Having thick skin in the NHL is essential if skaters want to elevate their game to the next level. Sticking to who they are is sometimes the most important decision to make once the big club calls their name.
For younger Nashville Predators skaters, Marc Del Gaizo, Luke Evangelista, Fedor Svechkov, Zach L’Heureux, Juuso Pärssinen, & Adam Wilsby they’ve all seized their chances independent of one another.
One commonality all six players have is they have all spent significant time in the AHL with the Milwaukee Admirals over the last three seasons.
“I feel like we’re all programmed similarly, our habits & our details,” Del Gaizo said. “It goes to show how good of a job they do in Milwaukee. Great that we’re all here now & cool that we’re doing it all together.”
Svechkov & Wilsby are the latest of the bunch that have been called up from the Admirals. They’ve each stepped in during a time when a few key roster pieces went down with injury.
It speaks volumes that general manager Barry Trotz & head coach Andrew Brunette trust them to fill the role, no matter how temporary it could be.
Since Svechkov made his NHL debut he’s scored twice & skated in eight other contests. However, the young Russian forward has been scratched the last two games with Ryan O’Reilly now back in the lineup.
Wilsby has been scratched in three games this season, albeit that was when he was with the Predators as a depth piece during their road trip out west in the middle of November. He debuted against the Philadelphia Flyers on Nov. 27 & has skated in every game since then.
Brunette has been happy with the type of player Wilsby has showcased to be ever since making the jump to join Nashville.
“What impressed me even when saw him two years ago was his feet & ability to close on guys. He’s strong enough to dislodge guys off the puck,” Brunette said.
“Joel Quenneville was in training camp [this year] & I sat & watched with him a little bit & he was watching him & he goes ‘Who’s that kid? That kid is a player.’ Just the way he swung in the gap, with his feet & all things Joel loves in defensemen I thought Wilsby showed in camp. He’s continued to show that at this level at this time of year which is impressive.”
Adam Wilsby skating against the Dallas Stars on Dec. 12, 2024.
O’Reilly returned to action after missing three games & was immediately paired with Gustav Nyquist & L’Heureux. He’s been impressed with the impact L’Heureux has made as well since he was brought up from the AHL on Oct. 21.
“He’s got high energy, he’s quick, he’s in their face but he’s also really smart & reads the play well,” O’Reilly said.
“I’ve noticed we’ve made our cycles & little plays finding each other jumping in & finding those holes. I think it’s underrated the kind of skill that he has. He’s out there always trying to make something happen. I thought all three of us kind of read off each other well. We’re making the little plays to each other which is more fun, it’s better hockey.”
Contrary to how L’Heureux has been playing, up on the blue line Del Gaizo didn’t play the way he wanted to on Saturday in Colorado.
One mistake catapulted the Avalanche to pour on the offense as the 25-year-old turned the puck over to Mikko Rantanen during the second period trying to close out a long shift.
Tough comeback for Nashville to pull off down 2-0 after 40 minutes. Del Gaizo taken to school on this takeaway from Rantanen who found MacKinnon to extend their lead. pic.twitter.com/8Lha9dAFtF
— Nick Kieser🏒 (@KieserNick) December 15, 2024
“No excuse there. I got the puck & I looked up & I didn’t see much. I just didn’t want to throw it away & then have them jam it back down our throats,” Del Gaizo said. “I was trying to hold onto it for an extra second & I got myself in trouble there. That’s in the past now so just moving on from there. I’m not going to let one mistake dictate how I’m going to play moving forward.”
As Del Gaizo moves on from that major gaffe he knows the best version of himself will still make errors at times. It’s about how he reacts to it.
Previously he made his hometown return against the New Jersey Devils on Nov. 25. Nashville fell 5-2 after allowing four unanswered goals & Del Gaizo was a minus-one. Then Brunette scratched him for six straight games before coming back on Dec. 10.
“As a young player in this league, you gotta have thick skin & I thought I did a good job of not getting in my head or anything like that,” Del Gaizo said. “Gotta have thick skin here as a young player in this league & it’s not uncommon to get scratched.
“There’s a lot of ways you can look into it but you gotta try to turn it into a positive. For two weeks there my body felt good. You have to take it the right way & be better & have thick skin.”
Follow Nick Kieser on Twitter/X: @KieserNick
Photos courtesy of the Nashville Predators
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