Day 3 of Development Camp already?
We started the day at Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada giving out food to the homeless, which I really enjoyed. You could tell by the faces as soon as they walked in how happy it made those people and how much they appreciated us being there. Giving back to the community is something I like doing.
The community already does so much for us whether it’s coming to the rink to cheer us on or watching the Golden Knights on TV. The people we served today really needed it and deserved it. Wil Nichol reminded us that these people are meeting members of the Golden Knights – regardless of the fact that we’re prospects or camp invites, so we represent the team. The feeling of representing the organization in the community was an honor and I can tell why the guys in the city are so willing to help out.
I was serving food with Shane Smith and Trevor Connelly, it was pretty easy. It was really nice to see some of the faces they had when you dropped off the food and how happy they were. We were able to talk with some of them and they seemed very happy and humble. I don’t take for granted what I have and I'm super thankful for what I had growing up. My dad has always taught me that I’m super lucky to have a roof over my head and food on the table every day when there are people who don’t. He also taught me that it’s important to treat people with respect, you can't be mean to people. And just seeing how nice these people are still with what they have is pretty special. That's just something I really enjoyed. All of us enjoyed it.
When we got back to City National Arena, we had a cooking class and I think I learned a lot. I'm not a big cook. I cook here and there but it’s mostly eggs, nothing fancy. My mom is a really good cook and she’s supposed to teach me how to cook steak because I got to gain some weight. But today I learned how to cook chicken and what temperature it needs to be at and everything so that was good.
I could tell Joe Fleming is probably not the best cook and that he relies on someone else to figure it out. Flemmer is so funny, I love that kid. He’s someone I’ve grown really close to and he’s already like a brother to me. I actually followed him on Instagram today because he’s someone I want to watch and see what he does. He’s such a funny kid. The European guys are also really funny, especially the way they treat Joe. The stuff they say to him is pretty hilarious. They’re always getting in stupid little fights with him and it’s so funny. I think it’s the way they say stuff in English to Joe is what makes it even funnier. And then when we’re on the ice, Joe is hysterical. Just the way he plays is super hilarious. He calls himself a “skilled defenseman,” but you know he’s joking. You see him try to do certain moves at the blue line and it just doesn’t look natural. And then he tries to hit and it’s just funny because it looks like he put everything into it, even though it’s just camp. Flemmer scored in the scrimmage yesterday and I was cheering for him. And of course, he totally whiffed the puck but somehow it still went in which is what made it even better. Before the scrimmage, he was joking saying that he never scores and that he doesn’t have any goals in his stick and then somehow, he ends up with a goal at the end of the day. I told him after the scrimmage that now he has everyone’s respect because he finally put one in the back of the net. I just love that kid.
We also got to hear from former Golden Knights player Nick Holden with Player Development and his experience with playing in the NHL. It was pretty cool to hear the path that he had and to understand that everyone has a different path. You know, most players want to get to the NHL right away, but there are also people who need to take the time to develop so that when they get to the NHL, they're ready and they don't have to go down. And I think that's what he did. He knew if he took the extra time to play in the minors, once he got to the NHL, he'd be able to stay there and that's what happened. He also talked about how he got traded to a few teams, but he stayed up and continued to play games until the end of his career. It's pretty special here and that's something I'll take in realizing that you don't have to get the NHL right away. It’s going to be my own path that I’ll take.
Tonight, we’re going to a Las Vegas Aviators game. I’m not the biggest baseball guy but it’ll be nice to get some time away from the rink with the guys. I feel like we’re already like a big family. It’s so cool how the baseball field is right next to the rink, I wonder if any home runs have hit the building before. I can’t believe tomorrow is 4th of July, I don't think anyone has realized it. The guys and I got to figure out what we want to do. It’s just so hot, I don’t know how you guys do this, but I’m having a great time in Vegas!
-Lucas
