Strome brings the right attitude
Coyotes prospect determined to make an impact at world juniors Mike Zeisberger
As the face of Canada’s world junior team, Dylan Strome still flashes the odd grimace when he thinks about the twist his career has taken. And understandably so.
For the first seven weeks of the NHL season, the rookie forward would walk into the Arizona Coyotes dressing room every game day and look at the lineup board on the wall, searching to see if his number would be part of the team’s four lines — or it he was listed among the healthy scratches.
All that changed a week ago when word came down from management: you’re being returned to the Ontario Hockey League’s Erie Otters.
“I’m not going to lie — it sucked,” Strome, the third overall pick in the 2015 NHL entry draft, said Wednesday.
It’s easy to relate to the kid’s disappointment, his frustration, his concerns. At the same time, he’s using these emotions as motivation, fanning his determination to overcome the challenges that lie ahead.
Moreover, he must concentrate on his own game — and not the exploits of his draft class contemporaries.
On Tuesday night, for example, the other four of the top five players taken in his draft contributed on-ice for their respective teams.
First overall pick Connor McDavid registered two points for the host Edmonton Oilers in a 4-2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
No. 2 selection Jack Eichel returned from a high ankle sprain in his regular season debut, counting a goal and an assist to help his Buffalo Sabres beat the Ottawa Senators 5-4.
Back in Edmonton, fourth selection Mitch Marner chipped in with an assist in the Leafs victory, pulling into a tie with Winnipeg Jets phenom Patrik Laine atop the NHL’s rookie scoring race with 19 points.
And in New York, Carolina Hurricanes defenceman Noah Hanifin, the fifth pick, finished plus-one in a 3-2 loss to the Rangers.
Of course, none of those members of the Class of 2015 had a more lucrative night than Strome. Just hours after Hockey Canada announced he was a no-brain inclusion on the Team Canada roster, Strome shredded Mississauga for a goal and four assists in a lopsided 9-2 Erie victory, upping the gifted centre’s point total to 10 in just three games since rejoining the Otters.
The key difference here: McDavid, Eichel, Marner and Hanifin all are still in the NHL. Strome isn’t.
But this isn’t a story of a bitter young player who feels he was hard done by. Far from it.
Indeed, Strome is more focused than ever to succeed, beginning with the upcoming world junior tournament.
“I’m a different person from the guy who was here a year ago,” he said. “Being at the NHL level, I learned life lessons. I learned about being a team player. I learned that you get treated the same, whether you make $800,000 or $5 million. And I know I have to work on getting to pucks quicker and getting stronger.”
In his short time back in Erie, the Otters brain trust already can see the change in Strome. According to general manager Dave Brown, the coaching staff has observed Strome working out diligently in the weight room after each game.
It’s that glass-half-full attitude that has Team Canada officials optimistic about Strome’s ability to educate the younger players on what to expect at the world juniors, which take place in Toronto and Montreal later this month.
After posting a 1-2-1 record in the preliminary round of the 2016 tourney in Helsinki, Team Canada faced a quarter-final matchup against the hosts and dropped a heartbreaking 6-5 decision.
According to Hockey Canada officials, no one took Canada’s early exit more to heart than Strome. His raw emotion is one of the reasons he’s expected to be a top candidate to be named captain of the 2017 team.
With training camp just two weeks away, Strome, 19, feels Team Canada has some “unfinished business.”
“I want to stress to the young guys how hard this tournament is. I want them to know every game is important — that otherwise you might end up with a tougher matchup in the quarters and semis than there needs to be. I want them to understand that the entire country will be watching and, even though there is pressure, it’s a good thing.
“The tournament is in Canada. The fans are going to be wild. Being from the Toronto area, I’ll have the chance to play in front of lots of friends and family. It’s going to be great.
“It’s all there in front of us. But to be successful, we can’t take anything for granted.”