Staal making an impact in the NHL

By Aaron Bell

For Eric Staal, life in the new look National Hockey League has been good. Very good.

Staal, who graduated from the OHL two years ago after three standout seasons with the Peterborough Petes, is a sophomore with the Carolina Hurricanes and has blossomed into one of the premiere snipers in the NHL. He piled up nine goals and 22 points in October and was named the NHL’s Offensive Player of the Month.

The Hurricanes grabbed Staal with the second overall pick in the 2003 NHL Draft and the Thunder Bay native made the jump right into the NHL. After feeling his way through his first few weeks, Staal scored his first NHL goal against the Boston Bruins in late October. He racked up 10 points in an eight-game stretch early in the season but started to tail off as the season wore on. He finished his rookie season with 11 goals and 31 points in 81 games. Last year, Staal spent the lockout playing in the American Hockey League with the Lowell Lock Monsters. He led the team with 77 points in 77 games and felt that the extra ice time in the AHL was a great stepping stone to prepare for his second NHL season.

“It definitely didn’t hurt,” Staal admitted. “Obviously I would have rather played in the NHL, but it was good for me to still be playing. I think for myself, being another year older, stronger, just kind of knowing different things, what to expect, has made it easier. I got to play a lot of minutes there in Lowell, played with some good players and a good young team. I got confidence that way and I think I just carried it on to this year.”

Staal still pays more than a casual interest in the OHL. His younger brothers Marc – a defenceman with the Sudbury Wolves – and Jordan – a centre with the Petes — are among the league’s brightest young stars. They both plan on joining older brother Eric in the NHL soon. Marc was a first round pick of the New York Rangers in the draft last July and Jordan is expected to be one of the OHL’s top-rated prospects for this year’s draft.

“My brothers are all doing well,” said Eric, a first round pick of the Petes in 2000. “I couldn’t tell you if it’s in the genes or what. It’s exciting for me to see them go through things that I went through. Hopefully all of us can be up in the NHL one day.”

Ironically, of the three Staals, Eric was the lowest pick in the OHL draft. The Petes took him 13th overall after he was the MVP of the OHL Cup in 2000 while Marc was the second overall pick in 2003 and Jordan was the third overall pick in 2004. Youngest brother Jared is eligible for the OHL Priority Selection in May. The boys benefited from extensive hours on their backyard rink in Thunder Bay that their dad, Henry, built every winter.

“Being from Thunder Bay, there isn’t much else to do in the winter,” Eric admitted. “(My parents) definitely played a huge, huge role. I mean, growing up, just like any other kid, they get you into the game. They supported us all the time, myself and my brothers. They were never ones to push or tell us to do that, tell us to do that on the rink or practice this. They just kind of wanted us to enjoy what we did.”

Peterborough native Cory Stillman, who played for the Petes in 1992-93, has been playing on a line with Staal this season and is impressed with the youngster’s ability to make the transition to the pro game.

“Eric is a guy who skates extremely well and can beat guys one-on-one,” said Stillman, who started his OHL career with the Windsor Spitfires in 1990. “With the moves he has, if he cuts to the net or skates wide, we’ve seen as players the amount of goals he’s going to score. The big thing with Eric is he’s an unselfish player. He likes to score, but if you’re open he’s going to move the puck to you. And he sees the game extremely well, so it’s fun because I like to play that give-and-go-game. That allows your whole line to be successful.”

Staal has been among the OHL’s scoring leaders since the season started in October, but he is more impressed by the strong start that the Hurricanes have enjoyed. Staal has always put team goals ahead of personal ones and helping Carolina to a franchise-best start has been gratifying for the young star.

“This is only the beginning for our team,” Staal said. “I really like the group of guys that we have. I like the way that we’re playing as a team, just the overall feeling in the room is good. We’re going to continue to do that and hopefully by the end of the year we can still be at the top of the conference.”