April 11, 2010
Hamill makes most of call-up to B's
by Kirk Luedeke/
Zach Hamill picked up an assist in his Bruins debut Sunday. (photo: Getty)
WASHINGTON -- When Zach Hamill got the call that he’d been summoned to Boston for the final regular-season game against Washington, he was on his way to meet his Providence Bruins teammates for a game against Worcester and didn’t get the word right away.
After several attempts to reach him by phone went unanswered, Hamill got the good news from Providence coach Rob Murray about his first chance to play in the NHL for a regular-season game since Boston picked him eighth overall in the 2007 NHL draft.
“He just said, ‘You earned your call-up — take full advantage of it and congratulations and all the best,” Hamill said, before Boston’s 4-3 shootout win, his first taste of big-league action made all the sweeter by the fact that he registered his first career NHL point with a secondary assist on Michael Ryder’s first period even-strength goal.
Hamill, 21, made the most of his one-game call-up, earning praise from Boston coach Claude Julien.
“I thought he was pretty poised with the puck, and he competed hard in our own end,” Julien said. “He was pretty good; he was in the right position, I though the focus was good. Obviously, he got a helper there on that one goal and that’s what we wanted to see. We wanted to put him in some positions there where he had an opportunity to showcase his talent, and the power play was a part of it, and I thought he did well.”
Although not blessed with ideal size or speed, Hamill nonetheless earned a high draft position three years ago for his soft hands, deft passing ability and excellent hockey instincts. However, the road to the NHL has not been necessarily a smooth one for Hamill. He struggled in his first pro season with Providence after beginning the year with a serious thumb injury that set him back several months, making the 2008-09 AHL campaign a wash for the 20-year-old with just 13 goals and 26 points in 65 games.
Then, after a strong rookie and veteran camp last fall, Hamill got off to a poor offensive start with Providence, mirroring the team’s collective scoring woes in the early going. Things turned around for Hamill after the new year, when he began playing with more confidence and earned increased ice time under Murray.
“I was keeping it more simple, not forcing plays in the second half,” said Hamill, who had 14 goals and 44 points in 75 AHL contests. “Just kind of playing my game, keeping things simple and as plays opened up, I made them.”
It also helped when Providence brought in Everett Silvertips linemate John Lammers in January, and Murray put them with another graduate of the Western Hockey League -- Jordan Knackstedt -- to form an effective trio with the right mix of speed (Lammers) finesse (Hamill) and toughness (Knackstedt).
The “All-Dub” (as in WHL) line keyed a midseason surge that came up ultimately short in Providence’s bid to make the playoffs.
“Even guys on other teams from the ‘Dub” were saying, ‘You guys are an All-Dub line’ but it was pretty awesome. We played together for a month and all we did was cover hard for each other, and if we weren’t scoring we were just making sure we were creating chances and getting opportunities.”
In Washington, Hamill centered a line of Milan Lucic, who was wearing one of three assistant captain A’s on his jersey (Marco Sturm and David Krejci were the others), and Blake Wheeler. So, it was interesting that his first point came as a result of a partial line change that saw Ryder still on the ice when Hamill and Lucic went out for their shift. Moments later, Hamill found Lucic behind the net, and then put the puck out into the slot for Ryder, who didn’t miss.
“It’s awesome,” said Hamill. “I was nervous coming in the first couple of shifts but I kind of got in the groove and felt better.”
If the rookie was going to be tested, going up against a Washington lineup that had most of its potent firepower up front (minus Tomas Fleischmann) and a near-intact defense, was a pretty good indicator of his ability to at least play and compete effectively at this level, even if for one game.
“Obviously, they’re the best team in the league so there’s a lot of skill on that team,” he said. “And it’s a tough league; everyone’s bigger, stronger, faster, and the fact that Washington’s a top team, it makes it even tougher.”
Even Hamill’s welcome-to-the-NHL moment, a high-stick administered by none other than Alex Ovechkin in the first period, worked out for him. On the resulting power play for Boston, the B’s and Ryder broke through, taking a short-lived 2-1 lead.
Even though the Bruins had little to play for other than pride, for Hamill and the other youngsters in the lineup today trying to make cases for NHL jobs next year and beyond, it was a much different story.
“For him, I don’t think it’s a non-pressure situation,” Julien said. “For him, it’s he’s going to feel the pressure of wanting to show what he can do, so I don’t think that’s the way he’s going to approach it.”
It was just one game, but with the win and the assist, Hamill has at least silenced the critics and bought himself a little more time to develop.
Kirk Luedeke can be reached at feedback@hockeyjournal.com.
