ANAHEIM — The game was different. The rink was different. The language was different. The people were different. The food was different. The grocery store was different. The weather was different. The freeway was different. Seven lanes of traffic? Seriously?
Isac Lundestrom was 18 when he arrived in Orange County from Sweden, and not just from Stockholm but from Lapland, way up in the northern part of the country, with a small population and fewer roads and dark winter days and lots and lots and lots of snow.
Culture shock?
Ja självklart.
Yes, of course.
It took some time, but Lundestrom, now 21, has found his comfort zone on and off the ice. He’s earned an enhanced role with the Ducks this season, his third in the NHL after he was a first-round draft pick (23rd overall) in 2018. He’s even learned to navigate the chaos of I-5.
There were bumps along the way, to be sure. He played only 15 games with the Ducks in each of the past two seasons, spending most of his time with the San Diego Gulls of the AHL. He played only limited minutes and didn’t score his first NHL goal until this season.
Lundestrom had two goals in 14 games going into Monday’s game against the St. Louis Blues. But he has played on their penalty-killing unit recently and joined in the madness that is 3-on-3 overtime the past two games, just missing on several game-winning scoring chances.
“With some players, it’s OK, ‘You’re not so sure about his hands, not so sure about his head, not so sure about his feet, not so sure about his size, or maybe you are sure about all those things,’” Ducks coach Dallas Eakins said when asked to assess Lundestrom’s game.
“When you look at Isac,” Eakins continued, “he can skate, he’s powerful, he’s getting stronger every year, he can handle the puck, he can make plays, and we’re finally getting him to understand he’s got a really good shot. So, we’ll see where he goes.
“The biggest thing for me, in my head, I thought he would need more games in San Diego. His progress has sped up where he’s found himself in the lineup every night and he’s earned that. That hasn’t been given to him. We’ll see when the offense part comes.”
It wasn’t that Lundestrom was tentative with the puck on his stick. He was determined to take care of his defensive responsibilities first, leaving the scoring up to others. But that has changed as he has matured and grown into a more adventuresome player this season.
In fact, he played so well during training camp that he forced the Ducks’ coaching staff into finding a new role for him. They were well stocked at center, Lundestrom’s preferred position, so they shifted him to left wing to start the season. Now, he’s back at center.
“Yeah, for sure, for every game, I’ve felt more comfortable with the puck, with my teammates off the ice, and of course, on the ice,” he said. “It feels good for me, but I’ve got to keep working. I felt if I did that first (handle the defense side), the offense is going to come.
“But, of course, I’ll keep working on the shot mentality to get the puck to the net.”
It’s no secret the Ducks need all the scoring help they can get this season. They went into Monday’s game against St. Louis averaging an NHL-worst 1.95 goals per game. The Blues, by way of contrast, averaged 3.14 goals per game, 11th-best in the league.
“It just seems like each and every night it’s more of him having that puck on his stick,” Eakins said.. “He’s making better and better decisions every day. He’s getting more comfortable making plays. As he gets more comfortable, we certainly hope his offensive game catches up.”
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