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‘It’s all coming together’
It’s no wonder Ryan Suzuki was seeing stars at the end of a whirlwind few days.
On Monday night in Palm Desert, Calif., the Wolves forward capped off a crazy period of time by appearing in his first AHL All-Star Challenge and helping the Central Division take the title.
Suzuki’s three-assist effort over the course of the challenge—which was a night after the 23-year-old participated in the All-Star Skills Competition—came just five days after he made his NHL debut with the Carolina Hurricanes.
On Thursday afternoon, Suzuki got the call that he was to report to Carolina where the Hurricanes were set to face the Chicago Blackhawks. With only five hours until puck drop, he scrambled to get to the airport.
“At first when I got the call I was really excited to get down there,” Suzuki said. “Then the excitement turned to worry because I only had around an hour to get to the airport and get on the plane. The plane got delayed so I was freaking out a little bit on the tarmac but I ended up getting there and getting my rookie lap, which is a pretty cool experience.”
Suzuki went on to see six minutes, 12 seconds of ice time over eight shifts against the Blackhawks and finished with a plus-1 plus-minus rating. Two nights later, he was on the ice for 10 shifts, totaling 6:59 when the Hurricanes took on the Los Angeles Kings.
The London, Ont., native has had a myriad of injury setbacks since Carolina selected him in the first round (28th overall) of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, but Suzuki’s determination to reach the highest level of hockey never wavered.
“The last couple of years injuries have kind of held me back,” said Suzuki, who became the final first-round pick of the ’19 draft class to make his NHL debut. “It’s always tough just hopping in halfway into a season and getting going right away. This year, I came into the year healthy and obviously started the year off well. I think it’s all coming together a little bit. I’m just happy to be fully healthy and going.”
With six goals and a team-leading 24 assists in 38 games with the Wolves, Suzuki was named an AHL All-Star along with teammate Scott Morrow (who didn’t participate in All-Star festivities…
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