A night to remember for Canes’ Lorentz
Former Pete turns in a solid performance in NHL debut with Carolina
Former Peterborough Pete Steven Lorentz managed to convince himself it was something he had done countless times before, that his National Hockey League debut was just the continuation of a journey that started many years ago.
The Carolina Hurricanes forward said butterflies were nowhere to be found Thursday night in the minutes leading up to his team’s home opener against Tampa Bay Lightning.
The thoughts were mainly about his accomplishment, the Waterloo long-shot recalled, how he’d overcome long odds to make it farther than many thought he possibly could.
“I was just focused on that one game but I did have that sense of pride that I did it, that I’d made it. There have been a few doubters along the way but it wasn’t a chip on my shoulder that motivated me, it was more the passion and love that I’ve always had for the game,” the 24-year-old Lorentz said Friday. “There really wasn’t a whole lot of stress leading up to the game and that is probably why the pride took over, that I’d made it farther than a lot of people — most people — had expected. That allowed me to just go out and play so freely ... not having that pressure of being a first-rounder and knowing that I could just go out and have fun. That’s what I did (Thursday) and that’s why I think it was successful.”
Overlooked in the 2014 NHL draft, Lorentz was selected by Carolina in the seventh round (186th overall) one year later. The Peterborough Petes alumnus — picked in the 12th round (226th overall) of the 2012 Ontario Hockey League draft — then spent two years in the ECHL and two years in the American Hockey League before being summoned by the Hurricanes to join them in the Toronto bubble last season. He was a full-time member of Carolina’s taxi squad in the bubble and remained there to start the current season.
The six-foot-four, 205-pound Lorentz hadn’t played a competitive game since last March with the Carolina Checkers but was inserted into the lineup Thursday night at PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C., with five regulars on the COVID-19 list.
As is custom, he was the first on the ice for Carolina and took a solo rookie lap before his teammates joined him.
“I thought there’d be a little rust after eight months but after my first shift I got back to the bench and told myself ‘This is the best league in the world but these guys are human beings, they’re hockey players just like me,’ ’’ he recalled.
Lorentz, playing on a line with former Pete Jordan Staal and Ryan Dzingel, took 20 shifts in his NHL debut, recording one shot in 14 minutes, 41 seconds of ice time. His first shift came early in the first period on a Tampa Bay power play and his impressive two-way work was noted on several occasions by the Fox South broadcast crew calling the game.
He was interviewed between the first and second periods and wore an ear-to-ear smile throughout.
“That’s his M.O.,” father, Mark.
“A lot of people comment said
Lorentz’s about that, the fact that he’s always smiling. But, you know what, when you’re doing something that you love, and something you’ve dreamed of your whole life, how could you not be smiling?”
It’s hard to say when that dream exactly started, but Mark Lorentz recalls his son winning a contest in 2002 to skate with the Kitchener Rangers before an Ontario Hockey League game at the Aud that made an impact.
“That’s also the first time people paid to see him skate,” Mark Lorentz said with a laugh.
Memories of that event are a little more cloudy for Steven Lorentz, but he does recall Kitchener junior greats Mike Richards, Derek Roy and Scott Dickie coming out to talk with him as he prepared to take to the ice.
Mark and Karon Lorentz watched Thursday’s game from their Waterloo home and expressed their pride and delight in a postgame FaceTime chat. Lorentz also FaceTimed with his former billet family in Peterborough to express his appreciation for their role in his NHL debut.
And then there were texts and phone calls to respond to, hundreds of them.
“I appreciated all the messages from friends and family, people from high school and elementary school,” said Lorentz. “It was an exciting day but it’s one day and hopefully I can keep the pedal to the metal and build on that confidence that I developed (Thursday) night.”
Lorentz pumped fists with Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour following the team’s 1-0 overtime win against the Lightning, one of the many moments that stood out for him Friday.
Staal, a player who Lorentz has looked up to for many years, had kind things to say in his postgame media conference.
“I could tell right away he was feeling pretty comfortable and, you know, he’s got great speed and I just told him to use his legs and, you know, go get pucks and find me backdoor, just kind of joked around with him,” said Staal.
“I think he had a great game, I thought he skated well, he made some good plays and he did what he had to do.”