STUETZLE GETS A WELCOMING HAND IN CAMP
Veteran Stepan impressed as he takes Sens' prized German rookie under his wing
The first assist in Tim Stuetzle's goal of establishing himself in the National Hockey League goes to Derek Stepan.
Before finally hitting the ice for the first time with the Ottawa Senators on Sunday, Stuetzle and Stepan were in COVID-19 quarantine in a hotel for a week.
Stepan, 30, and a 10-year NHL veteran, passed on advice wherever he could as they worked out and ate together.
When both took part in their first practice, Stepan served as a centre for Stuetzle and Evgenii Dadonov.
“I got to know him a little bit,” Stepan said in a Zoom call. “He's a good kid. I was joking with my wife that I've got three little ones at home and I adopted a German 18-year-old.”
Stuetzle labelled Sunday an “unbelievable day” and has appreciated everything and anything Stepan can pass along.
As impressive as he was in leading Germany at the world junior championship in Edmonton, Stuetzle recognizes he's at a different level now.
Accordingly, he's a sponge, soaking up whatever he can find to ease the adjustment into the NHL.
“He's like a great mentor,” he said of Stepan. “He really helped me a lot during quarantine. He's a great guy and a great leader and I think an unbelievable player, as well. Hopefully, I learn a lot from him.”
It is an intriguing development, considering that Stepan has only been with the franchise for two weeks, after being acquired in a trade from the Arizona Coyotes for a second-round draft pick on Dec. 27. He's also in the final year of his existing contract and is a potential candidate to be moved again at the trade deadline.
Stuetzle, meanwhile, is one of the chief building blocks in the Senators' dream of one day challenging for the Stanley Cup.
“It's really important that the young pieces in the organization are going to be the core pieces and to make sure they are doing things, in my eyes, that are the right way,” Stepan said.
“I'm not saying I have a crystal ball and I have exactly the right answers, but I do have a lot of tools that I can pass on that I was given when I was younger. That's something that's important to me and that's part of me and my NHL career.”
Stuetzle, who turns 19 on Friday, when the Senators open the season against the Toronto Maple Leafs, certainly isn't getting ahead of himself. He acknowledges having some early nerves before he settled into his first workout.
“My confidence is pretty good, but in the end, it's totally different to be on the ice with NHL guys,” he said. “The boys did their best to get the nerves away from me and I felt good. I felt very comfortable on the ice with them.”
Stuetzle is aware of the great expectations and enthusiasm surrounding him, but he also recognizes that he hasn't accomplished anything yet at the highest level of hockey.
“I hope I'm going to have a good training camp and play a good season,” he said. “It's great to get everyone so excited, but first of all I have to prove it by playing good hockey. That's the first step.”
Senators coach D.J. Smith is taking a go-slow approach with the rookie, careful not to overwhelm him with too many details at the outset.
“His skating is exceptional, he can make plays, he's good on the power play,” Smith said. “For a young guy, you just don't want to give to give too much. You just want to give him the absolute do's and the absolute don'ts, but I think part of development, too, is learning on the fly. The kid looked really excited to be out there, and it's great when you get young guys with energy like that.”
Smith says there's a long-term plan and the team will be careful about the matchups he faces.
“You just want to make sure it's a steady growth pattern,” he said. “There are going to be bumps in the road for sure, but he's a responsible hockey player, and at some point he's going to be playing in all situations. We're conscious of the fact that he's a good young player and we want him to develop properly.”
During the past month, Stuetzle has successfully managed his chaotic schedule, which has included plenty of travel, pressure-packed games and the chaos of staying safe amid COVID-19 concerns.
“I kind of got the sense, even before he was on the ice, that he carries himself in a mature way, which is a great thing as an 18-year-old,” Stepan said. “He eased his way in and did a good job of just getting himself comfortable. It's real easy to work with him.”
In terms of secondary assists in aiding Stuetzle in adjusting to his new life, Brady Tkachuk and Josh Norris are also helping out. They've extended an invitation for the newcomer to live with them.
“It was very nice of them to ask,” Stuetzle said. “It's much easier to help me to get to know everyone.”