A Few Words With Calvin de Haan

Earlier in the week I, along with fellow Blogger Ken Dick, had the opportunity to talk with Isles 19-year old prospect defencemen Calvin de Haan.  Calvin, a first round pick in 2009 (12th overall) is attending his second Isles rookie camp.  First, before I get into the details of my interview, let me start by saying that Calvin was very comfortable in front of the microphone (OK, it was a MP3 recorder) and he was a complete natural talking to the media.  He was personable, considerate, didn't give short, clipped, one-word answers, and was smiling during the whole interview. Then again, who wouldn't smile after coming off the ice playing defense for an NHL club at 19 years of age.

How is his shoulder?
Calvin put to rest any concerns over his health by remarking that his shoulder "was 100%, he felt great, and he was ready to play hockey."  His season in the juniors was cut short last year when he suffered a season-ending shoulder injury that required surgery.  Calvin didn't look like he was having any problems physically during practice.  This is good news for the Islanders.

What are his chances to play on LI this season?
I asked Calvin about his chances to play with the big club this season seeing how the Isles already have 8 defencemen under contract.  He said having depth is a good thing and that it presents a challenge to him - that he "will just have to work that much harder" to make them consider him over one of the veterans.  "Besides," he told me, "the worst case scenario is I goes back to juniors for another season and get lots of ice time to get ready if the call comes."  He seemed very comfortable with the reality of the Isles logjam at defense.  He was realistic about his chances, yet remained positive that another year at juniors could be good for him and that he would focus on improving his game.  Speaking of improving his game, my colleague Ken Dick asked Calvin:

What areas are you focusing on improving?
Calvin said he was working on his size & strength, noting that these are 2 of the major differences between juniors, the AHL, and the NHL.  He joked, "besides, we're just 18 and 19 year old kids trying to skate with grown men."  He also obviously has a good sense of humor.  I commented on the Isles lack of size in my earlier blog about rookie camp (something noted subsequently by other bloggers in their post-game analysis of the Isles prospects game against the Bruins) and Calvin acknowledged the size issue.  But he did remark that size isn't everything (ladies - you're used to guys saying that about other things) and that things like center of gravity, quickness, speed, balance, and how you use your body can all compensate for size to some degree.

Do you think your puck-handling skills give you an edge over other prospect?
We all know that over the last 5-10 years the Isles have struggled putting the puck in the net from the blue line (Streit is the exception), so I asked Calvin if he thought that the scouting book on him as being a puck moving and offensive defencemen gives him an edge should the Isles need to fill a slot on the blue line.  He said possibly, it all depends on what the team needed at the time - he also said guys like Hamonic and Katic also can move the puck.  He just wants a shot and that he "plans to do his best to be ready when the time comes."

It looked like de Haan and Hamonic were the top defensive pair in the practice?
I asked Calvin if Coach Gordon had given any indication that there was a "pecking order" or "leaders" on the rookie team.  He said the Coach hadn't come right out and said anything, but that he felt like the guys who have been here before possess a different comfort level than some of the newcomers.  He thought the coach might pick captains for the Boston games but that nothing had been said so far.  He said he liked being paired with Hamonic and thought they both played well in the practice.

During the entire interview you could sense a level of maturity and poise in Calvin that you don't find in most 19 year old athletes, or 19 year olds in general.  As I said he was affable, at ease, comfortable with his answers, and very accommodating.  I think with the current contract situation on the defense (all 8 guys having one-way contracts) that Calvin is likely to start the year in the juniors, and that's OK with Calvin.  It will give him the chance to make up some of the time he lost last year as a result of his shoulder injury.  But when the call comes, I have no doubt that he will be mentally ready and that he has a bright future in the NHL.