ROOKIE JENYS HAS SERIOUS UPSIDE
Apr 13, 2015By Tom Witosky
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Pavel Jenys, like any good rookie, stood at the back of the line with his Iowa Wild teammates as they waited to take the ice before his first game in the American Hockey League.
Suddenly, several players started to push the 19-year-old native of Brno, Czech Republic, to the front of the line.
“They just grabbed me and started to push me,” Jenys remembered. “Then suddenly I am out on the ice first and by myself.”
With Jenys skating in the dark as the new “rook” on the Iowa Wild roster, the rest of the team could only grin as they took the ice for warm-ups.
“He is just that kind of kid,” John Torchetti, the Wild’s head coach, said. “He is a big kid who can skate and use his size to get in front of the net. This is going to be an interesting few weeks.”
Jenys is one of several rookies brought up to play for the AHL Wild at the end of this season under amateur tryout contracts. Joining Jenys, who played his first season of junior hockey this year with Sudbury of the Ontario Hockey League, and getting plenty of ice time along with Jenys has been center Grayson Downing, who played four seasons with the University of New Hampshire, and defenseman Zach Palmquist, who just finished four season at Minnesota State-Mankato after three years with the Waterloo Black Hawks of the USHL.
Dylan Labbe, a fourth-round pick for Minnesota in 2013, is expected to join the team prior to end of the regular season this week.
“It’s a great opportunity for me,” Jenys said. “I know I have to learn everything to get better, but it is a good thing for me to get as much experience as I can.”
So far, Jenys has impressed the Wild coaching staff with his maturity and his consistency on both ends of the ice.
“He has done a good job so far.” Torchetti said. “He is learning the game. He is a good sized kid who sees the ice well.”
Jenys displayed that ability recently against Rockford when he spotted Jared Knight had gotten past two IceHogs defensemen and was headed down ice. But instead of trying to pass it directly, Jenys knocked a nice pass off the dasher board that reached Knight, who unfortunately was just offside on the play.
Torchetti said that Jenys like the other newcomers on the team will be getting plenty of ice time in the final days of the season.
“We are getting a good chance to judge him with the rest of our games,” Torchetti said, adding that Jenys also will be placed on the power play and on the penalty kill to assess his skills in those roles.
So far, Jenys hasn’t scored a goal, not that he hasn’t been trying. In four games, he has recorded 13 shots and has collected three assists. He also hasn’t been on the ice when Iowa has given-up a goal.
“He‘s had scoring chances,” Torchetti said. “He’s been energetic and consistent working with and without the puck.”
For Jenys, it has been a whirlwind of a year. Drafted last year by Minnesota in the 7th round, the 6-foot, 2-inch, 204-pound wing left home for the first time last fall when he traveled to Sudbury.
“It was difficult,” said Jenys, who has two younger brothers. “I was surprised a little that I was drafted, but when that happened I knew I would be coming over here.”
Fortunately, Jenys said, Sudbury and Des Moines remind him of home. He also has been too busy playing hockey to give much thought about home.
“I saw my family at Christmas and that was great,” Jenys said.
At Sudbury, Jenys led the club in points with 45 in 63 games and ranked second in goals with 15. That took place a year after he spent in the Czech Elite League playing 29 games for Brno Kometa.
His size and speed is what gives him an advantage, Torchetti said, adding that he now has to learn to play the game at a quicker pace where decision making is key.
“He is learning new things, but we are teaching him how to make better decisions so that he has a better chance at success,” Torchetti said.
Jenys said that his recent games with the Wild have opened his eyes to a game at a higher level that he has ever played.
“The difference is that these guys are bigger and stronger and the hockey is faster,” he said. “Everything is faster because guys are older and more experienced. Everything is different than in the OHL.”
Jenys, who hopes to emulate much of his game after Pittsburgh Penguin center Evgeni Malkin, said that he has to work on every aspect of his game.
“Everything has to get better,” he said. “My shot needs to get better and I need to get bigger and stronger. I will try to improve everything.”
When the season ends, Jenys is likely to go back home to see his parents and spend the summer working to get ready for the next season. And, he said, whatever the Wild front office decides is fine with him.
As a European player, Jenys could be made eligible to play in the AHL all next season even though he won’t turn 20 – the minimum age for North American players -- until April. But that decision rests with the Wild coaches and front office.
“It could be here or not,” Jenys said. “Anything they want to do is fine. I will be happy wherever I will be.”