Sucese seizing opportunity with Wolves | TheAHL.com

📝 by Chris Kuc | AHL On The Beat

Nathan Sucese had a simple approach when it came to making the Chicago Wolves roster this season.

“It was just grabbing on for dear life,” the 26-year-old said of the chance to join the defending Calder Cup champions. “When you get an opportunity, you have to run with it because you only get so many in this game. The opportunities go by fast if you don’t grab on.”

Sucese firmly grasped the professional tryout contract the Wolves extended him this offseason and took off with it. The 25-game PTO turned into a full AHL contract earlier this month after Sucese impressed the Wolves brass with his work ethic, hockey smarts and an early scoring touch.

The fact he signed a PTO with the Wolves over the summer after playing for the Iowa Wild and Tucson Roadrunners, respectively, the last two seasons drove Sucese to be at his best every time he took the ice

“What the PTO gives is that fear behind you that tomorrow is never given and you have to come to the rink every day like it might be your last, because it could be,” the Fairport, N.Y., native said. “When you walk into the rink and your stuff is still in the stall, it’s another opportunity to make an impression on the staff and management.

“I’d come in every day with a great attitude and trying to be the best teammate possible to hopefully earn the right for an opportunity for the next day and ultimately we got a contract done,” he added.

Sucese had five goals — included shorthanded scores on back-to-back nights in mid-November — in his first 10 games to solidify his spot with the Wolves.

“He came to camp betting on himself to be better than other players,” Wolves general manager Wendell Young said. “He’s a player that works hard every night. He deserved to get a contract, that’s the bottom line. With the way he played in camp and to start the season I think the contract should have been there even before he signed for the way he played and what he brings to the table.”

Sucese said signing the deal was a relief in the sense that he can at least relax a bit when it comes to his living arrangements.

“You can kind of open things up in your apartment and get stuff out of the closet that you might not have opened up,” he said with a smile.

But the security doesn’t mean Sucese plans to take things for granted.

“It’s day by day,” he said. “You never know if tomorrow is going to come. Pro hockey in a sense…