Jack Drury has played a lot of hockey in a lot of different places over the course of his career.
He's spent time in Harvard, Sweden, Chicago and now his hockey journey has brought him to Raleigh where he's preparing to make his case for a spot on the Carolina Hurricanes' opening night roster.
“I’m just trying to take it day by day," Drury told The Hockey News. "I’m excited to be here. It’s nice getting some experience last year, especially in the playoffs, but it’s a new year and it’s fun being back in the locker room with all these guys and I think everyone is just excited to get going.”
Drury's path to the NHL has been a bit unusual compared to that of most prospects.
After two promising years at Harvard University, where he scored 29 goals and registered 63 points in 60 games, Drury's time in the NCAA came to a close after Harvard announced it would not take part in the 2020-21 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rather than sit out a year, the forward turned pro and took his talents abroad, signing a one-year deal with the Vaxjo Lakers of the SHL.
In his first professional season, Drury was a model of consistency, playing in Vaxjo's top-six and on both sides of special teams. He turned it up another notch in the playoffs and was second on the team in scoring (five goals, 11 points) en route to becoming an SHL champion.
“It was unbelievable," Drury said of his time in Sweden. "Development-wise, I think my skating got a lot better when I went there. It was a ton of fun getting to experience that and it’s a tough league. It was good getting a little bit of pro experience there and then the best part of it was that we won the championship. That playoff run was just incredibly fun. It makes you hungry and it kind of turns your drive up a little bit.”
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Drury's championship history doesn't end in Sweden either as he channeled that hunger to help the 2021-22 Chicago Wolves become Calder Cup Champions in his first AHL season, where he was once again one of the top scorers (nine goals, 24 points).
While the path was unusual, Drury views the whole experience as beneficial to the player he is today.
“There’s different skills I’ve picked up in the different leagues and different roles I’ve been in," Drury said. "It’s helped me become more well rounded.”
The 2018 second-round pick first made his NHL debut during that 2021-22 AHL championship season, appearing in two games and promptly scoring in each of them, but it wasn't until the following season before he started to get significant time with the big club.
Drury appeared in 38 games for the Hurricanes last year - he split the remaining time with the Chicago Wolves - and registered two goals and eight points in those games.
But even more important for the Drury, last season was the first time he got a taste of NHL playoff hockey, appearing in 13 of Carolina's postseason games. He had been on championship teams before, but playing in the NHL playoffs was a different story.
“It was really cool," Drury said. "Playoff hockey is incredible and I think it makes you hungry for more."
Even if the experience was overall a positive one, the NHL playoffs were perhaps still a bit bittersweet too, as the forward dealt with his fair share of hardships.
Drury was targeted frequently in the postseason, being hit at the second-highest rate on the team, and he was then ultimately taken out in Game 4 of the first-round series against the New York Islanders after absorbing a big hit from Ryan Pulock for the second time in that series.
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Drury would return for the second-round of the playoffs against the New Jersey Devils where he would pick up his first career NHL playoff points.
Moving on to the Eastern Conference Final against the Florida Panthers, Drury even thought he had scored his first career playoff goal too, in what could have been a pivotal Game 2, but it ended up being called back as Mackenzie MacEachern was just offsides on the play.
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That's all in the past though, and Drury is now strictly focused on getting ready for the upcoming season.
“I want to refine my process a little bit," Drury said. "Holding onto pucks... I also want to be better down low and try to get a little more high quality shots on net. I can’t get too focused on outcomes though. Just have to keep sticking to my process and try to get a little bit better every day.”
This summer, the 23 year old spent a lot of time in the weight room to improve both his strength and quickness. Drury also said his finishing was another area he focused in on and he's hoping the work helps lead to improved results.
Heading into training camp, this is first time in a while where the Hurricanes' 4C position is looking to be up for grabs as the Canes currently having a lack of veteran centerman.
As such, this could be the year where Drury finally makes the opening night roster out of training camp, however he can't assume the position is his already.
For one, Russian prospect Vasily Ponomarev is seemingly Drury's biggest competition as his Chicago Wolves teammate also looks poised to make a jump to the NHL after a solid season in the AHL last year.
The 4C position will be one of those training camp battles that will shake out in the end, but if Drury wants to become an NHL mainstay, he needs to continue to work hard, show he's taken those next steps and prove he's the most deserving.
But he already knows that.
“I want to make a big jump and that means I need to keep improving my play as much as I can," Drury said. "Looking forward to trying to do that.”
