This is a weird time in the world of hockey. The regular season is so close, we can almost taste it. The preseason got us going, but everyone can agree that it’s time to stop the exhibitions and start the games that count. Look around the media, blogs and social network feeds and it’s obvious that hockey season is near. But for all the chatter, there aren’t any actual games to talk about. That will be later this week.
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But for all that positive excitement, there’s some excitement going on with some 18 and 19 year old kids as well. While the season is getting ready to kick off in Europe, all 30 NHL teams are making their final cuts to widdle their roster down to the 23 man roster for opening night. All those kids that were drafted in the last couple of years that have been fighting for a spot learn their fate today and tomorrow. On one hand, it’s an accomplishment for any of these young players to make it to the final round of cuts. On the other hand, none of these guys made it to where they’re at by accepting failure easily. For some, it will be the first team they’ve ever tried out for and not been successful.
Think back to the first time you weren’t successful in your life. Maybe it was playing little league and getting benched the first time because you couldn’t hit a curve ball. Maybe you were successful in academics and were always one of the best in your class. Then you got to college and realized that everyone around you was also the best in THEIR class. It’s not the easiest thing to deal with—and that adjustment will lead to the downfall of more people than you know. I know of someone that was one of the best people in their high school class, but dropped out after only a semester in college because they couldn’t adjust to “not being the best.”
I vividly remember my first day at UC Irvine in a 300 person lecture. The professor asked some question, and coming from high school I assumed it was one of those questions that teacher would ask and no one would respond. I couldn’t have been any MORE wrong. Upon posing the question to the class, about 250 hands shot up to give an answer to a question that sounded like it was in a different language. I slowly looked around and thought to myself, “I’m the dumbest person in this entire class. There are 300 people in here and I’m the only one that’s lost. What the fuck?”
I could have gone one of two directions. It was the first time that either of us had ever met any kind of resistance in school. For the first time, it was HARD. I could have been like my friend and just given up. Or I could actually read, study and push myself to see what I could be capable of accomplishing. I have a couple of degrees—so I’ll let you decide which avenue I chose. (For the record: I never studied that hard, but I DID find out what the inside of a library looked like. Books. A lot of books.)
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A lot of the young potential NHLers are going to experience their first taste of defeat this week. For every John Tavares and Matt Duchene, there are plenty more Brayden Schenn’s and Nazem Kadri’s that get sent back to their Junior teams. Even some of the guys that think they made their NHL team will be up for a rude awakening after their first 10 games of the season when they can still be sent to their Junior club without burning a year of eligibility. But that’s OK. The guys that make the big club in their first try are the exception to the rule. That’s something that all the prospects need to keep in their head.
Whether the youngster agrees or not, sending the kid back to Juniors is the right move 99% of the time. The NHL is filled with adults—with adult bodies. Its one thing to dominate guys your own age with similar body types; but quite another when going up against fully developed MEN that are paid millions of dollars to keep themselves in the best shape possible. It’s a completely different game.
The best cautionary tale in recent memory is current Edmonton Oilers forward Gilbert Brule. He was originally drafted #6 overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2005. The plan was to have him centering Rick Nash on the #1 line for about a decade and help lead the Blue Jackets to a couple of Stanley Cups. He was rushed to the NHL FAR sooner than he should have been and his growth was severely affected. He’s 22 years old, on his second team in the league and fighting for a 4th role spot with a team that didn’t even make the playoffs last season. That’s a far cry from centering the #1 line with Rich Nash.
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Would Brule be a better player today if he spent another year in the AHL? Maybe. Maybe not. But the fact remains that he was NOT ready for the NHL when the Blue Jackets rushed him into the league. I’m sure Columbus had higher expectations for Brule than a relatively meaningless offseason trade for Raffi Torres.
Another thing to worry about is how will the prospect accept his return to the minors? The Kings have watched this fear play out before their eyes twice in the last 2 years with two separate 1st round picks. In 2007, Jonathan Bernier started the season in the NHL and was given the opportunity to fight for the #1 spot. Four games, a .862 save percentage and a GAA over 4 later—and Bernier was sent back to Lewiston in the QMJHL. Honestly, he wasn’t as awful as the statistics make it sound because the Kings defense was as bad as Jennifer Aniston’s acting ability—but no prospect should’ve had to play behind that garbage. Sending him to Lewiston was the RIGHT move. But it took most of the season for Bernier to agree with the organization. He did not handle the perceived demotion very well at all—but that’s always a risk.
Last season, the Kings got to deal with another 1st rounder trying to adjust to his new life in Juniors. Colten Teubert was penciled to go back to Regina from the time he stepped on the ice in training camp. As expected, he was sent to Regina so he could grow into his frame and continue to add pieces to his game. He was never drafted to play as an 18 year old.
Unfortunately, the Colten Teubert that returned to the Regina Pats was not the same guy that was drafted 13th overall. From all accounts, he came back with a rather large chip on his shoulder. He went to the WJC top play on Team Canada’s top defensive pairing with fellow King prospect Thomas Hickey, but there was a feeling all over Regina that Teubert thought he was too good for everything. Check this out—he actually said this:
“When a fat guy eating popcorn wants to boo me, it really doesn’t matter…” –Colten Teubert (Regina Leader-Post)
Well, that’s one way to react to playing in Juniors. Not exactly the way I’d go, but a bold choice nonetheless. Bold enough that Dean Lombardi had to give the young defenseman a reminder of what he needs to do to eventually make the Kings one day. Obviously, he didn’t handle his trip back down to Juniors well—but there’s still hope in the Kings organization that he’ll be a productive player at the NHL level at some point in his career.
When you hear some of these young, hot-shot prospects are being sent to their Junior team, their reaction is the most important thing to watch. Just because most of us expect a player to be sent down before the regular season, it doesn’t mean that THEY expected it. All you can do is hope that they’re an adult and take the advice their coaches give them back to Juniors. When you put yourself in their shoes for a minute, you can see how it might not be the easiest thing in the world. If they put in the work and have a good attitude, they’ll most likely reach their potential. They might be good enough for the NHL and they might not—but there won’t be any wasted potential or “what ifs.” As a fan, that’s all you can ask for.
Matt Reitz is the Editor-In-Chief here at ViewFromMySeats.com and former NHL Writer for ProHockeyTalk on NBCSports. When he’s not shoving a mic in the face of NHLers or explaining why home teams should wear white, he’s usually trying to figure out what song to play next on his iPod. It’s a never-ending job.
