BUFFALO | It is customary for hopefuls to pretend in front of the cameras that they are not breaking their heads with the draft. Tristan Luneau does not hide it, the last year has been trying, but he feels that he is back on the right track.
In Buffalo this week at the NHL evaluation camp, the Gatineau Olympiques defender worked on another difficult part of the process leading up to the draft, convincing the teams that he has everything to offer them.
Injured in the left knee, Luneau had to be operated on before training camp. He eventually played 63 of his team’s 68 games, but his popularity rating with scouts plummeted.
From tenth among North American players at mid-season, he slipped to 24th.
“All the teams spoke to me about my injury and I was transparent. It is true that it affected me. I felt like I couldn’t help my team as much as I wanted. I couldn’t show what kind of defender I could be. I was not myself. At the same time, I love the game that I didn’t want to delay my return.
“I touched the ice for the first time after my operation on a Monday and on Friday I was playing my first game. I threw myself a bit into the mouth of the wolf. During the year, I gave interviews to teams and they said that they were disappointed with my game, that I could give more. It was frustrating to hear that,” he said.
Beneficial discussions
Despite the situation, which clearly did not help him, he was a calm young man who showed up in Buffalo when he returned to his course.
It must be said that discussions with his head coach Louis Robitaille helped him see things from another angle.
“There is a point in the season where I started to wonder if I was going to get out of it, if I was ever going to come back to 100%. I wondered if I had wasted a year where I had to show off. I thought I was wasting my opportunity.
“Louis helped me put things into perspective. Even if I have to slip in the draft, it doesn’t stop once I’m chosen. It’s just getting started and it’s what you do after that matters,” he said wisely.
Less pressure
Of course, the one who was the first choice of the 2020 auction in the QMJHL wishes that a team will quickly give him a chance at the draft. It is however in a different state of mind that the offensive defender attacks this stage of his career.
“I’ve always been super competitive and in my mind it was the end of the world to have surgery before my draft year. When you put it into perspective, I don’t know how positive it is to go out so early in the draft. It becomes dangerous to be in the spotlight because there are so many expectations. It’s a lot of pressure. It’s better to focus on development rather than drafting,” he said.
“The most important thing is not to get to the NHL as soon as possible, but what you will do to stay. I can’t wait to see which team will give me the chance and believe in me.”
Physical tests
Big performances
BUFFALO | In the various physical tests that the hopefuls must carry out at the evaluation camp, a few Quebecers have appeared well. As expected, from a height of over 6ft 7in, defenseman Maveric Lamoureux broke it all in the long jump with a swing of 117.5 inches, the longest of the day. As for the grueling cardiovascular tests on the bike, Tristan Luneau did well with third and sixth places. Among the other players, Jack Hughes had a big day with 19 pull-ups, which gave him the top spot. He also finished in the top 10 in nine other categories. Of the top prospects, Logan Cooley performed the best. Juraj Slafkovsky did not take part in the tests, he who was still playing until last Thursday.
Old rivalry: a Hejduk in Detroit?
BUFFALO | From 1998 to 2013, Milan Hejduk led the Colorado Avalanche’s offense. For several seasons, he lived through the intense rivalry with the Detroit Red Wings. Today, his son Marek is following in his footsteps, with the USA development team. If he’s not a top prospect (he’s ranked 159th among North American players), he will try to surprise like his father, who was a fourth-round pick of the Nordiques in 1994, before leaving. 375 goals and 805 points in the NHL. Marek Hejduk said with amusement that he had met the sworn enemy of the family, in Buffalo. “It was a pretty interesting interview… They told me about the rivalry with the Avalanche. If the Red Wings draft me, it will take my dad a long time to get over it! But I know he would be proud no matter what,” laughed the young winger.
Hodgkin’s disease: Miroshnichenko will be ready
BUFFALO | NHL Central Scouting director Dan Marr said second-best Russian prospect Ivan Miroshnichenko is recovering well from Hodgkin’s disease that afflicted him. He recently completed his treatments and teams were able to meet in Europe the one who is considered the 11th hope among European skaters. He would be ready to start the next campaign on time. Among other Russian players, however, the ongoing conflict with Ukraine leaves room for uncertainty. “None of us can predict what will happen. Each team will decide to approach this situation in its own way. Will a team that finds itself in front of a good Russian prospect decide to pass its turn or will take it while crossing its fingers that the world will not be there in a few years?” asked Marr.