The Hockey News' Derek Lee chats with Ducks draft pick Nico Myatovic, who recently signed his entry-level contract and played in his first professional game.
It's been one whirlwind of a year for Nico Myatovic. Not only did the 19-year-old win the WHL Championship with the Seattle Thunderbirds, he also played in the Memorial Cup Final and was drafted in the second round of this past summer's NHL Draft. Now, he's signed his entry-level contract (ELC) and played in his first professional game last Friday.
“It was awesome," said Myatovic via phone call. "It was super exciting to play my first professional game there. Kind of a dream come true and obviously there’s going to be an adjustment period, but I’m just trying to learn as much as I can while I’m up and take everything to heart.”
It was a tough season for Myatovic and the Thunderbirds, who missed the WHL Playoffs due to injuries and the departure of many key players like Kevin Korchinski—now playing for the Chicago Blackhawks and Brad Lambert, who is currently playing for the Manitoba Moose in the AHL.
Myatovic himself was on the shelf for about three months with a broken leg that he suffered in October. He called it "the biggest injury of my career."
“I think it was a tough year. We didn’t make the playoffs and that’s something you never want to strive for. We wanted to keep competing, but injuries with myself and other guys on the team kind of led to an unlucky season. But I couldn’t be more thankful for what happened to me in Seattle.”
“You never want to go through injuries, but they’re part of the game," continued Myatovic. "I just tried to attack my rehab with the best mentality that I had and I was able to get back on the ice as soon as possible.”
“I watched a lot of games from above, which gave me a different perspective as well, just viewing things on the ice differently. Just the mentality to attack the rehab was huge. I had a short offseason going into this year with the draft and everything, going so long into the Memorial Cup. It allowed me to get a lot stronger while I was injured."
At one point during the season, Myatovic even had to be shoehorned onto the blue line with the Thunderbirds dealing with a number of injuries and sick players. He had two assists in his singular game as a blueliner.
"It was an interesting one," said Myatovic with a laugh. "We were just short on (defensemen), a lot of injuries and sicknesses going through the team. Coach asked me if I’d be comfortable on the backend. I think with my responsible game as a forward, (it) allowed me to fit in there on the backend, so it went well.”
From competing at the highest level in the CHL to getting drafted and now turning pro, Myatovic has leaned on family and friends through it all. He also credited his coaches and teammates in Seattle for playing a big role in his development: "They've helped me get to where I am now."
Now, Myatovic is leaning on a new set of coaches and teammates to help further his development. He pointed to San Diego Gulls captain Chase De Leo as one of the veterans who's helped him a lot since joining the team.
Gulls head coach Matt McIlvane and his coaching staff were able to spend some time with Myatovic at Ducks development camp last summer and then rookie camp and the Rookie Faceoff Tournament in Las Vegas last September.
"They've got tons of information that’s useful to me that I can use on the ice," said Myatovic. "They’re really good coaches, I’m just trying to be like a sponge here and take everything in.”
In terms of his playing style, the former Thunderbird describes his play style as a '200-foot player.' "I think the game really well. I’m a pretty good skater, so I can get around the ice pretty well. I’m really responsible, I take pride in my own end and I also contribute offensively."