Prospect Strome excited for World Juniors chance
Coyotes prospect Dylan Strome’s preview of the NHL lasted only seven games, an abbreviated stint that revealed the gap the 19-year-old still has to bridge to permanently gain status as a pro.
But another potential seven-game run at the World Junior Championship could end up being just the boost Strome needs to accomplish that next season.
“I’m really excited,” Strome said. “I think it’s a really good opportunity for myself and for the whole team.”
Strome will captain Canada at the tournament, which begins Monday and pits the best under-20 players from 10 countries against each other during an 11day summit in Toronto and Montreal. After four round-robin games, the top four countries from each five-team group will advance to the quarterfinals before the semifinals Jan. 4 and gold-medal finale Jan. 5.
The two last-place teams will square off in a best-of-three regulation-round series, but the seven-game stretch Strome is vying for is the path that takes him from the preliminary round to the finals. And being designated as the leader of the Canadian team during this pursuit has made it even more unique.
“It’s something that you kind of dream about that you hope becomes reality one day,” he said. “It did, and it’s definitely humbling and it’s a very huge honor.”
Arizona brass had a feeling Strome would merit a leadership role on the Canadian squad if he was on the team, and starring at the World Juniors was certainly an upside to sending Strome back to junior.
“That’s important for him to have that kind of expectation and a little bit of pressure to push himself to win every opportunity,” General Manager John Chayka said. “He’s an elite, talented player, and it’s an elite event. So it’s a good fit for him to go show his talent against the world’s best at his age group.”
After making the Coyotes out of training camp, Strome was returned to junior Nov. 20 once it became clear to the team he wasn’t ready for NHL action on a regular basis. Management believed he needed to become more physically mature, a development that tends to come in time, but it also expected him to fine-tune his 200-foot approach and improve the pace in which he plays.
“Some games I felt comfortable, and some games obviously I could even tell that I looked out of place,” Strome said. “Sometimes that’s going to happen with a 19-year-old in the NHL.”
Being in and out of the lineup was an unfamiliar rhythm for Strome – he was a healthy scratch eight times – but he was trying to adapt and certainly realized the commitment and work ethic it takes to stay on the ice and be a competitive factor.
“It’s never the news you want to hear,” Strome said of getting returned to junior. “But at the same time, I think I learned so much up there that you just gotta take away the positives and learn for next year. Obviously, that’s where I want to be playing next year. There’s obviously no question about that, and I think I’ve had a little taste of it this year and how nice it is and how hard it is.”
His time with the Coyotes, however, also included a few highlights. Strome cracked the initial roster to make his debut and tallied his first point in his first game with an assist – takeaways that can reinforce the confidence it takes to make it in the NHL. And it looks like that’s stuck with Strome as the feedback the Coyotes have received already from Hockey Canada has been glowing.
“His attitude, work ethic, just mindset to really play and compete like an NHL player has been right there from the first day he showed up,” coach Dave Tippett said.
There’s no confusing a tournament comprised of teenagers for the pro ranks, but shining at the World Juniors could be the experience that triggers another round of progress for Strome – just like it did for wingers Max Domi, Anthony Duclair and Lawson Crouse.
And if Strome follows suit, getting cut from the Coyotes to take this detour might have been the journey he was always supposed to take.
“In the long run, it’s obviously something that has to happen and happens to a lot of players,” Strome said. “So I want to be back there next year. I want to be contributing to the team in more of a way than I did this past year. We’ll see what happens, but it’s going to be exciting and it’s something to look forward to and something to keep working on.”