Greyhounds grad Bunting discusses nonlinear journey to the NHL

 

He’s gone from sporting jumpsuits in chilly Sault Ste. Marie to rocking shorts on his way to the rink in sunny Arizona.

Former Greyhound Michael Bunting was the latest OHL graduate to join the GTHL’s Peter Kourtis and Steph Coratti for an Instagram Live Q&A (@GTHLHockey) where he touched on minor hockey memories, time in the Soo and life in the NHL with the Arizona Coyotes.

Among those old minor hockey memories is a particularly funny one.

“We were in the Soo and it was really cold. It was 5:00am and we had to carry our bags for a game at 6:30 and I looked at one of my teammates and said ‘I’m never coming back to this city. It is way too cold,’” the 25-year-old remembered with a laugh. “Two years later I end up getting drafted to the Soo and my buddy texted me from that team and was like ‘it looks like you’re going back!’”

Having played AA hockey in Scarborough prior to his AAA stint with the Don Mills Flyers and having been overlooked for two years before making his OHL debut as a ninth round pick in 2013, Bunting’s developmental arch has certainly been an interesting one. Growing up, Bunting played a number of sports in addition to hockey including badminton, volleyball and baseball. When asked by Kourtis about his multi-sport athleticism, he made sure to thank his parents for the opportunity.

Join us tonight on Instagram Live as we host @ArizonaCoyotes forward Michael Bunting at 5pm! Find us on Instagram at @GTHLHockey.

Have a question for Michael? Submit it as a reply to this tweet to have it answered! ⬇️#GTHLAlumni | #IPlayInTheG pic.twitter.com/74RFKZBK40

— GTHL Hockey (@GTHLHockey) April 15, 2021

“They just made that work. I did a lot of sports in high school and all the games were after school so I would go do that and then my parents would pick me up after that and race me to my next sport, usually hockey at night,” the Scarborough native recalled. “We just made it work and whenever I had the chance to do my homework, it was usually in the car. So I was very flexible but we just managed to make it work.”

Bunting was selected by the Coyotes in the fourth round of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, but not long before that defining moment or the OHL stint that preceded it, a hockey career wasn’t even necessarily on his radar.

“To be honest, two years before my draft year, I wasn’t even looking to make hockey a profession at all, I was just a regular kid in high school. I like how it all worked out because I got to experience that high school life and not have to worry about hockey at all and just be a kid. Luckily I was a late bloomer and all this worked out pretty quickly for me.” he continued. “It was pretty crazy for me and my family how quickly this all worked out. One night, I’m looking to see what college I‘m going to and the next I’m looking at OHL teams and then the year after I’m getting drafted to the NHL.”

Now, an established winger with impressive AHL numbers and at least 17 NHL games under his belt – not to mention an NHL hat-trick as well – Bunting was able to look back on some of the greatest lessons he’s learned on his nonlinear path to the pro ranks.

“Maturity was the biggest thing I needed to learn to develop my game at the next level. Obviously when you’re young, you freak out about the little things but the coaches here and in Tucson have been great to me,” he said. “[Roadrunners head coach] Steve Potvin has taught me a lot about maturity and how to be a leader and take things day by day. I really bought into that and it has made me a better hockey player so I have him to thank for that because it’s been unbelievable.”

While on the topic of thanking his coaches, Bunting had kind words to share of his time under the guidance of former Greyhounds coach and current Toronto Maple Leafs bench boss Sheldon Keefe.

The future is now. ???? pic.twitter.com/jK3H0gQUfR

— Arizona Coyotes (@ArizonaCoyotes) April 6, 2021

“The Soo was great and I have great memories playing there. It was an awesome experience. Keefer pretty much ran it like a pro hockey team. He didn’t treat us like junior hockey players or like we were 16-year-olds,” he said of his former coach. “He’s still one of the best coaches I’ve had to this day. Just the way he reads you in the middle of the game was unbelievable and I have a lot of thanks for him for my development and the player I am today.”

The Coyotes currently sit fourth in the Honda West Division with a 20-22-5 record. Bunting, who has eight points (7-1—8) over 12 contests this season, described the team’s culture as “great” and attributed the team’s winning attitude to the mentality of new general manager Bill Armstrong.

“Obviously Bill was with St. Louis and knows what it takes to win. He won a Stanley Cup there and has brought that winning mentality over here,” he said. “You can see the guys want to win, we want to make this playoff push happen and we are coming down to the wire now. It’s funny we are in a race with St. Louis, his old team. I’m sure he wants to win just as bad.”

And in tandem with his competitiveness, he made sure to make mention of the greatest lesson he’s carried over the entirety of his inspirational career: just have fun.

“At the end of the day it’s still a sport. It is my job to play this sport, but I still have fun at the end of the day and I go in thankful every day I get to play a sport I love as a job.”

Click here to watch Bunting’s full Q&A on Instagram.