WHL Alumni Spotlight

Playing hockey well into the waning days of May is nothing new for Darren Helm.
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rJust a year ago, the 21-year-old St. Andrews, MB, product was playing for the Medicine Hat Tigers in the 2007 MasterCard Memorial Cup tournament in Vancouver, B.C.
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rThis May, Helm is still on the ice. Only this time, he’s playing for hockey’s biggest prize – the Stanley Cup – as a member of the Detroit Red Wings.
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rIn his three seasons with the WHL’s Tigers, Helm saw plenty of post-season action with 49 games of playoff action in Medicine Hat. The speedy, skilled forward was a key member of what was a very solid, talented Tigers squad over the three years, and helped the team capture the 2007 WHL Championship with a double-overtime win in the seventh game of an epic WHL Championship series win over the Vancouver Giants.
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rThis season, his first season of professional hockey, Helm spent most of the campaign with the Red Wings’ AHL affiliate Grand Rapids Griffins where he scored 16 goals and 31 points in 67 games.
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rCalled up to the NHL club in mid-March, the 2007 Canadian World junior Gold medalist played seven games down the stretch for the Wings as they captured the President’s Trophy as the NHL’s top regular-season team.
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rThrough three rounds of the Stanley Cup playoffs, Helm has already suited up for 12 games, notching his first NHL goal in the process, while playing on a checking line with NHL veterans Darren McCarty and Kirk Maltby.
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rHelm’s major junior career may have ended with a disappointing loss to the Giants in the 2007 MasterCard Memorial Cup final. However, that disappointment would be quickly erased if Helm can see his name etched on the Stanley Cup.
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rDarren Helm’s Perspective…
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rOn going from the Memorial Cup to the Stanley Cup…
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r“It’s been a big year. The season started off really slow for me. I had a bad injury to start off the season and missed all of Detroit’s camp, then got sent down to Grand Rapids. I started to get healthy, started to play well and figure it out, and started to turn things around in the second half. I got called up to Detroit at the end of the season and played seven games at the end. Then, I was fortunate enough to get into Game 5 of the Nashville series, and have been there ever since. I think I’ve played pretty well on the fourth line up here, and it’s fun”
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rOn the adjustment from the WHL playoffs to the NHL playoffs…
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r“In Medicine Hat, I was a top-line offensive player who played a lot. In Detroit, I’m a fourth-line guy so I don’t play as much. I have to keep my energy level up between shifts, and try and provide speed and energy when I’m out there. The intensity level is a lot similar to the WHL playoffs because everyone wants to win so badly. Obviously, there are better players and more skill up here, but playoff hockey is playoff hockey. It’s an exciting time of year.”
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rOn playing on a veteran-laden Wings’ team…
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r“When I was in Grand Rapids, Darren McCarty was there, too, so when we got called up I was pretty comfortable playing with him. He’s been mentoring me along, giving me advice and helping me with my game. Being around some of the older guys like Chelios, Draper, Maltby, Lidstrom, Dallas Drake, Osgood, Hasek – the list goes on and on – you just watch and feel their presence in the room. They all try and help me out and show me things that will help my game. I think I’m really fortunate to be coming to a team with that much experience.”
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rOn watching Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg…
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r“I used to think of myself as an offensive player. But, watching those two guys, I don’t see myself as an offensive guy anymore. They are so talented it’s sick. Just watching what they can do with the puck is amazing. What’s impressive about those two is how strong they are on the puck, and how hard it is for opponents to get the puck away from them. They have so many tricks up their sleeve that I see them pull in practice. When I try those moves, it doesn’t work so well. It’s pretty nice being able to watch and learn from two of the best players in the world.”
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rOn his WHL experience…
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r“It was a huge stepping stone for me to play in the WHL with Medicine Hat. We had a great team every year, and we had some success. Even though we came up a little short in the Memorial Cup last year, the playoff experience I got really helped me when I got (to Detroit). Playing for Willie Desjardins and under the system we had in Medicine Hat really helped me step into Detroit’s lineup because we play a similar type of game. I keep in touch with some of the guys. A bunch of them are going to come out to Detroit if we go to a Game 5, so it’ll be nice to see them.”
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rJesse Watts
rwhl.ca
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rPhoto Courtesy Dave Reginek/Detroit Red Wings
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