NEW YORK – The way Ethan Wyttenbach’s season has been going, no one would have been surprised if he showed up at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night with his equipment in tow.
After all, the debate is already underway over whether the 19-year-old Long Island native is ready to make the jump to the bigs.
That’s what happens when you go from fifth-round draft pick to Hobey Baker finalist as a freshman – a journey that will lead to fascinating year-end discussions with the Flames concerning his plan moving forward.
Should the nation’s leading college scorer turn pro?
Or should he return to Quinnipiac University in Connecticut for at least another year or two to continue his development?
Flames GM Craig Conroy has insisted all along he won’t rush anyone along as part of the team’s youth movement, and had plans to go watch the talented winger play at home against Clarkson on Friday.
Their serious discussions won’t start until the youngster’s season is over.
But Wyttenbach was so excited to see his future team Tuesday, he drove from school to his childhood home afer practice and jumped on the Long Island Railroad to watch the Flames play the Rangers. As the Flames fell 4-0, Wyttenbach visited with Conroy in the press box, sharing plenty of laughs.
Oh, and he brought his adviser.
Wearing a red Flames hoodie and shoes to match, the personable Wyttenbach was all smiles as he looked down at his future teammates, which includes his longtime Long Island pal, Matt Coronato.
They spend summers training and skating together.
Question is, when will they start playing together?
“Of course, obviously those conversations are meant to be had, and I think as a kid who's still pretty young, I think I don't want to rush anything,” said Wyttenbach, whose 24 goals and 57 points in 36 games have him nine points up on second-place Gavin McKenna, who is projected to go first overall in this summer’s draft.
“I want to make sure I make the right decision for my career and just my overall development. Obviously it's an honour to be able to have those conversations and be in those talks. But there's obviously a long way left for this season, and obviously hoping to win a national championship.”
Has his stunning success altered his approach to his future roadmap?
“I mean, to be honest, I was anticipating three to four years, especially as a fifth-rounder,” he smiled of his original college plans.
“I think obviously I fast-tracked a little bit. We're obviously looking at a shorter timeline.
“So obviously it's awesome to even have that opportunity, especially playing in the NHL as a kid who who dreamed of it growing up. It's been awesome to have these talks with Craig, and the whole staff has been awesome to me. It's just really exciting.”
A five-foot-10, 185-pound, right-shot winger who had just over a point a game in the USHL last season, Wyttenbach has been one of the biggest stories in college hockey this season, building on a confidence that continues to grow.
As the Flames move on from several pillars, new ones emerge.
The club has three roster spots open with a handful of college kids who could potentially full those spots by being inked in the coming days and weeks, after their teams are eliminated from playoff action.
“I think I obviously have the confidence in myself to kind of have a good year, and I figured I'd come in and obviously wanted to be a key contributor to my team,” Wyttenbach said.
“Obviously I maybe surprised myself a little bit, but it's been just awesome, just kind of getting in with the guys, getting intertwined with them. And obviously our team's done awesome this year. So it's obviously been a blast.”
Quinnipiac is ranked seventh in the nation with a 26-7-3 record it will take into Friday’s home date against Clarkson, which just happens to be Conroy’s alma mater.
“They might send him away,” laughed Wyttenbach, whose team has all but secured a spot in the 16-team national championship tournament.
“Obviously, it's cool for him to get to a game, as Calgary is pretty far. So any chance he's able to come see me, it's obviously a great honour for me. And I know he played at Clarkson, so it's a little bit of a rivalry, but I think it's just all fun and games.”
On the ice, the kid has been clutch, exuding a confidence level even the Flames couldn’t envision this early.
“You’ve got to have confidence to be able to show up in big games and kind of have that swagger, but obviously you’ve got to use it in a good way,” said Wyttenbach, who has four game-winning goals and sits plus-19.
“And I think I've kind of learned over the years to kind of harness it and use it the right way.”
Apparently so.
