2015 WJC Archive:
The Truth About Jack Eichel
USA Announces Preliminary Roster
USA Injury Update
Questions Abound for Team USA as Selection Camp Begins
Team USA Selection Camp Video Podcast
Watch & listen to Mike Morreale from NHL.com and I blather about Team USA after the second day of on ice action at USA Hockey's National Junior Team Selection Camp in preparation of the 2015 IIHF World Junior Championship.
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For 19-year-old defenseman Steve Santini, these past eight weeks have been a learning experience. After injuring his wrist on an innocuous play battling in the corner against UMass on October 25th that required surgery to repair the damage, he found himself in a position he had never been in before…off the ice for a prolonged period of time.
"I'm a
very competitive person and I'm very focused on hockey, but it's almost like this injury has taught me that there's more to life than hockey - as silly as that sounds. I have such great family and friends supporting me. I'm at a great school….I have a lot more things going for me than just being a hockey player," said the Boston College sophomore and one of three returning defenseman on USA Hockey's preliminary roster for the 2015 IIHF World Junior Championship.
That said, this year's tournament and the potential that he might not be able to participate in it was the first thing to cross his mind upon learning the extent of his injury.
"As soon as I saw my potential return date, I knew I wanted to get back and healthy so I could be ready for this tournament. It means a lot to me," Santini explained. "When we lost the U18s in Sochi, I was devastated and again last year the way we lost to Russia…I was very unhappy. It's just unacceptable for USA Hockey to get 5th place. They have done so much for me and I really want to get them a gold medal. It's been a big goal of mine for awhile. I worked all summer to prepare for this tournament and hopefully everything will work out and I will get the chance to help them win a championship."
After surgery, he took a couple weeks away from the rink as he recovered, but, with as much as he loves the game, he couldn't stay away long.
"I tried to find a happy medium between being involved and not being a distraction. I thought I did a good job with that. I helped a lot with face-offs. The coaches asked me to help a bit and the players asked me to help, but I didn't go crazy with it. It's not like I was a fourth coach or anything. I helped as much as I could, but I also knew my place and took a step back for a bit," Santini said. "I want to be supportive and positive. It's been tough to be patient throughout this whole process. I'm just trying to be a good guy and support the team."
"He's at the rink all the time," said Thatcher Demko, who's been his teammate for the past four seasons, first at the US National Team Development Program and now at Boston College. "He's either getting a lift in or on the ice before us to stay in shape. He's there for meetings and he's there during practice, even gets on the ice and helps shag pucks. He's a great teammate so he just wants to be around the guys as much as he can and he's been doing a good job of that. He's been nothing but positive, working on the ice every day with one glove on, making sure he's staying in shape….I know he'll be ready. Just knowing Steve, I know he wouldn't miss this for the world."
"I've never seen a kid so positive throughout an injury," explained Noah Hanifin, another defenseman and teammate at BC. "He was always trying to find a way to contribute to our team and would come into the locker room between periods and give us tips on what we could do better based on what he saw watching the games. He's just that type of guy. I know he's pretty anxious now to get his cast off and get out there with us. He's a great player and we really need him."
That cast comes off on Monday and the pins that helped his wrist heal faster will also be removed. Doctors say he will be medically cleared to play the next day. The rest is up to Santini.
"We're going to give Steve as much time as we can," said USA GM Jim Johannson. "He's been skating. He's in great shape. He just hasn't played in a hockey game. When we talk about body of work and character, he's without a doubt a guy we want on this team. He's a character kid who brings everything that the World Juniors is all about. We're going to give him as much time as we can. For me, it's really going to come down to Steven saying I can go for you guys or I can't."
For Santini, it's not even a question.
"I'm not going to feel as strong with a lot of atrophy in my wrist, but I'll be cleared to play so I'll just tape it up and go out there and play…nothing else I can really do! I've come a long way with my rehab. Five weeks ago, I couldn't do this," he said as he made a fist with his right hand. I couldn't hold on to anything. So, I am hopeful that it will all work out when they take this thing off and I'll be ready to go."
