Holland’s best day
By Scott Rosts It’s a scene out of any young hockey player’s wildest dreams.
You’re lacing up your blades and hitting the ice with former Norris Trophy winner Scott Niedermayer, All-Star Ryan Getzlaf and up-and-comer Bobby Ryan. You’re rubbing elbows in the dressing room with Saku Koivu, Teemu Selanne and Jean-Sebastien Giguere.
That was the scene for Peter Holland earlier this fall. The 18-year-old Caledon, Ont. native walked into the Anaheim Ducks’ rookie camp Sept. 5, just months after being selected by the NHL team in the first round of the 2009 NHL entry draft. Holland was one of two first-rounders for the Ducks, selected 15th, 11 picks ahead of the club’s other first-rounder, Kyle Palmieri (26th overall).
“The draft kick-started my summer. I was pretty nervous and not sure what was going to happen, but when Anaheim picked me it was the best day of my life,” said Holland, a 6-foot-2, 185-pound center. “I put a lot of hard work in during the summer and I think it’s paying off this year.”
Holland spent two weeks at training camp with the Ducks before returning to his junior club, the Ontario Hockey League’s Guelph Storm, on Sept. 19. His reassignment, he admits, wasn’t unexpected. Holland admits he isn’t ready for the NHL game yet, but took much out of the two weeks spent in Orange County.
“It was a great learning experience for me to go to camp there, and just learning from them is special. You learn a ton,” Holland said. “You watch guys like Scott Niedermayer, who doesn’t even play my position, and you learn when you see the way he distributes the puck out there and makes space out there.”
Other players who stood out, he said, included Getzlaf and Bobby Ryan.
“They both have unbelievable skills,” Holland said.
