March 14, 2010
Sullivan has found touch with Rampage
by Dan Hickling/
Sean Sullivan of the AHL's San Antonio Rampage (photo: Darren Abate)
Editor's note: This article originally appeared in the March 2010 issue of New England Hockey Journal.
Sean Sullivan has been skating in the shadow of the Alamo for going on three full years.
That’s not long enough for the former St. Sebastian's and Boston University standout to ditch his Back Bay burr and pick up a Texas twang. But it's certainly been ample time for him to develop into a top flight AHL defenseman with the San Antonio Rampage.
The Boston-born Sullivan is enjoying his best campaign as a Phoenix Coyotes farmhand since turning pro in 2007. In just half a season's work, the slick, puck-moving blueliner has surpassed his career marks in goals, assists and points.
He became an AHL All-Star for the first time, playing in this year's classic staged in Portland. He even received his first-ever NHL call-up, although he didn't get to see any action for the Coyotes.
Indeed, Year No. 3 has been full of surprises and rewards.
“I kind of look at it like college,” said Sullivan. “My first year as a professional, I was feeling out the league, getting my feet wet and trying to establish myself as a player in the AHL. Then last year was like my sophomore year. I got more comfortable. Then this year, I really started to get my confidence up. That's why my game started developing.”
Actually, the first real brushstrokes were applied during his high school days at St. Seb's in Needham, Mass.
“They kind of let us just play,” Sullivan said, “and we developed that way.”
The Arrows had a powerful team that included future pro players Brian Boyle (Hingham, Mass.), Kenny Roche (South Boston, Mass.), Mike Morris (Braintree, Mass.) and Noah Welch (Brighton, Mass.).
“You look at some of the names on that team,” said Sullivan. “It would be great to get all the guys back together. It would be one heck of a skate.”
Sullivan and his pal Roche skated together down to BU, where Sullivan enrolled in “Learning to Play Defense 101,” taught by Terriers associate coach David Quinn (Cranston, R.I.), who is now head coach of the AHL's Lake Erie Monsters.
Quinn, himself a former defenseman, taught the smallish (5-foot-10, 190 pounds) Sullivan that an abundance of brain power can make up for a lack of brawn.
“He (Quinn) showed me how important defense was,” said Sullivan, “and taking care of my end first. I wasn't putting up a lot of points, but I was taking care of my own end. I think that helped me coming into the pros. I was able to play in my zone and get the puck up to the forwards. Once I got that done, I started adding some offense.”
And plenty of it. Especially lately.
When San Antonio hit a 10-game losing skid in November, Rampage coach Greg Ireland was let go and assistant Ray Edwards was elevated. Edwards, who had been Sullivan's position coach, loosened the reins a little, which allowed the players some room to freewheel.
“The coaches have given me the leeway to do what I want,” Sullivan said. “As long as I take care of everything in the D-zone, they've given me the green light in the offense.”
In turn, Sullivan has been turning that green light red.
He fired home six goals in January, which was by far his most productive month's worth of scoring, and has topped the 10-goal mark for the first time since high school. In late February, he was second on the team in points (10-26-36).
The point, of course, is to parlay all that into a job with the Coyotes, who drafted him with their ninth-round pick back in 2003.
He had his first taste of the big time in late October, when he was summoned to Phoenix as injury insurance.
“It was great,” Sullivan said. “I was taking a nap, and I got a call that woke me up. It was kind of surreal. For all the work I had put in, I felt like I was accomplishing something.”
Sullivan stayed with the Coyotes for just six days without dressing for a game. But even though he didn't get to make his NHL debut, the practice time with the big club made the trip more than worthwhile.
“It makes you want to work that much harder,” he said. “You see these guys come out for practice and it's absolutely incredible. It's something to shoot for. You get a little taste of that and you want it that much more. I'm confident that I'll get back up there.
“Now, my next step is trying to get into a game.”
Dan Hickling can be reached at feedback@hockeyjournal.com.
