Every rookie who skated in the NHL Rookie Tournament hosted by the Detroit Red Wings this past week walked away convinced he belongs in the league. That confidence is part of the package. Reality usually trims the field fast.
Most of these players will eventually learn that making the NHL is only the first hurdle. Getting comfortable with the daily grind of being a pro is the next one, and that adjustment can decide whether a player just samples the lifestyle or settles into it for good.
Red Wings goalie prospect Trey Augustine already gets that.
“Yeah, for sure,” Augustine said. “It’s definitely- it has been my job for a while, but even more so now, it’s definitely a job. But I was looking forward to the ups and downs that come with that.”
The message was reinforced this week by the Columbus Blue Jackets rookies, who wore T-shirts with three words on the back:
Team
Teammates
Self
That order matters. It’s the roadmap for pro hockey, where every choice has to be measured against the group first, then the people in the room, and only then the individual.
“When they get inside the locker room, they’re playing now with guys who are married, who have kids, who depend on everyone in that locker room playing well and being a part of it and being dedicated and committed,” Grand Rapids Griffins coach Dan Watson said.
“These young guys see real quick that it matters. Everything they do matters.”
Augustine got a preview of that world late last season when he spent two games with the AHL Griffins. The on-ice differences were immediate.
“Yeah, everything just happens so much faster,” Augustine said. “Everyone’s a little bit better, passing a little cleaner, shots a little harder, a little more precise.”
That was just the beginning. He knows the real test comes when the games start piling up and the routine changes from the junior and amateur rhythm he’s known.
“It’s gonna be the first time I ever play a season where there’s a lot more games than there are practices,” Augustine said. “Just seeing how I can manage that and just keep improving each and every single day.
“So you really just have to be on top of your game all the time.”
Watson said the off-ice side can be even tougher for young players. Once the rink closes behind them, the day is still wide open, and that freedom can be a trap if they don’t handle it right.
“There’s no classes for him now, so once we leave the rink, he’s got a full day ahead of him to figure out what to do with,” Watson said. “I think a lot of guys, they underestimate that side of it.
“Going back to your apartment, it’s a little bit different. You’re not going back to a dorm or a house to hang out with the guys.
You’re on your own a little bit at times. And that’s a big adjustment.
“It’s mentally, too. I think of the recovery side of it.
If you look at our schedule right now, we’ve got five three-in-threes 3 throughout the season. Whether he plays a Friday or Sunday, whether he gets a Saturday game, there’s a lot of travel, and then we play.
“So there’s a lot of things that go into it, and then just the amount of ice time that we get. There are goalie sessions every single practice day for 30 minutes. There’s a ton of ice that he’s going to have to get used to, but also have the ability to recover and learn from that.”
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