Newbies are all ears as playoffs loom
PREPARATION: Vey and Horvat use veteran Canucks as sounding boards to shore up weak spots in their play
Linden Vey has been there. So has Bo Horvat.
They were centres of attention at the junior level, key cogs in driving their respective WHL and OHL clubs to prominence. Now, they are wide-eyed newbies. They are sponges soaking up the demanding NHL stretch drive and hoping that the mental and physical strains of meeting expectations for the Vancouver Canucks will pay off in the postseason.
Through all this, Horvat has been like a hungry dog chomping down on a big bone. The rookie has willingly sunk his teeth into the challenge of being the club’s premier faceoff performer, fearless forechecker, offensive opportunist and future face of the franchise. His bulk is up, his body fat is down, his confidence is soaring and the 20-year-old is already being heralded as captain material. However, despite 13 goals and 23 points, he’s pointless in nine games and it’s not surprising that he leans on Derek Dorsett for advice. The veteran winger, who ground his way to the Stanley Cup final last season with the New York Rangers and plays every shift like it’s his last, has been his sounding board.
Through all this, Vey has lost his way. Given every opportunity to flourish, he has one goal in his last 24 games and although skilled, a waning compete level has resulted in seven healthy scratches, and his roster spot has more to do with Brad Richardson being injured than earning his centre slot through merit. And that’s why Vey, who has also played wing and various lines, leans on Alex Burrows for advice and direction.
Think about it. Who better than an undrafted warrior who must compete with an edge to be effective — yet keep his head on a constant swivel — to show Vey the way? Not the run-over-you stuff, but being stronger on the puck and making better positional decisions to not be knocked over like a bowling pin.
“Burrows is a big leader and I spend a lot of time with him,” said the 23-year-old Vey, whose pro postseason experience amounts to a dozen AHL games over three seasons with the Manchester Monarchs.
“He’s always positive and that’s such a big thing in a long season. You go through a lot of ups and downs, and there are times when you’re not scoring, or times when you’re not playing as well as you’d like. The big thing is to stay even-keeled and that’s something I’ve got to work on a little more and hopefully things will turn around.”
With 10 goals and 23 points, Vey doesn’t have much contract leverage as a restricted free agent. Willie Desjardins had a training-camp conviction that Vey would be a boon to a four-forward power play alignment and the former WHL scoring champion had early success with six of his goals coming on the power play. Not much has happened after that.
“It’s a challenge to be prepared every night and this time of year you can’t take a night off,” added Vey. “For me, it’s always been about the engagement. When I’m engaged in games and ready, I think I’m fine. It’s just the consistency of me being ready every night.”
Burrows was fully engaged during Monday’s crucial 2-1 shootout victory over the Los Angeles Kings. He was punched early by Drew Doughty and interfered with by the defenceman on a charge to the net, but there were no penalty calls and no complaining. In the third period, Burrows did draw a holding penalty.
“I like Kelly Sutherland (referee) and I think he’s one of the best,” said Burrows. “This time of the year, you’d rather have them let those kind of plays go on. There’s going to be a little bit of interference and stick work all over the ice. We’d rather play than have a parade to the box.”
Horvat is playing with the poise of a veteran, but that doesn’t mean the mental side of the game isn’t weighing on him. Despite the coach’s confidence, and often being out in the last minute in a shutdown role or to take a key faceoff, keeping his head in the game is of paramount importance.
“Physically, I feel great and my body is holding up and maybe it’s easier for a 20-year-old to take all the pounding,” said Horvat. “Right now, it’s just the mental side of things. These are such huge games. I love the intensity and you want to perform at your highest level. And being focused and not looking too far ahead is the big mental part of it. If I can control that, it will be good.
“Everyone here has been great whether I’m up or down and they keep me grounded. They seem to have an answer for everything and Dorsett has been great for me all year. He has helped me through a lot and is one of the guys who took me under his wing a bit. I sit beside him on the plane all the time and if I have questions, he answers them. He does it all.”