Almost any pro-hockey player playing in their first NHL game will vividly remember the experience for years to come.
Just ask Manitoba Moose defenceman Dylan Samberg.
“Coach Lowry eventually called me that night and said I was playing the next day,” said the 23-year-old when asked about Wednesday, January 13.
“I quickly called my parents and let them know to get on the next flight to Detroit,” he said.
Winnipeg’s 2017 second-round draft pick made his NHL debut on the same night as his Moose teammate and fellow Jets’ draft selection, Declan Chisholm.
“Taking that first lap together, we both had some nerves, but it was still pretty cool,” said Samberg.
The duo is part of a wealth of young talent on the blue line for the Manitoba Moose that has helped propel the team towards its first playoff appearance in four years.
“I think our strength is in our skating,” said AHL veteran Johnny Kovacevic.
“I think we’re all pretty mobile, can move pucks, and I think we’ve kind of been feeding off each other too.”
Kovacevic has been a staple on the back end in Manitoba for three full seasons now.
In January, he became the third Moose defenceman to play his first NHL game in a span of exactly two weeks.
“I took a lot from (the Moose experience),” he told Global News over a Zoom interview.
“Now I know what works up there and what I’m good at, what I can bring to an NHL line up and what I need to work on to make sure that next time I go up there, hopefully I can stick for longer.”
Leon Gawanke, another mainstay for Manitoba on the blue line, was called up to the Jets’ taxi squad around the same time as Kovacevic.
Gawanke was sent down before getting a chance to suit up.
“It motivates me to keep going because I see what those guys do and how they work successfully. I’ll just try to keep pushing too,” said the 22-year-old German.
“Maybe I’ll get that chance one day too.”
An attitude shared by many others on a young and talented Manitoba roster.