It’s hard to believe that Ottawa Senators star center Tim Stützle already has five NHL seasons under his belt. Now, as he rolls up for a sixth tour of duty, it's easy to forget he’s still only 23 and not yet in his prime. This is a guy who put up 90 points as a 21-year-old, but has spent the last couple of years also developing the aspects of his game that will make him a more well-rounded player.
As Carter Yakemchuk learned in the junior ranks last season, figuring out how to play the game the right way in every zone – with and without the puck – can be tricky, and it often means temporarily sacrificing some of your usual offensive production.
Speaking to reporters at the team’s annual golf tournament on Monday, Stützle looked a little older and stronger and maybe sounded a little wiser, too. Perhaps this is the year he returns to the production levels of three seasons ago. That was a 39-goal season, but as he began to mind his Ps and Qs in the less glamorous parts of the game, he followed that up with seasons of 18 and 24 goals.
When asked about what he tried to improve this summer, Stutzle first mentioned shooting. But eventually, he described wanting to improve just about everything.
"Yeah, I think most importantly, I've got to be more of a shooter. I was working on that, and just my physical game. I think every time I played physical last year, I was playing better. And face-offs, I wanted to improve, and just being strong on the puck and keeping that O-zone possession, but also playing smart in the O-zone.
"I think that was a big key for me. And yeah, I wanna keep getting better defensively. I think that's another point. When I play good defence, I think we have a better chance to win as a team.
That's a long self-betterment list for any player, let alone the man many would describe as the Senators' best player. But Stutzle's primary focus is helping the team win, especially after finally getting a taste of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
"We want to feel that every year," Stutzle said. "It was probably the best feeling I had in a long time playing hockey, the most fun I've had. And obviously, when you come into a year like that, there are higher expectations. Everybody knows we made the playoffs last year. So it's not going to be easy. But we're definitely going to give it our best and hope for a good year.
"And obviously, our goal is to get farther than the first round. But we've got to take everything step-by-step and just get better every day. I think when we had that mentality, just going day by day, I think that's what (helped us the most). And we're going to do that again this year."
Stutzle thinks the Senators will be better prepared for their next playoff opportunity. He didn't think they had the mindset they needed in Game 1 against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Being so young was part of it, but he says it's time to put away the dialogue about how young they are.
"Yeah, I think you could see in Game 1, everybody was maybe a little bit too excited and took way too many penalties. Maybe ran guys too much. So I mean, we want to play that physical style, but I think there's a time and place for it. Obviously, we're a young team, but we can't talk about that every year – how young we are. We've just got to take steps forward, and that's what we have to do this year."
No one can accuse the early-bird Sens of cutting corners.
For example, Stutzle has now been in Ottawa for the last 10 days, as have a lot of teammates, but he probably has a leg up on most of them. He's been skating with the Mannheim Eagles, his former pro team in Germany, and not just in casual summer skates. As Stutzle was finishing off his summer, they were already in training camp, going hard, about to start their new season.
"I think it's good to get everybody together (in Ottawa), working hard and going to the gym every day, working together. And I think it's important for us as a group to know what the coaches expect from us, and what the guys in the locker room and the guys in the lift room expect from us as individuals. I think that's big for us. So it's good to have a head start a little bit, and just work hard as a group.
Ottawa's potential for improvement won't just come from its head start, or its newly-found playoff experience, or being another year older. It'll also come from the fact that so much of the same group is returning from last year. So, almost everyone, save for Jordan Spence and Lars Eller, should be experts on how to navigate Travis Green's expectations, tactics, and systems.
For the second straight year, the Senators' season will be interrupted in February for a big international tournament. Earlier this year, it was the 4-Nations Face-off, which Germany wasn't invited to. But they will play at the 2026 Olympics in Italy, though Stutzle isn't thinking that far ahead.
"I mean, to be honest right now, (I'm not thinking about it) a whole lot. We've got too much going on right here. We're focused on having a good start here. And I'm more of a day-by-day guy. I don't want to look too far forward, and I think that's going to be important too.
"Obviously, I want as many guys from our team to make their (national) team. But in the end, we are focused on what we do here and then come February, we'll focus on playing the Olympics."
Stutzle volunteered that he probably should have bailed on playing at the World Hockey Championships, the international tournament where Germany was invited.
"Yeah, obviously, if you have a pretty long season, I played all the games, you kind of have a break for two weeks. You're on the highest of highs playing in the playoffs, and you go on the lowest of lows, probably just do nothing for two weeks and then go into the Worlds. It was a last-minute decision, too. So I just should have prepared maybe a little better.
"Obviously it's always a huge honour to represent your country, and especially before the Olympics, that's where you want to show up and try your best for your country."
At 23, whether it's showing up to chase a Stanley Cup or an Olympic medal, don't let his age fool you. Tim Stutzle now has more than enough experience to be a crucial part of the leadership group on both of his teams.
By Steve Warne
This article first appeared at The Hockey News-Ottawa
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