Ducks rookie Jamie Drysdale finding comfort zone on and off the ice

2 years ago 299

IRVINE — Ducks manager Dallas Eakins had seen capable and skated implicit to rookie defenseman Jamie Drysdale 1 time earlier this season. It was clip for a change, and Eakins’ connection was a elemental one: “You’re 19. It’s clip to get retired of the semipermanent residence edifice and into your ain spot of residence.”

“He conscionable said, ‘Hampus came into my bureau and said that he’d similar to person you enactment with him,’” Drysdale recalled Saturday, referring to defence spouse Hampus Lindholm. “Works for me. Yeah, I’m in. We went connected the roadworthy close aft that for a week oregon truthful and ended up moving successful close after.”

Drysdale isn’t the archetypal young Ducks subordinate to determination into a location with an older teammate. Hall of Fame defenseman Scott Niedermayer and his household welcomed a then-18-year-old Cam Fowler into their location for the 2010-11 season, easing the load for Fowler’s rookie season.

“Let maine archer you, that spot is simply a batch amended than the hotel,” Drysdale said.

So far, Lindholm hasn’t offered Drysdale lessons successful Swedish, his autochthonal tongue. When Lindholm and his sister, Malin, talk to each different successful Swedish astir the house, Drysdale said helium doesn’t precisely tune them out, but finds it daunting to recognize what they’re saying to each other.

“I don’t cognize if I privation to try,” helium said of learning his housemates’ language.

It’s not a agelong to accidental that uncovering his comfortableness portion distant from the rink has helped Drysdale find his comfortableness portion connected the ice. Drysdale has appeared much astatine easiness successful caller games, much poised, much assured successful his abilities. In 21 games, helium has 10 points, including 8 assists.

Last season, helium had 8 points, including 5 assists, successful 24 games.

But his play isn’t conscionable astir goals and assists. His skating astatine some ends of the rink is eye-catching, peculiarly erstwhile it comes to overtaking hard-changing opponents arsenic they participate the Ducks’ portion and disrupting their plans to sprout oregon pass. It’s go much evident successful caller games, too.

It’s harmless to accidental the Ducks are beyond satisfied with Drysdale’s improvement truthful far, realizing he’s had a driver’s licence for lone 3 years and is 2 years distant from walking into a barroom and legally ordering an alcoholic beverage. He’s hardly a twelvemonth older than a precocious schoolhouse senior.

“He’s figuring it out,” Eakins said. “He tin adjacent hard and fast. What he’s realizing present is that helium doesn’t person to person a batch of hard assemblage interaction there. He’s figuring retired the angles. He’s taken the aged attack similar Scotty Niedermayer would do, instrumentality an angle, instrumentality distant your arms and, suddenly, helium has the puck and you’re, like, ‘What conscionable happened there?’”

ROSTER MOVES

The Ducks reassigned forwards Bo Groulx and Vinni Lettieri to their AHL team, the San Diego Gulls. Groulx, a 21-year-old rookie center, has 1 extremity and 2 assists successful 16 games with the Ducks. Lettieri, a 26-year-old close wing, has 1 extremity and 1 assistance successful 3 games with the Ducks this season.

Groulx and Lettieri were expected to play successful the Gulls’ crippled Saturday against the Bakersfield Condors successful Bakersfield. Groulx had 1 assistance successful 2 games earlier this period with San Diego. Lettieri had 5 goals and 1 assistance successful 8 games with the Gulls earlier this season.