Different Paths, Same Destination

NASHVILLE – When asked what he liked about Kraken call-up Jacob Melanson’s game before Thursday’s morning skate, coach Dan Bylsma pointed to a small gash on the 2021 fifth-rounder’s nose and said, simply, “That.” Then, Bylsma and Melanson retreated to the coach's room for a 1-on-1 talk.

A few minutes later, another newcomer via the trade with Tampa Bay, Mikey Eyssimont, talked about making the adjustment to a new team at the NHL Trade Deadline, something he experienced in 2023 when he moved from San Jose to the Lightning. He proved to be just what Tampa Bay was looking for in a two-way center with speed plus a penchant for physical play and relentless forechecking for the second half of the season and playoffs. Last year, he produced significant offense as well, notching 11 goals and 15 assists over 81 games.

“I try to put away all the process, moving parts and everything that comes with it in the rearview mirror for a second, then just focus on playing a hockey game,” said Eyssimont about preparing for fourth-line duty Thursday night against Nashville. “I’ve played some one thousand hockey games in my life. So just trying to go in there and treat it like playing hockey because that's what it is.”

In the 28-year-old Eyssimont’s case, he is nearing 200 NHL games played with Winnipeg, San Jose, and Tampa Bay and another 229 in the American Hockey League. For Melanson, drawing in Thursday’s line will mark his first game in the bigs. Both Bylsma, who coached him last season in Coachella Valley, and current Firebirds head coach, Derek Laxdal, think he is ready for NHL play. In fact, Melanson was so impressive during training camp that there was a supposition he might be one of the first call-ups to the NHL roster this season, only for a broken ankle to derail his arrival.

“Mel has been playing very well before his injury and he has picked up right where he left off,” said Laxdal, fresh off his club sweeping (and routing, 6-1 and 8-2) first-place AHL Calgary Tuesday and Wednesday on the road to move into the top spot in the Pacific Division with Melanson scoring in the first game. “He has battled through his injury with incredible perseverance. I love his energy, very happy for him.”

Cross-Continent Plane Ride Well Worth It

Guess the happiness is even more buoyant for Melanson’s parents, fiancé, and hometown trainer, who flew in from Nova Scotia on Thursday to be on hand here in the world’s country music capital. Melanson was grinning from ear to ear when revealing the travelogue. He morphed back to his determined self when asked about working through the injury.

“I told myself at the start, you’ve gotta go through adversity to do anything in life,” said Melanson, who becomes the fourth 2021 Kraken choice to make his NHL debut and it is safe to assume fourth-rounder and Firebirds defenseman Ville Ottavainen will realize the same hockey dream soon enough. “I knew it was going be a little road bump for me [understatement but typical Melanson toughness]. That I had to keep working. Obviously, it just makes these [first NHL games) times even better.”

In his media scrum later, Melanson diverted from his hard-on-puck-and-body checks demeanor to allow some tenderness about debuting in the NHL and loved ones in town: “This is where I wanted to be since I was a three-year-old kid, lacing them up. This is very special to me. I'm gonna try to soak it all in and enjoy the moment ... I tried to hold back tears when I called my mom [Jennifer] ... it's an emotional time for us two, a lot of dedication she's put in to get me here. It’s gonna be a special moment to hug her tonight.”

Melanson assured he will be playing the same style that earned him his NHL promotion, even if he was a 50-goal scorer in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League, aka the “Q: “Not being scared and playing my physical game [which can come with occasional gashes [on the nose]. When you get an injury, you kind of sometimes might be scared coming back. But my focus was getting back into the game, no fear and just playing how I usually do.”

“Over the last year and a half going into the injury, Jacob was making a statement with his game, how he plays, the energy, the physicality and, I will say controlled puck play when he hangs out of the puck he can make positive puck plays,” said Bylsma after morning skate. “It allows him to get to his physicality, allows him to get to the offensive zone, allows him to be a factor [scoring/setting up goals] ... it’s not all brawn.”

Two-Way Forward with Speed to Match His Jam

Eyssimont said Thursday he hasn’t been teammates with any of the Kraken, but that he has a solid idea of what to expect on the ice during this road trip: “I’m definitely no stranger, I’ve played against a lot of these guys since junior, in college and then at the NHL level.”

In his college days at NCAA Division I St. Cloud State, which included rooming with original Kraken defenseman Will Borgen, Eyssimont racked up 33 points in 40 games as a freshman before Los Angeles selected him in the fifth round (No. 142 overall) in the 2016 NHL Draft. The 6-foot, 191-pound forward flashed even more productivity in the next two St. Cloud seasons, using skill and elite speed. At the next step AHL level, Eyssimont realized he needed to add to his game, namely become a high-energy two-way forward not all that much different in style than the just-traded Yanni Gourde.

“It became very clear my first couple years in the AHL I had to add to my game, rounding out how I play,” said Eyssimont, who battled some injuries this past summer but said he is feeling and playing up to the standards that attracted Tampa Bay to seek him out at the 2022 trade deadline.

“I talked with a few people yesterday about Mikey,” said Bylsma. “ ‘Fiery’ and ‘competitive’ are two descriptors said about him and his game. That's what we're looking to seeing it on the ice tonight.”

Eyssimont’s speed will fit right in with Dan Bylsma’s edict to play at a high pace: “There's no lack of speed here with this team. We [Tampa Bay] played them twice already this season. Now, being here wearing the Kraken uniform, I'm excited because I think I'll be able to complement a lot of guys very well. When I'm playing my best hockey, I'm definitely playing fast. That's something I can just focus on tonight, just make sure I'm playing fast.”