Maybe it is because there's no hardware handed out for "best NHL sophomore," but it's amazing how little attention most second-year players not named Crosby or Ovechkin get in this league.
When it comes to kids, the focus is very much on this season's impressive Calder crop of John Tavares, Victor Hedman, Matt Duchene, Michael Del Zotto and Tyler Myers, among several others.
Meanwhile, there's a 19-year-old named Steven Stamkos who already has piled up 10 points (6-4) in eight games with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Not that many people outside of Tampa have noticed.
Mitchell Layton/Getty Images
Steven Stamkos was the No. 1 pick in the '08 draft.
"I don't mind that at all," Stamkos told ESPN.com with a chuckle Friday.
The 2008 first overall pick is simply picking up where he left off last season, when he erased a nightmarish first half (14 points in 40 games) with a terrific second half (32 points in 39 games).
The icing on the cake was an 11-point performance in nine games at this past year's world championship in Switzerland, where Stamkos helped lead Canada to a silver medal.
"Obviously, there's a lot more confidence there than I had at the beginning of last season," Stamkos said. "I had a really good summer of working out and training hard. I knew what to expect coming into this year. The second half went well for me last year, and the world championships were also a confidence booster. I just wanted to pick up where I left off last season. It seems to be going well so far, and hopefully I can keep it up."
Over the years, players such as Rob Blake, Daniel Briere and Steve Sullivan have told me how much playing in a high-level tournament such as the annual spring worlds event has done wonders for their confidence and development. It appears the same has held true for Stamkos, who was voted among the tournament all-stars.
He played with Tampa linemate and veteran star winger Martin St. Louis at the worlds, a holdover arrangement from the second half of last season in Tampa. St. Louis has done wonders for Stamkos, on the ice and between the ears.
So it was interesting indeed this week to see how Stamkos would react when coach Rick Tocchet decided to break up the pair, moving cure-all St. Louis to the struggling top line with Vincent Lecavalier and putting gritty Steve Downie with Stamkos and Ryan Malone on the second unit. The result? The new second line produced three goals -- two of them from Stamkos, including an empty-netter -- in a 5-2 win over the Sharks on Thursday night.
"Obviously, playing with Marty has been great, we've had a lot of success together," Stamkos said. "But the coaching staff decided we needed to change things up to get the team going. I actually played with Downie last year, and we had some success.
"You know, as much as it's nice to play with Marty, you do have to show you can play without a guy of his talent and still create chances. It was nice to play well last night, win the game and prove as a team that we can play with two solid offensive lines."
He's only 19, folks, but Stamkos has maturity beyond his years. Again, St. Louis has had something to do with that, as does a solid upbringing, thanks to his parents; so does going through the first rough patch of his hockey career last season.
Picked to win the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year in many September predictions 13 months ago, Stamkos came out of the gates with only four points (2-2) in 17 games. I'll never forget the morning of Oct. 28 last season in his native Toronto, where the huge media hordes circled around him in the visitors dressing room at Air Canada Centre, asking him about being pointless in his first seven career NHL games and his low playing time under then-coach Barry Melrose. The kid kept his head held high and answered every question, but you know how hurt he must have felt inside.
"You try to forget about that stuff, but at the same time, early on last year was definitely a learning experience for me. It was tough," Stamkos said. "The whole team was struggling; it wasn't the best of circumstances to be around. But I learned a lot last season. There were veterans on the team that helped me. And in the second half, I proved what kind of player I could be.
"Overall, just a learning experience and really the first time I had to battle any kind of real adversity in my career. I think, at the end of the day, I did pretty good."
The battle-scarred sophomore has spoken with highly touted rookie teammate Hedman, but he believes the Swedish prodigy doesn't need much help in the end.
"I just told him, 'Have fun and play the game,'" Stamkos said. "There's not too much you can tell a guy of his talent and the way he's been playing this season. He's been a great player on the blue line; he shows so much poise, and the combination of size and speed that he has is pretty scary. He doesn't need too much of a talk from me. He's done great on his own, and he's going to be a great player for this team for a long time."
Stamkos has shown his maturity off the ice, where, as an 18-year-old rookie, he didn't bunk with a veteran player the way most kids do in their first NHL season. Instead, he found his own place, a townhouse in a community where Malone and goalie Mike Smith and former teammates Gary Roberts and Mark Recchi also lived. He's renting there again this season.
"It's in a little community where there's four other players, as well," Stamkos said. "It's 10 minutes from the rink and close to the mall. It's ideal for me right now. We'll see how things go with regards to what happens next year."
What about finding food on his own? The kid can cook for himself. No problem there.
"I've always been pretty good about that," he said. "I'm not a bad cook when it comes to preparing something quick like chicken, steak or pasta. I bought a barbecue last year, and that kind of helped me through the year. But it's always nice when my parents come down, and my dad is actually here right now for two weeks. He's a pretty good cook, so I get spoiled when they're down here. But for the most part, I can fend for myself."
Stamkos went back home to the Toronto area in the offseason and worked out under the tutelage of Roberts, now retired, who is famous for his dedication to fitness. But Stamkos was careful not to add too many pounds in the weight room.
"I added a little bit of weight, but not too much," he said. "I think sometimes you can go overboard on that and you lose some of your speed and agility, and that's a big part of my game. So I probably put on five or six pounds this summer. Just overall, I improved my strength and speed. Working with Gary was big for me. He definitely helped me a lot. I just want to try to maintain that throughout the season."
The focus now is on making the playoffs. The Lightning believe they've improved enough to take a run at it. The team's 3-3-2 start has had its ups and downs already, but Stamkos sees the potential.
"We showed we can do some damage against a very good team like San Jose last night," Stamkos said. "Our goal is to make the playoffs, but we need to keep playing like we did last night."
As does Stamkos. I don't doubt he will.
Pierre LeBrun
