It’s been an unusual introduction to his new NHL organization, but Lethbridge Hurricanes star Calen Addison is soaking up every second of his first camp with the Minnesota Wild.
Addison, a second round draft pick (53rd-overall) of the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2018, was acquired by the Wild in a trade in on Feb. 10, following a standout showing for Hockey Canada at the 2020 World Junior Championships. In that tournament, the defenceman had nine points in seven games en route to Canada’s gold medal win.
“Obviously it is a very select few that get to come, so being able to be a new guy in the organization and coming in as a guy that nobody really knew, I’ve gotta thank them for that,” said the 20-year-old.
“Everybody, from the staff to the trainers to the players, they have been amazing since Day 1, and I really didn’t even think it was going to be this easy coming in, in terms of getting adjusted.”
As the NHL and its 31 member clubs went through the process of setting up training camps for an eventual return to play amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Addison was unsure whether he would get the chance to participate.
“I had actually kind of got some mixed messages through my agent and through Minnesota leading up to this,” he said. “You know, we weren’t totally sure on the numbers that they would be able to bring to camp.
“I didn’t really find out until three or four days before I had to head over here. So I drove down, and the last few days they gave me the notice to come. It’s been awesome so far, and I’m thankful for this opportunity.”
Addison had 52 points in 50 games for the Hurricanes in a shortened 2019-2020 season. His last taste of game action was way back on March 7. He said leading up to arriving in Minnesota, he hadn’t skated at all.
“The last time I skated was a March 11 practice in Lethbridge, and I hadn’t skated until I got here,” he laughed.
“So I got here on the Monday, got tested on the Tuesday, skated Wednesday to Saturday, and then started up on Monday. So I had pretty much four months off, then four skates and right into it.”
Addison said he didn’t know what to expect coming into a camp with so many COVID-19 regulations and protocols, but so far he’s found the process easy.
“It’s a little different,” he said. “Right now, during this camp, we’ve been getting tested every Monday, Wednesday, Friday. We do video every day and then work out and skate, so it’s pretty straight forward.”
The Wild are set to take on the Vancouver Canucks in the Stanley Cup Playoffs qualifying round, but whether or not Addison will be a part of the roster that travels to Edmonton — one of a pair of NHL ‘hub cities’ for the playoffs — is yet to be seen.
Addison said while he’s happy soaking up the experience, he’s also aware that there are jobs up for grabs.
“There’s a bit of both,” he said. “This league is — it’s a job, and everyone is fighting for jobs and that’s the beauty of the game. That makes it fun, everyone comes in and competes every day, and I’m not sure what’s going to happen yet.
“It’s just coming in and working as hard as you can every day, and being the best person you can be on and off the ice, around the organization.”
Despite the extended break from hockey, the young defenceman feels good about his showing so far in front of Wild brass.
“I feel good,” he said. “I feel like myself. I feel confident. I’m moving well and moving the puck well, so I feel like I’m in really good shape and I feel like I’m kind of in mid-season mode.
“Obviously the pace of everything here gets you into that shape quicker, and it’s good.”
The Wild are scheduled to play a single exhibition game on July 29 against the Colorado Avalanche before starting their five-game series against the Canucks on Aug. 2.
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