Underdog role suits Lind just fine
AHL Comets station junior star in press box but he’s proven doubters wrong many times before
In a heated debate that’s taking place over a number of the team’s high-end prospects, there’s a large faction of the Canucks’ congregation that believes Kole Lind should be playing in the AHL playoffs.
Lind, the theory goes, would accelerate his development by playing against men in a highly competitive environment. There’s a chance he could land a full-time gig with the NHL within the next two or three years. So why not give him a taste of what’s to come while you get to see how he stacks up against the pros?
You have to admit, that’s a sound theory. The only problem is that neither Lind nor anyone connected with the Canucks or Utica Comets supports it.
“You can prepare as much as you want, but you can’t be ready for it until you hit the ice,” says Lind. “The guys are a lot bigger and faster up here. Things aren’t given to you. You have to earn it.”
And thus far the only thing Lind has earned is a press box seat in the Comets’ series with the Toronto Marlies.
“For Kole, it’s been a bit of an eye opener,” said Comets head coach Trent Cull. “This is a tough league. It’s a big jump.”
Lind, the 19-year-old sniper from Shaunavon, Sask., arrived in Utica three weeks ago after a big season with the Kelowna Rockets. He dressed for the Comets’ final six regular season games, recording one assist, then moved to popcorn row when the Comets’ best-of-five series with the Marlies started.
With the Comets now down 2-0 in the series and Game 3 set for Wednesday night in Utica, it’s unlikely Lind will see live action in the near future. This doesn’t mean Lind’s stock has dropped. It just means it’s been determined that he’s not ready for this next step.
“I think he has a real good understanding of where he needs to improve his game,” said Canucks president Trevor Linden, who took in Games 1 and 2 in Toronto. “That’s a good thing.
“You can talk to young players until you’re blue in the face about
what they need to do to get to the next level. But when you’re playing junior and you’re the best player on the ice, you don’t have to do those things. He has an NHL skill set. but it needs to be refined and he understands that.”
Actually, he’s come to understand a lot of things this season.
This latest setback is at least consistent with Lind’s larger story in a season that’s been characterized by dizzying highs and crushing lows. The good news? Lind tore up the Western League and signed his first NHL contract in early March, a three-year, entry-level deal that his parents witnessed in Kelowna.
The not-so-good news? Lind came
down with mono just before Canada’s world junior team selection camp and didn’t survive the first round of cuts. He came back to score a hat trick against Prince Albert in his first game back.
Lind would eventually record 95 points in just 58 games before the Rockets were swept by Tri-City in the first round of the WHL playoffs. He then headed to the Comets, where he finds himself on the outside looking in.
If that sounds like a lot for a 19-year-old to take in, that’s because it is.
“It was an up-and-down season,” Lind says. “There was disappointment and heartbreak for sure, but
I think it’s important for a hockey player to battle through those things. I’ve used that as motivation throughout my hockey career. I play with a chip on my shoulder. It’s something I’ll take with me my whole career.”
The underdog role, in fact, fits Lind like a tailored suit. After starring with the Swift Current bantam team, he was passed over by the WHL Broncos in the bantam draft and eventually fell to the Rockets in the fourth round. He then returned for a year of midget in Saskatoon and didn’t secure a regular gig with the Rockets for another two years.
“He’ll play (for the Canucks),” said Rockets owner and general manager
Bruce Hamilton. “I know there was a lot of talk about their college kids, but this guy is tremendous. He’s a great shooter, shoots the puck as well as anyone we’ve had. He should do more of that instead of less. The concern for him will be trying to do too many things with the puck.”
Which is just another part of the learning curve. In the meantime, Lind finds himself a notch below fellow prospects Jonathan Dahlen and Lukas Jasek, who are both a year older and who have both played a game against the Marlies.
But that’s OK. There’s a long game here and remember that chip that sits on Lind’s shoulder?
You can bet he will.