Ex-Hartland star Joey Larson of MSU skates in second NHL development camp
Former Hartland hockey star Joey Larson got another taste of being in a National Hockey League organization when he participated in the Nashville Predators’ development camp July 1-6.
Larson, a forward, skated in the Vegas Golden Knights’ development camp last summer.
“The last one kind of helped me know what to expect in this one,” Larson said. “It was pretty similar, for sure.”
The camp culminated with a Future Stars Game on Thursday. Larson scored the first goal for Team Gold in its 2-1 victory over Team Blue. The winning goal was scored by Matthew Wood, the 15th overall pick in the recent NHL Draft.
“Any time you can do good at those camps, it’s important,” Larson said. “Just being in front of those coaches and staff, it’s really good exposure. It’s cool to be there in front of those guys.”
Larson was invited to camp as an undrafted player. He had other invitations, but chose to head to Nashville because the Predators were the first team to contact him this year.
A typical day at camp involved a track workout in the morning, a skills skate in the afternoon and meetings throughout the day. Players were able to watch country star Brad Paisley perform during an Independence Day celebration.
Development camps are aimed at educating and directing players in their pro development and conditioning. For undrafted players like Larson, it’s an opportunity to make an impression in front of an NHL staff and front office.
Larson, Michigan high school’s Mr. Hockey in 2018-19, has transferred to Michigan State University after an outstanding freshman season at Northern Michigan University.
He was the Wildcats’ fourth-leading scorer with 13 goals and 14 assists in 36 games. He scored a team-high six power-play goals. Larson was chosen to the Central Collegiate Hockey Association’s all-rookie team.
“I felt like it was a really good year,” Larson said. “I had a lot of fun, learned a lot.”
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He said leaving Northern Michigan was “really hard, but I just felt it was necessary.”
Having proven he can play at a high level in the CCHA, he wanted to face better competition playing for MSU. Larson has three seasons of college eligibility remaining.
“Just being close to home,” said Larson, whose family lives 45 minutes from MSU. “They’re such a great hockey school. They have such a good history of being a good program. I’ve been a Michigan State fan since I was young. It’ll be fun to play in the Big Ten and try to prove myself there.”
At Hartland, Larson helped the Eagles win state Division 2 championships in 2018 and 2019. He scored at least one goal in 10 of 12 playoff games during those postseason runs. He had 75 goals and 64 assists in 91 games over three seasons.
Contact Bill Khan at wkhan@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @BillKhan.
This article originally appeared on Livingston Daily: Joey Larson of MSU skates in Nashville Predators' development camp
