What a difference a year makes.
When Tampa Bay Lighting center Steven Stamkos entered last season following
his selection as the top overall pick in the 2008 NHL entry draft, a ton
of pressure was placed on the 18-year-old rookie out of Sarnia of the OHL.
He was seen as the new face of a franchise in transition, with a new coach,
new ownership, and a new roster.
Unfortunately for the Lightning and their fans, the season didn't go as
planned, as the team finished with a 24-40-18 record, second-worst in the
NHL. The new coach - ESPN analyst Barry Melrose - lasted just 16 games before
being replaced by assistant Rick Tocchet, and Stamkos' struggles were
well-documented, especially during the first half of the season.
"It was a tough first half for me last year. I went a lot of games without
scoring," Stamkos told The Sports Network. "It's tough, but it's a
learning experience. You know you're going to go through that sooner or later
and it's tough, but it's just a matter of how you react to that. If you shut
down your game and get frustrated ... things like that are still going to
happen."
After looking lost on the ice at times, many questioned if Stamkos had the
potential to be the top-flight player he was projected to be, forgetting he
was just a teenage rookie.
"It was obviously a tough year for everyone," Stamkos said. "I was more
disappointed in myself for how things went, obviously."
But he rebounded nicely in the second half, finishing with 23 goals - a
Lightning rookie record - and 46 points, good for third in rookie scoring.
Fast-forward to the present. Stamkos almost seems like a different player.
Using the momentum he gained during a solid second half to his rookie
campaign, he displays confidence and a maturity beyond his years. Most of all,
he is producing.
"He uses his speed and he's willing to learn," Tocchet said. "He is scoring
for us and he is giving us the production right now."
Through 14 games, Stamkos has over half as many goals as he had all of last
year, leading the Lightning with 12 to go along with 5 assists. He also ranks
second on the team with a plus-four rating.
So what's the difference?
"Everyone was asking me why I wasn't scoring last year, and now everyone is
asking me why I am," Stamkos said. "I don't know."
Tampa Bay winger Ryan Malone thinks he knows.
"Confidence is the biggest thing. Last year he might get the puck and throw it
away," he told The Sports Network. "Now, he is realizing he can hold onto it
and make a good play with it, so we try to get him the puck."
Malone is just one of the veteran players who took Stamkos under his wing
last year, showing him the ropes. Team captain and fellow center Vincent
Lacavalier and veteran wingers Martin St. Louis, Mark Recchi and Gary
Roberts were also very influential on him.
"That was great for me last year, to come in and have those guys to look up to
and watch and learn from," Stamkos said.
Now, with the 6-foot-1, 196-pound center flourishing, Tocchet is counting on
him to be a positive influence in the locker room.
"He's a leader, a young leader for us," he said.
Is there still pressure on Stamkos in his second year? You bet. But, he seems
better equipped to deal with it.
"He's a grounded kid. Not too much bothers him. He puts a lot of pressure on
himself," Tocchet said. "I read the other day, he said it wasn't so much
billboards; it was the pressure he put on himself. We talked about it and took
the pressure off him and told him to just be Steven Stamkos. Him being Steven
has been pretty good so far."
And when he has a bad shift or a bad game?
"He has his ups and downs, but he has bounce-back," Tocchet said. "He doesn't
have a long period of bad games or bad shifts. He can bounce back and that's
what I like about him. He can have a tough night, but he bounces back. He's
resilient.
"When you have that with young kids, that's a special thing there."
And if the Lightning can grow at the pace of their talented young center, they
could have a special thing in Tampa.
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