3 2 5 0 2026 Czechia WC 5th 8 1 1 2 0 Junior totals 15 5 3 8 27 Senior totals 8 1 1 2 0