Lightning's top pick Stamkos stays humble
Good money comes with being the first overall pick in the NHL, mostly in the form of a signing bonus. But what also comes, and never leaves, are lofty expectations.
Steven Stamkos has an idea what he's in for.
The 18-year-old's pro career officially started Tuesday when he signed a standard three-year entry-level contract, a deal which includes $2 million in performance bonuses per season, which isn't so standard.
All eyes will be on Stamkos come early September when the Lightning begin training camp. And the scrutiny won't stop anytime soon.
"Sticking in the NHL is the biggest goal of mine right now," Stamkos said during a national conference call Tuesday. "It's one thing to go to training camp and get a sniff at the NHL, but it's another thing to stick the entire season."
No one is handing Stamkos a roster spot, but it's certainly there for him to lose. Stamkos visited Tampa shortly after the Lightning made him the first overall pick last month. While in Florida he had dinner with new coach Barry Melrose, who told the young phenom that his game is ready for the NHL.
"I think he expects me to play a pretty big role in the team, I have to prove I can first," Stamkos said of Melrose.
Stamkos also is aware of what's happened with the last three forwards who went No. 1 – Patrick Kane last year, Sidney Crosby in 2005 and Alexander Ovechkin in 2004 – as all had big impacts in their first season.
"I'll have expectations on myself to produce," Stamkos said. "I'm an offensive player, and I want to put up some good numbers."
Stamkos compares the jump he's about to attempt with what happened when he was the highly publicized first overall pick in the Ontario Hockey League at age 16. He produced in a league of players who range from age 16 to 20, with 42 goals and 92 points in 63 games for Sarnia in 2006-07. This season he scored the league's second-most points (105) on the strength of 58 goals in 61 games.
"This is a relatively new area for me, coming into the NHL as a young player," Stamkos said. "I put a lot of pressure on myself, dealt with the pressure in the OHL, so it's a good base start and I'm going to learn as much as I can."
Organizations that allow players to jump from junior hockey to the NHL in the same year have to make sure they're setting up youngsters for success. The Lightning have at least two things going for them in that respect.
First off, Stamkos won't be the headline player on this team – it's still Vincent Lecavalier, who at 28 is reaching the prime of his career and is one of the best players in the league. The two centers should complement each other, much like the 1-2 punch of Crosby and Evgeni Malkin in Pittsburgh and Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau in San Jose.
The other advantage Stamkos has is that he's getting far away from the Canadian microscope. Tampa will feel like a vacation destination for the native of Scarborough, Ontario.
"The draft is all great, but when you come to training camp it's a clean slate," Stamkos said. "I have to earn that respect from the teammates to be part of the team. For me, I'm going to work hard the rest of the summer. I have to be in the best shape of my life and prove to everyone why I was the first pick."
Ah, there's that pressure of being No. 1 and all those expectations. Remember Patrik Stefan, Alexander Daigle and Brian Lawton? They all were first overall picks. And they all were busts.
Coincidentally, after years of enjoying success as a players' agent, Lawton is in his first year as part of Lightning management. Hired as director of hockey operations for Tampa Bay, Lawton sat with Stamkos recently and had a few words of advice.
"You've got to earn your ice time on the team, earn your minutes," Stamkos said of his conversation with Lawton. "I'm willing to do anything to get that roster spot for the whole season. I want to continue to grow as a player. I want to go to training camp and prove I can play at that elite level and go from there."
Under new ownership, the Lightning are rebuilding themselves despite being just four years removed from winning the Stanley Cup. Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis are the centerpieces of a team that fell off the NHL map last season. Changes have come, and the rebuilding begins.
But when you look at the kind of players who have been added, it's going to be interesting to see how quickly this team comes together. Veteran forwards Ryan Malone, Gary Roberts, Mark Recchi, Vaclav Prospal, Adam Hall, Radim Vrbata and David Koci have all been brought in from the outside. They should help ease Stamkos' transition, and they might make the Lightning contenders immediately.
"It's great to see all the hard work they've done, and it's great for the fans to see all the excitement they've added," Stamkos said. "It makes it a lot easier, makes me a lot more comfortable player that there are guys there that I don't have to be the go-to guy. There are so many great players here that I can just slide in."
