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 themselves. 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 and last year’s No. 1 Gabe Perreault out of consideration. Each of the top 10 will be profiled in a series of stories that begins Monday and concludes Sept. 4.Adam Sýkora has been around the Rangers’ organization long enough that it might come as a surprise to remember he turns only 22 in September. Drafted No. 63 in 2022, he has been a pro in North America since the end of the 2022-23 season. In March, he finally made his NHL debut, and he suited up in 11 games with the Rangers before season’s end.Sýkora’s initial stint went well. The forward, generously listed at 5 feet 11, had three goals and an assist, bringing welcome enthusiasm to a team in the midst of a disappointing season. The Rangers went 6-5-0 when he was in the lineup.“It was a great feeling,” Sýkora said on locker clean-out day when asked about his ability to score goals during his NHL call-up. “Just gotta keep it going and hopefully I’ll elevate my game.”“He’s formed an identity,” a scout with an Eastern Conference club, speaking on condition of anonymity to evaluate another team’s player, added in an interview with The Athletic. “Infectious personality. He’s excited, and coaches like that. He brings something to the table.”At the American Hockey League level, Sýkora played on the Hartford Wolf Pack’s penalty kill and had 12 goals and 29 points in 62 games. He already had a career high in AHL goals at the time of his call-up and was on pace to surpass his career high in points (30 in 71 games). On top of his time with the Rangers and Wolf Pack, Sýkora has played for his native Slovakia in each of the past two World Championships, logging one assist in seven games in both tournaments.If Sýkora, who was one of the youngest players in the 2022 draft class, is going to carve out an NHL career, he profiles as a bottom-six winger who could develop into a penalty killer.“He seems like he’s got the attitude, seems like he’s got the work ethic,” the scout said. “Seems like he knows that he has to find a nest, bring something to the table, which he does: It’s PK and speed.”Sýkora’s motor and work ethic are among his biggest attributes, making him a player coaches can appreciate. Rangers coach Mike Sullivan also praised his speed on multiple occasions during the season, and his teammates raved about his energy.“His game speaks for itself,” Laba said during the season. “He works hard, he battles, gets to the net, and he’s been showing he can score.”“I don’t know if you guys can see it, but his energy is unmatched,” added former Rangers forward Conor Sheary, who signed with the Buffalo Sabres over the summer. “He is constantly up on his feet. He’s banging his stick. … He just brings an energy that’s contagious. He’s fun to be around, fun to play with.”Sýkora was No. 10 in our rankings last year, too. The fact he hasn’t moved up is an indication of the Rangers’ improved prospect depth rather than any slight on him. Colleague Scott Wheeler put him at No. 7 in his Rangers rankings, which came out in March, well before the draft and several trades added to the organization’s pool of talent.“It’s not hard to imagine him becoming a contributing bottom-sixer with some jump, but it’s also not hard to imagine him just being what he is right now as a solid second-rung pro,” Wheeler wrote. “It is important to remind yourself that he’s still young, despite how long he has been around, though.”Though Sýkora showed potential in his first taste of NHL action, his underlying numbers reflected that he’s still developing. According to Natural Stat Trick, the Rangers had only 40.77 percent of the expected goal share with him on the ice at five-on-five, and opponents led 119-102 in shot attempts. His expected goal rate was slightly better when on his typical line with Jaroslav Chmelař and Laba: the Rangers had 41.67 percent of the expected goal share in those minutes.Chmelař, one of Sýkora’s closest friends, is not eligible for our prospect rankings since he played 28 NHL games last season and no longer has rookie eligibility. He has perhaps surpassed Sýkora in the young bottom-six wing pecking order. The Eastern Conference scout believes Chmelař is ahead of Sýkora developmentally but added, “I think they both find ways by after Christmas to be in the lineup.”“I like what (Sýkora) showed,” said the scout, who watched him at the AHL and NHL levels. “I like the pace. I like the enthusiasm. I like everything. I think it will translate come October. Even if he doesn’t crack the lineup (initially), he will get called up.”Another Eastern Conference scout affectionately called Sýkora “an ornery little player” but had concerns about his size. He said he’ll have to figure out how to become a player like Pittsburgh’s Blake Lizotte, who has carved out a productive career as a 5-9 bottom-six forward.“He has to be super reliable defensively,” that scout said. “He’s going to have to learn how to kill penalties effectively. I like him. The willingness to do whatever it takes is there.”