The two Canes prospects will be representing the organization in Coachella Valley. Carolina Hurricanes rookie Ryan Suzuki finally got to make his NHL debut on Thursday in his sixth season since being drafted. Suzuki, 23, has gone through a lot to get to this point, having dealt with a myriad of injuries including an eye injury that left him with a permanent blind spot. However, the 2019 first-round pick's perseverance rewarded him with the opportunity to finally become an NHL player. "I think the biggest thing for me was just being healthy this season," Suzuki said [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/carolina-hurricanes/game-day/im-happy-to-be-on-the-home-side-mikko-rantanen-juha-jaaska-ryan-suzuki-rod-brindamour-on-win-over-chicago]. "It hasn't been that way the last couple of years so it was nice to get off to a good start and obviously be familiar with the city of Chicago. It was nice to be back with your own organization. It was huge for me." But Suzuki almost didn't get to make that debut. The Canes have been dealing with an illness bug as of late and Thursday knocked out both Sebastian Aho and Taylor Hall, leaving them desperately needing another forward. So the team rung up Suzuki, the only problem though, he got that call five hours before puck drop in Raleigh... while in Chicago. But even despite having to rush home to change, a delayed flight and rush hour traffic upon arrival, Suzuki made it just in time. "I learned at about 1 o'clock central time, so 2 o'clock here," Suzuki told FanDuel Sports Network during the first intermission of Thursday's game. "I was at the rink so I rushed home, put my suit on and Cam Abbot, our coach, drove me to the airport and dropped me off. Got here as quick as a could. I think I had 15 minutes before warmups. A little different, but I'm excited to be here." "We watched him for a lot of years and he's dealt with a lot of injuries and things happening to him on the injury front," said Canes coach Rod Brind'Amour. "So a nice moment that we were able to get him here in time to get the lap in and all that because he got in here at like 6. It was right before warmups, so nice moment for him, for sure." The 23-year-old center didn't get too much time, only playing 6:12, but the rookie played well enough, going 50% in the faceoff dot, throwing a hit and was also on the ice for the game-winning goal. "Obviously I didn't have a lot of time to prepare, but less time to be nervous so I felt good," Suzuki said. "I feel like if I got a night to sleep on it, I would have worked myself up a little bit, so it was nice to just get here and get on the ice. "I think with the right opportunity, I can make an impact up here. I obviously haven't made it yet, it's just one game, but hopefully there's more to come." And that opportunity for more may come as early as tonight too as the Canes are still dealing with wide-spread illness [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/carolina-hurricanes/latest-news/all-these-guys-are-questionable-carolina-hurricanes-lineup-up-in-the-air-against-la-kings]. Suzuki unfortunately did fly back to Chicago yesterday only to turn right back around, but I'm sure the rookie won't mind at all so long as he has the chance to continue to live out his NHL dream. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjEyMTgyOTk5MDg3NzIwMDY0/google-news.png]
