His name will probably not monopolize the discussions around the Christmas tree in two weeks, but Mitchell Stephens is currently taking advantage of a fortunate combination of circumstances to get a new chance to break into the National League.
The Pittsburgh Penguins come to the Bell Center on Wednesday, which will be an opportunity for Stephens to play a sixth straight game since his recall.
The favorable circumstances are, on the one hand, four injured up front: Kirby Dach, Rafaël Harvey-Pinard, Alex Newhook and the most recent of the group, Tanner Pearson. On the other hand, Martin St-Louis took Jake Evans out of his usual fourth-line center position to give him a chance in a more offensive unit.
We could add that the Rocket’s number 1 center and top scorer on the team, Brandon Gignac, has an American League contract only, which means he cannot be called up unless he signs a contract. the NHL in due form.
In short, it took him quite the alignment of the stars, but here Stephens is back in the NHL, at age 26, after trying out 45 games in Tampa and 27 games in Detroit, from 2019 to 2022.
“My goal is to come and work hard every day and prove that I can play here, without taking anything for granted,” said number 13, after the Canadian’s very optional training session on Wednesday morning. I try to help the team win and whether it’s 5-on-5, shorthanded or in training, I make sure I keep a competitive spirit. »
We would love to inundate you with graphs illustrating his contribution since his recall, but the sample is very thin. He still has no points, plays an average of nine minutes per game, especially at even strength, with a shorthanded presence here and there. He had Michael Pezzetta, Joel Armia and Jesse Ylönen as wingers, in rotation.
Note that even in the American League or in the junior ranks, the Ontarian was never the most prolific of forwards, even if he was drafted relatively early (33rd overall) in 2015.
He first gives credit to his coach with the Saginaw Spirit, Greg Gilbert, but also to Benoît Groulx, who managed him for three years with the Syracuse Crunch.
“Ben is a very demanding coach. It requires that we work hard and if you do it every day, if you execute, you are ready and you take care of the team, the production will come. I probably wouldn’t be here without his advice. I owe him a lot. He showed me how to be a pro, work hard and treat every day like it was my last. »
In this sense, his comments echoed those of Martin St-Louis, who spoke of Jayden Struble, another shadow actor who must be content with a supporting role. Although in Struble’s case, it’s the normal path for a 22-year-old taking his first steps in the NHL. Struble will play his 11th big league game on Wednesday.
“Surely it’s not as easy as when you know your next shift is coming. When you’re young in the league, you don’t know when you’re going to return, St-Louis recalled. So you always have to be ready. If it’s eight minutes, it has to be your best eight minutes, and they may be spread out over time, because of special teams.
“But if you’re struggling, it won’t be an excuse that you played 10 minutes and it wasn’t evenly distributed. If you can’t do it, we’ll find someone else. These are circumstances and you have to put your foot down. »
Unsurprisingly, Samuel Montembeault will defend the CH net, after he was a reserve for the two games this weekend. The Quebecer’s mission will be to stop Jake Guentzel and Sidney Crosby, respectively 1st and 5th in the NHL for points at even strength this season.
Otherwise, no changes are expected. Martin St-Louis has not confirmed anything, but the only extra player in the last match, Gustav Lindström, was the last to return to the locker room at the end of the morning exercise, an indicator that generally does not lie.
Six forwards (Stephens, Ylönen, Armia, Pezzetta, Nick Suzuki and Juraj Slafkovsky) and five defensemen (Struble, Lindström, Kaiden Guhle, Justin Barron and Johnathan Kovacevic) participated in training, in addition to the three goalkeepers.
The Penguins had practice off on Wednesday, having played in Pittsburgh on Tuesday.
