Page 8 of The Tryout

Even though Matty and I never played together in Iowa, we know a lot of the same people thanks to his tenure there. Markowicz and Robertson were his linemates, and both are still with the team.

“They’re doing good, man. They miss you, though – Jackson just isn’t the same.”

Ronnie Jackson is, I am sure, a totally fine hockey player. But his entire career is going to be spent in the AHL – if he’s lucky – and it doesn’t let his wingers show to the best of their abilities.

“I miss them, too.”

Still, the look on his face says he’s perfectly happy here in Minneapolis.

“You still living with Poulin?”

Ugh. That is not what I want to be thinking about right now. A month or two into last season, I’d gotten a two bedroom place with our backup goalie, another rookie. It felt like a good choice at the time – better than the studio apartment I could’ve gotten for the same amount by myself, and Poulin was quiet and slightly weird in that perfect goalie way.

But with the lease coming due in a few months, I’ve got some choices to make.

“Nah, he got traded to Lehigh Valley.”

In theory, I know I can afford my place on my own; even a two bedroom isn’t that expensive in Des Moines, Iowa. Still, it makes my skin crawl to think of that financial obligation, of money going into something that is, ultimately, not that useful to me.

And, frankly, I’m hoping for an even better reason to let my lease lapse this year.

“Hey, maybe you’ll be looking for a place here instead, yeah?”

From your lips to God’s ears, Matty.

With that, he heads over to the locker next to Sutter’s, tossing his stuff inside with seemingly no rhyme or reason.

I put my stuff away a little more carefully – skates at the bottom, pads hanging on the hooks, a picture of Nana and I at the top. More than that feels like too much in this borrowed space.

We begin camp with a meeting in one of the conference rooms near the gym, going over the past year’s strengths and weaknesses and discussing what to capitalize on this year. As the team hit their stride around November of last year, they found a style of play that emphasized an offensively strong blue line and Jamie Carter’s frankly sickening ability to see and make a play where no one else would.

It’s so odd to sit here, discussing a play style that wouldn’t be possible without Carter when, this time last year, hardly anyone would even speak to him. Still, I’m happy to see he’s worked that out, and nearly all the veterans seem to respect him and his abilities.

Nearly all. To my left, Zach Price is looking…moody, for lack of a better word, and I hear him complain at least once about how Carter’s not the only winger on the team.

Maybe as a winger I should also take offense, but I think I’ll save that for the day I’m even a fraction as talented as Carter. Until then, I’m happy to watch, learn, and support.

Based on his stat line last year, Pricey might want to do the same.

After the meeting is over, we head back to the locker room to gear up and get on the ice. Looking at my blades as I lace up, I wonder if the edges on the left are quite sharp enough. I’ll have to see if the equipment manager will let me have a go at the wheel later.

On the ice, we start with conditioning drills, the favorite of coaches everywhere. It’s a good chance to see who spent their summer relaxing and who chose to put in the work, instead. The Huskies had a decent playoffs run last season, so I’m sure a few of them did wait a couple weeks to start in on summer training.

But me? I’ve been putting in the miles – on the ice and off – working on getting my body into the shape it needs to be in. I’m happy to see that it shows. Last year, I was decent at these skates, but very much still middle of the pack.

This year, though? With my running and an extra two inches of height, I find myself more than able to keep up, beating all of the third and fourth lines – and most of the second, too.

Good.

This is exactly what I need to show the organization. Another year of growth, another year of speed.

And hopefully not another year in Iowa.

CHAPTER TWO

AVERY

California, Early September