College star ready for first pro test
CALGARY FLAMES: Former first-round pick Jankowski will be among participants at Young Stars Classic
CALGARY — Oatmeal will be Mark Jankowski’s breakfast of choice on Thursday morning. A modest portion. Because, as he’s discovered through the past four years of fitness testing with the Calgary Flames, a few extra spoonfuls could result in an emergency trip to the garbage can.
“You obviously have to get something in your body,” said the big centre with a chuckle. “But you don’t want to get too much that you’re slowing down and maybe puke on the bike or something. “You don’t want to do that.” To Jankowski, the Flames’ firstround (21st overall) pick from 2012, the process is familiar.
Orchestrated by strength and conditioning coach Ryan van Asten, there are three parts to Thursday’s tests.
The PWC-150 (an estimate of aerobic power), the Wingate (a 10-second and five-second measurement of peak power), and a test of Anaerobic Work Capacity (measuring the capacity of the anaerobic system).
It’s not the be-all, end-all of prospect training camp. There is this weekend’s Young Stars Classic tournament in Penticton, B.C., which will pit the Flames hopefuls against prospects from the Winnipeg Jets, Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks.
But it does keep a guy accountable. It also allows the Flames’ coaching staff to see who did their homework over the summer.
“Personally, I like being one of the earlier guys so you’re not sitting around and waiting all day,” said Jankowski, who’ll be doing his sixth round of fitness testing with the Flames.
Wherever he goes in the pecking order — Jankowski is one of 29 Flames prospects to be put through the paces — the Providence College standout is looking forward to the bigger picture.
Because of NCAA eligibility guidelines, Jankowski wasn’t able to play in the Young Stars Classic or participate in the Flames’ main training camp in previous years.
This will be his first year doing both.
And he trained all summer with exactly that in mind.
“Obviously, you think about it,” said the resident of Waterdown, Ont. “You’re not going back to college. You’re getting ready for your first pro season. That has to be on your mind a little bit when you’re training every day. It really pushes you to see how hard you want to train and how badly you really want it.”
Friday’s game at the Young Stars Classic against the Winnipeg Jets will be the first real game action for Jankowski since becoming a Flame in 2012.
“It’s going to be really exciting for me to pull on the Flames jersey for the first time and play a game in it,” he said. “It’s going to be really cool, for sure. I’ve talked to a bunch of guys that have been there before. I have a bit of a feel of what it’s going to be like. I’ve heard it’s a really intense, really good tournament.”
Like all prospects, Jankowski set a goal to crack the Flames’ lineup. He should get a long look, or a few exhibition games at least, considering the Flames have invested the past five years in him and need to see what he can bring to the NHL table.
But there is no shame, especially for a first-year professional out of college, to get some American Hockey League seasoning. Jankowski is coming off a 40-point NCAA campaign with the Friars and had a late-season crack at pro after signing an entry-level, two-way contract. In eight games with the Heat, he scored two goals and had four assists.
Keep in mind, he just turned 22 on Tuesday.
“Coming into rookie camp, I want to make a really good impression at the start,” he said. “I can’t have any feeling-out time, even though it’s my first camp. I have to jump right in it and make my presence known right away.”
Following the summer rookie camp, the 6-foot-4 Jankowski went home to train at the Athlete Training Centre in Mississauga, Ont., where he said he bumped up his weight to 205 pounds.
He’s been in Calgary since Aug. 1, living in an apartment in the city and working out with a handful of Flames prospects that stuck around.
“It’s been a really good summer for me,” Jankowski said. “I’ve been working really hard going into my first pro season. I know how important it is.
“I feel like I’ve gained a lot of good muscle and just getting bigger and stronger, getting ready for the season.”