It goes without saying that Travis Konecny stands out on the ice down at Ottawa’s TD Place.
He has the ability to play in all situations. He has a physical side—an impressive asset for a smaller guy—he doesn’t hesitate to shoot the puck, and he gets chips out of his zone. In practice, he’s the first guy on the ice, and the last guy off. And though he may not be the chattiest guy in the room, he is the 67’s clear leader, wearing the “C” on his barper-poled sweater.
Yet for most of the season, it’s almost as if he had something to prove, and NHL draft rankings would agree. Konecny sat in 26th when the NHL released its central scouting report last month.
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So it’s not for nothing that last month’s Top Prospects Game was somewhat of a statement game for Konecny. He had an underwhelming start to the season, especially up against the likes of fellow draft eligible top scorers Dylan Strome and Mitchell Marner, who continue to dominate the league in points. Plus, standing at five-foot-ten, Konecny plays with the size factor always looming over his head. And let’s not forget that hit to the head from Plymouth’s Gianluca Curcuruto in mid-October, to which many feel contributed to his struggles early on.
Last year, Konecny impressed by virtue of the fact that he jumped straight into a leadership role, guiding a team that was without big names. Strome and Marner, meanwhile, were playing behind the Bo Horvats and Connor Browns of the league. It’s been a treat to see what Strome and Marner have been able to do with increased ice time this season. They impressed right away, whereas Konecny didn’t, but again, Konecny is without the same offensive boost up front that you’ll find in Erie or London.
Konecny has no problem admitting he struggled early on in the season. “I was overthinking it all,” says the 17-year-old from Clachan, Ont. “I definitely wasn’t happy with how my season started. Maybe the bounces weren’t going my way, or I got away from some of the things I used to do last year.”
Ottawa 67’s coach, Jeff Brown, who has helpe the team move back into a playoff slot after two dismal seasons at the bottom of the Eastern Conference, says he played a role in Konecny’s slow start.
“I’m going to take a little blame because I was really hard on him early on,” said Brown. “I was trying to make him a complete player. I was maybe overly difficult or hard on him.”
In the past, Konecny has described himself as a player who doesn’t mind a bit of pressure, exemplified by his fast-paced journey from anticipated OHL rookie to the league’s unanimous Rookie of the Year. He proved he had no problem keeping up with the OHL’s elite, but of course, this season is about proving himself as a top NHL prospect in front of a slew of scouts.
After Christmas, Konecny says he spent a lot of time strengthening his hockey knowledge off the ice in an attempt to “regroup,” requesting videos to go over in his spare time.
Back on the ice with Coach Brown, he makes sure to go over his power play and penalty kill day in and day out, and works on shooting instead of making that extra pass, or being responsible in his defensive zone, or helping both ends of the ice.
“I got back to doing the things I used to do, and it has really helped me a lot,” he says. “After the trade deadline, seeing our team now, and knowing the rest of the year is going to be spent with this group of guys, I kind of just settled down.”
It’s safe to say Konecny’s over whatever hump he felt he had to overcome three months ago, and his on-ice production is telling: He picked up 18 points in January, having entered the month with a total of 30.
“Recently, in the last month or two, he’s been dynamite, he’s been a complete player, I can use him in all situations,” says Brown. “If he was six-foot-two he’d be battling McDavid, I think. That’s how good he is. ”