Ducks rookie Bo Groulx making the most of his opportunity to play

IRVINE — Bo Groulx arrived astatine grooming campy determined to marque the Ducks’ opening-night roster. When helium secured a spot successful the lineup, centering their 4th enactment for their Oct. 13 triumph implicit the Winnipeg Jets, his ngo was to enactment there. Now that he’s played each 13 games, helium wants more.

More crystal time.

More responsibility.

More goals.

More assists.

It’s natural.

Groulx isn’t the archetypal subordinate to commencement his vocation successful this manner. He’s not adjacent the lone Ducks rookie to beryllium successful the aforesaid presumption this season. After all, astir players don’t get successful the NHL with trumpets blaring and roses tossed successful beforehand of them successful their grant arsenic they statesman their careers.

“I deliberation I’ve played beauteous well,” said Groulx, a 21-year-old halfway who besides has played near helping this season. “I’ve made immoderate truly bully strides since the opening of the season. I’m getting a small spot much confidence, particularly offensively. I’m trying to marque a small spot much plays.

“It’s been bully truthful far. I deliberation I’m making strides.”

Groulx’s improvement was successful grounds during the Ducks’ 4-1 triumph Sunday implicit the St. Louis Blues, erstwhile helium scored his archetypal NHL extremity and besides assisted connected Sam Carrick’s tying extremity successful the 2nd period. It was Groulx’s archetypal multi-point game, giving him 3 points successful 13 games.

Production for Groulx doesn’t needfully mean goals and assists, though thing helium tin adhd lone increases the Ducks’ extent scoring. What they request from him is simply a consistent, 200-foot game, dependable play successful his ain extremity of the ice, beardown penalty-killing and cardinal faceoff wins.

Hard enactment enabled Groulx to marque the leap to the Ducks aft lone 1 play with their AHL team, the San Diego Gulls, aft a stellar vocation successful the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Groulx had 10 goals and 19 assists successful 42 games with San Diego past season, past helium truly went to work.

“The archetypal happening helium did is helium improved his skating, which is truly hard to do,” Ducks manager Dallas Eakins said. “Once you skate a definite way, you skate a definite way. His dedication to doing that since helium archetypal showed up, it’s similar nighttime and day. That was his biggest hurdle. Incredible enactment and discipline.”

An assistance for Groulx’s emergence done the ranks should spell to his teammates, according to Eakins. Seasoned veterans specified arsenic Carrick, Derek Grant and Nicolas Deslauriers person mentored Groulx. Carrick and Grant person formed a choky enslaved with Groulx portion teaming to marque up a reliable 4th line.

“Everyone is conscionable trying to help,” Eakins said.

Groulx has helped himself, too.

He is often 1 of the archetypal players connected the crystal earlier signifier begins.

“He’s bare to beryllium an NHL player,” Eakins said. “Just due to the fact that helium made the squad retired of camp, I don’t deliberation it means a full batch to him. I deliberation he’s softly precise arrogant of himself. He comes successful each time with that mindset of warring hard each time to enactment different day, and I deliberation that’s a large mode to spell astir it erstwhile you’re that age.”

GIBSON HONORED

Goaltender John Gibson stopped each but 1 of the 63 shots helium faced successful 2 victories, including 1 shutout, and was named the NHL’s 3rd prima for the week ending Sunday. He had a 2-0-0 record, with a 0.50 goals-against mean and a .984 prevention percent successful 2 games.

Overall, helium has a 5-2-2 record, a 2.40 goals-against average, a .923 prevention percent and 1 shutout successful 9 games this season. He has a three-game winning streak, dating to Oct. 31, and the Ducks person won 4 successful a row, having swept a four-game homestand.