The Hurricanes have a logjam at forward, and Steven Lorentz is right in the middle of it
After playing 56 games as a rookie for the Carolina Hurricanes last season, including the playoffs, forward Steven Lorentz wants to stay in the lineup, knowing there’s much work to be done.
Seth Jarvis wants to make the Canes roster. Forwards Jamieson Rees, Jack Drury and Ryan Suzuki want to make the roster.
As Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour says, they’re all “knocking on the door.”
The problem: there doesn’t appear to be open seats at the table -- at least not this season, not at forward. The numbers game does not bode well.
Lorentz is 25. He’s also 6-foot-4 and 206 pounds, with the face of a choir boy and the on-ice demeanor of a heavyweight boxer. He’s a crash-and-banger on the forecheck and plays with the degree of intensity Brind’Amour wants.
Lorentz has been working on the fourth line during training camp, alternating at times with Josh Leivo, one of the Canes’ offseason additions. He also knows about the need for perseverance and remaining positive, having been a seventh-round draft pick by the Canes in 2015 who made it to the NHL and made his debut in January,
“As Roddy says, it’s win each day,” Lorentz said.
The pandemic season of 2020-21 gave Lorentz the chance to play, to stick his nose into the battle. He wasn’t sure how many games he might play. Once called up for the taxi squad. It turned out to be more than he expected.
He played 45 regular-season games, including the final 33, as the Canes won the Central Division. He then made his Stanley Cup playoff debut and was in the lineup for 11 games as the Canes topped Nashville in the first round before being ousted by the Tampa Bay Lightning.
“Coming off last year, playing pretty much every other night, it was a grind, not only mentally but physically as well,” Lorentz said Wednesday in a media interview. “It was nice to go home after the season but by mid-August I was ready to get back and excited to get things going again.”
The Canes brought in 52 players for preseason training camp and divided them into two groups -- Team Attitude and Team Energy. Judging by the team names, Lorentz would have fit either group. He’s a 100-percent effort guy with a super attitude.
“I’m just trying to play my game and bring to the table what I feel I’m good at, which is playing big down low and trying to chip pucks in and create energy,” Lorentz said.
That’s what he tried to do Tuesday in the Canes’ first preseason game at PNC Arena. The Canes topped the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-1 as Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Teuvo Teravainen each had a power-play goal and assist.
Lorentz was the left winger on a line centered by Derek Stepan, with Leivo on the right side. He had 20 shifts and 16:12 in ice time, including 2:11 when the Canes were shorthanded. He also had a team-high three giveaways, noting a “little rust” in his game.
“I like the kid a lot,” Stepan told the media. “He works extremely hard. He’s got a skill set which is sneaky really good. We’ve had some good chemistry so far.”
Lorentz had a chat with Brind’Amour on the ice Wednesday after practice at the Wake Competition Center, the coach reinforcing the need for Lorentz to keep his game more consistent. No shifts off.
Who else is in the mix?
Jarvis, who has been slowed by a slight injury in camp, did not play in the game, but Carolina’s first-round pick in 2020 should be in the lineup Friday when the Canes again face the Lightning in a preseason game in Tampa, Florida. Rees, Drury and Suzuki all were in the lineup Tuesday, and Rees teamed up with Drury for a second-period goal as Rees made a perfect setup pass to Drury speeding to the net.
Rees and Drury, both second-round draft picks by the Canes, were making their NHL preseason debuts. And had an impact.
“It was good,” Rees said Wednesday. “I thought I played well, played hard and the team played well. It was my first and I was pretty excited. A little bit of mixed emotions, being excited, being nervous.”
Rees said he’s “here to make the team” and will try his best to do that. And if not?
“Just be ready whenever they need me,” Rees said.
In other words, be in the position Lorentz found himself last season.
Hurricanes preseason game
When: Friday, 7 p.m.
Where: Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida
TV/radio: WCMC-FM 99.9 The Fan.
