Please welcome special guest writer Tristen Robins! I was super excited to get to Las Vegas. Flying into Vegas is always so cool because of all the crazy lights down the strip. Skating at camp the two days before is so fun because it is a sign that hockey season is back. Just while sitting at breakfast the morning before the first game, it was clear that the guys were ready to play hockey again. Being one of the "older guys" during the weekend is something I took a lot of value in. I always tried to make my way around to all the guys on the team and introduce myself. I want to make everyone feel welcome. After all, we are all here for a reason. Three years ago was my first rookie tournament, and I remember how nervous I was. I can help some of the new guys feel a little more comfortable by telling them about my experiences and feelings when I was in their position. GAME 1: After the first game, my focus is really on rest and recovery. Since our first game ended around 4 p.m., the first thing I did was check the weather. I wanted to get a good meal and get by the pool at the hotel. My roommate for the weekend was William Eklund. He and a couple of the other guys got a lot of time poolside. Eky and I wanted to be roommates this weekend. I'd say we spoke it into existence. We didn't ask anyone if we could. We just got paired up. We are similar in how we conduct ourselves, so we just talked and cracked jokes whenever we were in the room. GAME 2: Before I get into the actual game we played at The Dollar Loan Center, I want to say that this trip is where you can make a lot of memories. Las Vegas has a pretty electric atmosphere for fans, and that's where many of the guys who haven't played here before can make memories. The Vegas Golden Knights get the crowd going at The Dollar Loan Center. I'm a big fan of the game Spikeball during the summertime—the guys who didn't play in the second game played before the morning skate. Eklund and I were teammates going up against Henry Thrun and Gannon Laroque. Since we weren't playing in the game, we jumped on the ice for practice after the main group. Because we know we aren't in the lineup that night, the coaching staff knows we can get a harder skate. We are also on the ice for longer, so we can go in-depth on more skills. For me, in particular, I wanted to put some extra time into my shot. Of course, I got more skating done to get cardio up. The work didn't stop there because, after the skate, I went right to the gym. On days when I'm not in the lineup, it is great to get a lift in to help stay in shape. Sharks fans reading this can probably guess where I went after practice. Back to the pool for some vitamin D and more R & R. Henry, Eky, Danil Gushchin, and Georgi Romanov didn't play, so we all went to the pool as a group. Having Gush around when Georgi is there is nice because Gush acts as our translator. They are basically tied at the hip. We ended up getting a suite to watch the game. Yes, I was sitting next to Eklund. The first thing we noticed when we sat down was that the atmosphere was different. Two of our three games were at the practice facility, so being around fans again was awesome. Watching the guys win 5-1 is great because it brings confidence. We didn't talk much in the suite. We just sat back and watched the boys dominate. PRACTICE DAY: Even though we didn't play on Sunday, we got a good skate in. My legs aren't as tired because I was able to take some more time by the pool and get some recovery. A couple of the guys mentioned going to the Las Vegas Strip. I like just checking out the malls on the strip. You don't get to see a lot of these stores and places back home in Canada. Quentin Musty hasn't been to Vegas before, so being able to take him around was pretty fun. My favorite thing to do whenever I visit the strip is walk around. Seeing all the different hotels and stores is so cool to me. You could say Vegas is like no other place on Earth, but then again, it is everywhere. There were a couple of equipment representatives after our skate on Sunday, but I am pretty set on what I use. Given the AHL's agreement with CCM, I use a lot of their gear. I really enjoy using a whippier stick, so I use a CCM Trigger that is 75 flex. GAME 3: I got back into the last game, which was nice. It sucks to lose, but overall I felt the game was fun. I had no intention of getting into a fight. I really just wanted to go over to Musty and give him a high five. You always have to be ready to answer the bell. It was great getting back out there. Throughout the whole weekend, the guys brought good energy. It was always positive thinking. Just being around the guys all weekend was so fun. Next up for me is training camp. I am looking forward to getting back in front of our great Sharks fans in San Jose.
