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Hall of Famers Henrik and Daniel Sedin helping sixth-round NHL Draft pick develop total game to get to NHL
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Published Jul 03, 2024 • Last updated 6 hours ago • 4 minute read
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Anthony Romani had to do another double-take Tuesday.
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There they were.
The legendary and cordial Henrik and Daniel Sedin were providing guidance and encouragement, especially to first-time participants in the Vancouver Canucks’ annual development camp at UBC, and the odd jaw did drop.
For Romani, a 2024 sixth-round NHL Draft pick who has passed over the previous year and then led the OHL this season with 58 for the North Bay Battalion, the motivation has always been there.
Learning from the Sedins just cranked it up a notch. Probably two.
“It’s amazing and kind of weird,” Romani admitted with a chuckle. “I’m looking up and the Sedins are right beside me. It’s pretty crazy. You have two Hall of Famers on the ice with you and it’s pretty surreal.
“Sometimes, I forget they’re on the ice, and just take it in and soak up what they have to offer.”
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It’s a crash course for Romani. There are aspects that come naturally — finding open space, getting into position, and releasing quick and accurate shots — but there are areas that require improvement.
And sometimes, getting a grip on the little things makes a big difference. You can always get stronger and learn to improve the strength of stride.
On Tuesday, there were small groups of three at UBC getting individual instruction which prospects crave. And in mini three-on-three games, what they just gleaned was put to the test.
Photo by Candice Ward /Getty Images
“A key area we’ve been working on his body position going into battle or a race for a puck,” said at the 6-foot-1, 184 pound Romani. “There are different positions and they (Sedins) told us they were only 180 (pounds) and playing in the NHL, so they had to do those little things to become great players.”
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It’s hard enough to make the NHL leap as a sixth-rounder and even tougher the second time around. Romani turns 19 on July 12 and is trying to carve out his own niche.
The Canucks have had a number of sixth-round picks turn into bonafide players — Brent Sopel (1995), Pavel Bure (1989), Garry Valk (1987), Dave Lowry (1983), Stu Kulak (1981), Gerry Minor (1978) — but the best example for Romani may be Matt Cooke.
The feisty OHL winger scored 45 goals and 95 points with the Windsor Spitfires in the 1996-97 season and became the Canucks’ sixth-round selection that summer. However, to play 1,046 regular-season games for four NHL teams by grinding and hitting double-digits in goals on 10 occasions, he had to develop a total game.
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As for Romani, there may be more of a curiosity of what to make of his breakout season, as opposed to expectation that he’ll become a reliable pro.
“Obviously, you’ve got to respect the goal scoring, but I think there’s a lot more to his game,” said Canucks scouting director Todd Harvey. “He can make plays, and he’s learning to play away from the puck and be better defensively.
“But the goal scoring, we thought was too hard to turn away from. We’re happy that he fell to us.”
Romani knows he needs to be more consistent and a lot of that comes with diligence of preparation on and off the ice. And now, he’ll be watched much closer, which he has been accustomed to.
“Definitely motivation there,” he stressed. “I’ve had it throughout my whole career and it’s not going to change now. I still have something to prove and I want to be an NHL player. I kind of have a chip on my shoulder because of those things.
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“I’m at my best when I’m not thinking too much. The game kind of comes natural and it’s fun. That’s the point, get the puck on my stick a lot and be effective. To jump to the net level, I have a skating coach and in the gym I work on explosiveness.
“You’re just creating your own path and there are different ways to get to the NHL.”
Canucks prospect winger Josh Bloom, who’s attenting his second Canucks development camp, was an OHL teammate of Romani in North Bay. His transition to the pro game this season was a rough rite of passage — one point in 14 AHL games at Abbotsford and two assists in eight ECHL games in Kalamazoo — before getting back to his roots.
Bloom blossomed with 40 points (17-23) in 34 OHL games with Saginaw and then led the club to a Memorial Cup title by scoring with 21.7 seconds remaining in regulation.
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“Josh is a great role model and somebody to help me out with my first camp here,” said Romani. “I love hearing stories about his career and the adversity he had to go through. Trying to learn as much as possible.”
Romani had to learn that adversity can come when you least expect it. He suffered a lower-body injury in opening game of the OHL playoffs this spring in a very odd fashion.
“After I scored, I got pushed into the boards but wasn’t ready for it,” he recalled. “I was looking to do a celley (celebration). I tried coming back in the conference final and played two games.”
bkuzma@postmedia.com
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Courtesy : https://theprovince.com/sports/hockey/nhl/vancouver-canucks/canucks-how-prospect-sniper-anthony-romani-is-growing-his-game-with-an-assist-from-the-sedins