Team USA plays Boston University in an exhibition game tomorrow night (streamed live and for free at www.goterriers.com at 7:30ET) and hopes it will be the last game he watches from the stands for "a long, long time" because while his teammates will take on Germany in pre-tournament action in Kingston, Ontario on Sunday, Santini will be in Boston awaiting the big day. Once the pins are removed, he will be on his way to Kingston to join his teammates and see his first game action in two months in Team USA's last pre-tournament game against Sweden.
"I've been on the ice. I can't shoot or pass right now, just trying to get some strength and build up the range of motion back," Santini explained. "I'm just very thankful that Mr Johannson and USA Hockey brought me here. Obviously, they didn't have to do that. I haven't played in two months and I'm just very happy to be here. I'm just enjoying the process right now and trying to be a part of the team as best I can."
His desire to bring honor and pride to the USA sweater stems from the opportunities the program has given to him, but now there's a sense of urgency.
"Being one of the younger guys last year, you saw how much that '94 group cared - Brady Skjei, Matt Grzelcyk, Riley Barber, Hartman, DiPauli, Matteau… - those guys that played for the NTDP….it was a sad ending for them because they don't know if they're ever going to get to wear the USA jersey again, so they wanted it real bad and to come up short like that…it was hard," he said. "So its going to be emotional for all the older guys this year, we don't want to come up short. We want to get the gold and play our best and not let anything slip away."
The challenge is going to be to not repeat the mistakes that cost them the opportunity to play for a medal in Malmo last year.
"We have to stay out of the box and win the special teams battle," Santini stated. "Against Russia, we took too many penalties and we didn't score on the power play. It was kind of a double whammy. Not blaming anybody, it was a team effort. Guys took penalties and we didn't finish our chances. You gotta be focused all the time, especially with the special teams battles and pay attention to the details and realize that it's not a seven game series. There is no time to make up for a mistake. It's one and done at this tournament, so you have to play your best every day and be focused at all times."
If you ask his teammates at BC about Santini's commitment to winning, they will tell you it's off the charts.
"[His intensity] can be pretty scary sometimes - in a good way!" explained Demko. "It's definitely one of those cases where you're just glad he's on your team and you're not playing against him. He just wants the puck and wants to do things that it takes to win. He'll do anything for his teammates, whether that's putting his face in front of a shot or scoring a timely goal…I mean, it doesn't happen often, but when it does it's pretty timely! He's one of the more competitive guys I've been around and one of the better teammates I've ever had in my career."
"He just brings so much energy on and off the ice getting the guys going and getting in their faces. Always skating hard, delivering big hits and making the simple plays," said Alex Tuch, a freshman at BC and one of five Eagles at the is selection camp. "He just loves the game - every part about it. He loves the game more than anyone I know. I think he'll be captain [of this team]…100 percent. Just what he brings every day, day in and day out….he's a great leader. We definitely missed him at BC and we're probably as excited to see him get that cast of as he is. We can't wait to have him back."
For Santini, he sees the light at the end of the waiting game tunnel and while he would have rather not had to deal with this injury, he feels like he's a better player and a better person because of it.
"I just tried to do everything I could to get back and be healthy for this tournament. I tried to be ahead of schedule and heal as fast as I could. The doctors think I'm healing well and hopefully in a couple days here I'll be ready to go," he said. "I've been really lucky. I've been blessed my whole life. This was my first surgery. I've been off the ice before - just some bumps and bruises - but never anything where I've been off the ice for this long. It's been a very humbling experience being on the sidelines. I think it's helped me grow as a person these past couple weeks, for sure."
Right now, he's just hoping all the hard work pays off with shiny new hardware.
"The goal is to be ready to play, help the team win and come home with a gold medal," he said with a huge smile. "But I have to get this thing off first!"
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Julie
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