One of the on-ice architects of the resurrection of Northeastern hockey returned to the Hub on Feb. 12 for the Chicago Blackhawks’ game at TD Garden against the Boston Bruins. While Aurora, Ont., native Dylan Sikura didn’t dent the scoresheet in that 6-3 Boston win, it was a welcome return to his second home and came just in time to see the Huskies dispatch Boston College to repeat as Beanpot champions.
Sikura was a Hockey East first-team All-Star as a senior, as well as a Hobey Baker finalist, graduating with 146 points in 140 games as one-third of the potent trio that also featured Adam Gaudette (Braintree, Mass.) and Nolan Stevens. In 22 career NHL games, he has nine assists and is a plus-3, while still in search of goal No. 1 with Chicago. New England Hockey Journal’s Billy Jaffe caught up with Sikura during that February stopover.
Billy Jaffe: It’s your first full year as a pro. You’ve had a lot of great experiences, I’m sure, both at the NHL and at the American League level. Is there one, though, defining moment that you have experienced this year that says, “I’m a pro.”
Dylan Sikura: This year, luckily enough, the Winter Classic was something that I was a part of. That was pretty cool. Whenever I see friends and family, they always talk about that. First year pro is an adjustment. A lot of things are different than college. You don’t have the bus travel anymore — you’re hopping on a plane and you’re going all over the place. Being in different cities on different nights and playing in front of awesome crowds — it’s been an awesome experience.
Jaffe: Let’s start with the American League. You’ve spent a little more time there than the NHL. What’s been your biggest adjustment? Where’s been your biggest improvement?
Sikura: Just kind of learning how to be a pro. You have a lot of games down there — it’s three in threes, a busy schedule, you’re playing the same teams over and over again, and it can be a challenge. For me, it’s important just trying to play my game down there, just as I did in college. Try to translate that. Obviously, guys are bigger and stronger, but there’s room out there. I was given a good opportunity down there — power play, special teams, being able to play with the puck and get my confidence back. That’s something I’m trying to translate to up here now, and hopefully be a regular guy up here.
Jaffe: I don’t know if you can quantify it, but we always talk about the speed of the game is so different from the AHL and the NHL. Is there any way you can describe the difference in pace that the games are?
Sikura: Yeah. Up here, every time you’re over the boards, hopping on the ice, the game’s on the line, and that’s something you have to be wary of. Every little play matters. Down there, you can kind of get away with some things. The three in threes — the Sundays after two other games — maybe you are not feeling it as much as you would be. But up here, you’ve kind of got to bring it every night. Speedwise, they’re both pretty fast leagues. The NHL is definitely more structured — you kind of know where guys are going to be. Maybe sometimes it’s less work getting the puck back or forechecking, stuff like that. But down there, it’s a little more scrambly, but things open up for you. Whether it’s the AHL or NHL, they’re both great leagues, and I’m happy to be playing professional hockey.
Jaffe: You’re a point producer. There’s a guy on your team who is one of the elite point producers of his generation in Patrick Kane. In your short time as a pro, what have you learned from watching him and talking with him?
Sikura: He’s a tremendous pro. You watch him in practice — if you were here for morning skate today, he’s putting everything through the net, he’s not making any mistakes, he’s never taking a skate off, whether it’s a practice or game. Being an older guy, he’s staying out there late with the young guys, he’s doing shootouts. He’s always trying to work on his game, and that’s something I started to learn at school, and something that helped me a lot at school — staying out on the ice after, working on my game, making sure I’m staying sharp with the puck, making plays. He’s someone who, if not the best, one of the best I can learn from — a smaller, maybe similar kind of player. I’m looking forward to watching him continue on this little tear that he’s going on.
Jaffe: I know the game has changed. We’ve moved to a lot more maneuverable skating defensemen than the big, stay-at-home tough guys. But there’s still some pretty darn big guys out there. What’s that experience been like for you, that challenge of going against some of these behemoth D-men?
Sikura: Yeah, it’s tough. You get a little taste of both of them up here and also down in the AHL. At the end of the day, for the smaller guys, the bigger guys are almost better, because they’re harder to catch you and pin you up against the wall. But if they do catch a piece of you, maybe I wouldn’t be saying that. Sometimes the smaller, puck-moving defensemen, they kind of know the skilled forwards’ tendencies, where they are trying to puck the puck and stuff like that, so it can be harder to go against those guys sometimes, too. We’ve got a big monster in (Zdeno) Chara tonight, so I will let you know tonight after the game maybe (laughs).
Jaffe: You had the good fortune to get called up the day before the Beanpot final. What did it mean to be here, watch the Beanpot and see Northeastern win it in consecutive years?
Sikura: It was definitely a night I will never forget. The Beanpot was a big part of my four years at school and a big part of my life. To be here and be in attendance for that and watch the guys bring it home back to back now, it’s cool to see how the whole culture and the whole stigma against the name and the school, has kind of flip-flopped. It’s good to be the king of Boston back-to-back years now.
Jaffe: I’m assuming you had a good controlled celebration last night?
Sikura: Yeah, we got to sit with all the families and see old friends. It was a pretty special night, then after the game coming into the room and seeing all the coaching staff and the players again made me feel like I was back at school. It was a really special night and I’m thankful for that.
Jaffe: Speaking of old friends, how much are you in touch with Adam Gaudette and Nolan Stevens? Do you guys have any type of competition going on, as you guys are all in your first-year pro?
Sikura: I think we’re all just trying to grind it out at the same pace. Me and “Noles” were roommates for four years and at our All-Star break this year, we actually came down to Boston together. I keep in touch with “Gauds” too. I just saw he got called up an hour or so ago, so I probably will send him a text after the game. Some of the memories we shared and experiences we had over our three and four years together will stick with us forever.
Flashback Q&A with Sikura and Stevens
In September, New England Hockey Journal's Tim Rappleye interviewed former Northeastern teammates Sikura and Stevens. Here's the video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeZFCZkWHBQ
