Bernard-Docker eager to hit ice in Omaha
Senators prospect Bernard-Docker ready to resume play with North Dakota teammates
Finally, the wait is about to end for Jacob Bernard-Docker and his teammates at the University of North Dakota.
It's been nearly nine months since one of the Ottawa Senators' top prospects on defence suited up for a game with the Fighting Hawks, but the No. 26 overall selection in the 2018 NHL draft will get his chance when North Dakota faces Miami of Ohio on Wednesday at Baxter Arena in Omaha, Nebraska.
Over the next 19 days, North Dakota will play 10 games to kick off the 2020-21 campaign with seven other teams in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference pod.
It's been a long road. The Fighting Hawks were back on campus for summer training on July 6, took a short break in mid-August and resumed school 10 days later. Essentially, they've been skating, practising and working on skills for five months.
“The guys have been grinding it out in practice and workouts and we're just ready to compete against some people other than ourselves,” Bernard-Docker said Tuesday in a phone interview. “The good thing is everybody's in the same boat and nobody has experienced this before.
“There's definitely been a lot of practising, a lot of workouts, but, as hockey players, this has all made us realize how lucky we are to play and to be able to play some games. Our team is trying not to take this opportunity for granted.”
Bernard-Docker, 20, and his UND teammates made the eighthour bus ride to Omaha from Grand Forks on Sunday, had COVID-19 tests and were cleared to skate on Monday. They're staying in a hotel within walking distance of the rink and the only other people there are officials from the NCHC.
The group can eat at designated restaurants, but, when they're not playing, they'll essentially be locked down from seeing the outside world to try to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.
The reality is, with the compressed schedule, there won't be a lot of down time anyway. Each room has exercise equipment to help with recovery after games and there's a common area, as well.
“Rest is going to be pretty key,” said Bernard-Docker, who makes his off-season home in Canmore, Alta. “We're all just so pumped to be playing hockey again. We can't wait to get this underway.”
Bernard-Docker isn't the only Senators' prospect in the UND lineup. The others include forward Shane Pinto, the No. 32 overall selection in 2019, defenceman Jake Sanderson, the No. 5 pick in October, and blueliner Tyler Kleven, the No. 44 selection this year.
Sanderson will only suit up for the first four games before joining the U.S. team preparing for the world junior championship in Alberta.
“It's been a blast and to play with those guys this season is going to be a lot of fun,” said Bernard-Docker, one of the Fighting Hawks' alternate captains.
There was a sense Bernard-Docker might have signed with Ottawa this past spring, but he opted to stay in school.
The Hawks were favoured to win last spring, but the NCAA season was halted in mid-March. The experience would have given Bernard-Docker the opportunity to win a world junior gold medal with Canada in the Czech Republic and an NCAA title in the same season. He will have the chance this year to check the second one off the list.
“We've got a pretty special group here,” Bernard-Docker said. “That being said, I'm very excited about hopefully making that next step soon to Ottawa. But I think I'm just really pumped this year and the group we have here.
“(Last year) is still fresh in our minds. When last year got cancelled, we had a team meeting. It was pretty sad. The seniors were kind of all in tears. We thought we had a pretty good chance last year. This year's all new, so we've got to prove ourselves all over again, and we're ready for it.”
The Senators didn't have any issue with the decision by Bernard-Docker to stay in school. There are things on the ice he wants to improve.
“I'm trying to use the middle of the ice a lot instead of just using my wingers on breakouts,” said Bernard-Docker, who had seven goals and 18 assists in 32 NCAA games last season. “I'm trying to look through the middle and I'm just trying to be confident. That's something that's helped my game since I've been in college and I think my confidence has been growing and growing. Hopefully, this season it gets even better.”
Practice is supposed to make perfect, but Bernard-Docker will be happy to get back to live action.
“Our coaches have done a really good job of keeping practices fun and interesting,” he said. “It can get a little repetitive at times. At the start, we did a lot of up pace drills to get the hands back and the feet back. They did a good job of not throwing in too much structure at the start and we had a lot of small-area games.
“About five or six weeks, we started nailing down our structure with our defensive zone and forecheck.”
The guys have been grinding it out in practice and workouts and we’re just ready to compete against some people other than ourselves.