Tkachuk shows poise in first main rookie camp
Before getting too excited about potential line combinations and the daily update on Matthew Tkachuk’s roster-cracking progress, Brad Treliving cautioned the media.
Give the first-round 2016 National Hockey League draft pick some breathing room — at least for the first couple of days of the Calgary Flames main training camp.
“He doesn’t have a sandwich board on him saying, ‘I was selected sixth overall,’” Treliving was saying prior to his troops hitting the ice for Day 1 of ice times. “He has a number like everybody else. And ( he’ll) go out there and just play. “I’m excited to see him play.” He’s not the only one.
As soon as Tkachuk lined up on the left side with centreman Sam Bennett and wily veteran Troy Brouwer, there was plenty of chatter among the handful of fans watching and media.
And if you didn’t know Tkachuk’s short history with the Flames, you’d think it was a bonafide NHL second liner.
Prior to the ice time, Brouwer noticed the poise of Keith’s boy.
“With Tkachuk being around the game so much, being in NHL dressing rooms with his dad, I think he’s got some comfort,” Brouwer said. “I sat beside him in the dressing room ... we had a good chat about St. Louis and a lot of other things.
“I think he’s doing really well with the whole being in the NHL for the first time — for himself.” The captain thinks so too. “After (practice), I asked Matthew how he felt out there,” said Mark Giordano. “He said he felt great, which is nice to hear. He seems to have that confidence, which you need at this level. He didn’t look out of place, that’s for sure. Just fit right in nicely.”
Tkachuk has been in Calgary for most of September, eager to get acclimatized to his surroundings and, in his words, his new teammates. The nerves, however, were there. And can you blame him? This isn’t the Ontario Hockey League or the Memorial Cup final, which feels like years away now. This is the NHL.
“I was (nervous) on (Thursday) night, kind of wondering what it would be like. The first day,” said the London Knights winger. “But I thought it went really well (Friday). Once you get on the ice and you’re shooting around or doing flow drills, everything is blocked out and you’re just there playing.”
Aside from his first casual conversation of training camp with Brouwer — “We were just getting to know each other, really,” Tkachuk said — he also found out that veteran defender Dennis Wideman played with his dad. Small world.
But the process to see whether he has what it takes to be an everyday NHL-er is a long one. It’ll also be ongoing for the next month or so.
Treliving has said that Flames rookie camp and the Young Stars Classic in Penticton were one step. Main training camp is another.
And being comfortable enough to contribute, to prove you belong, is another. Tkachuk is embracing the opportunity.
“The main thing what this organization wants is competitive and smart players," Tkachuk said. "I think those are my two biggest assets so it’s making sure I show that every practice and every drill and every rep I have in practice."