TORONTO — Being back in Team Canada colors this week brought back some hectic memories for Flyers prospect Travis Konecny.
In January, just days after Canada was bounced from the World Junior Hockey Championship thanks to a quarterfinal loss to Finland, Konecny had his Ontario Hockey League rights dealt from Ottawa to Sarnia.
“That was a stressful time last year,” Konecny recalled Monday while at Canada’s national junior team summer development camp. “It was obviously fun being at the world juniors, but it was kind of hectic when I got back home and had to deal with all the other stuff.
“I actually went to Sarnia, played three [games] in three [nights] and then flew back down to Ottawa, grabbed my car and all my things, and came back [to Sarnia].”
Konecny is one of nine returnees at Canada’s camp this year attempting to erase the embarrassment of the sixth-place finish at the Under-20 tournament in Finland. The 19-year-old scored one goal and added an assist in the five games.
Having the experience of the 2016 tournament in his arsenal, Konecny better understands what to expect heading into the 2017 event.
“It's a fast transition,” he said. “You've got to come from your club team and try to adapt to the different systems: power play, penalty kill — anything it is — 5-on-5. It's almost like playing, the coaches say here an AHL playoff game, which is the kind of level you're wanting to get up to.”
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It’s previous experience Konecny was able to rely on and help him get through Flyers development camp last month. Originally one of the Flyers' first-round picks (24th overall) at the 2015 NHL draft, Konecny entered his second camp after scoring 30 goals and 101 points in 60 games split between Ottawa and Sarnia.
“I knew what I was going to be doing the second time around so I could prepare a little better and I felt I was a lot more relaxed off the start,” Konecny said. “My first year I was a little rusty and I came out pretty good this year.
“The 20-year-olds, the 22-year-olds — they're all strong guys so what I took from it is getting stronger throughout the summer and the speed of the game is a lot quicker, too, so you've got to get prepared for that and adapt as quick as possible.”
The London, Ontario, native is listed at 5-foot-10 and weighed in at 183 pounds last month at Flyers development camp. Part of his offseason goal is to add weight to his frame — he hopes to be in the 185-187-pound range in time for the upcoming season (see story).
“If I could play with my speed and comfortably at that weight, that'd be a good goal for me,” Konecny said. “[Monday] I weighed in at 184 [pounds].”
Kris Knoblauch, who is one of Canada’s assistant coaches, has coached against Konecny in the OHL while behind the bench of the Erie Otters for the past three seasons and seen steady growth in the forward.
“I think his strength was always being dynamic with the puck and being able to make plays with speed,” Knoblauch said. "But now I think he’s stronger, tough to push off the puck, instead of getting bumped and losing the puck, he can control it and extend plays.”
Given his age, Konecny has just two options: either make the Flyers out of training camp or go back to the OHL. Should he return to the Sarnia Sting, he’ll likely get an opportunity to represent Canada once again at the world juniors.
With the 2017 world juniors split between Montreal and Toronto, it’ll give Konecny an opportunity to play some international hockey while close to home.
“There's definitely pressure that comes with that, but it's crazy that it's back in Canada and we're all excited,” he said. “I know my buddy Lawson [Crouse] got to experience it two years ago, so hearing what he has to say about it is tempting to want to get on the team as much as you can and do whatever it takes to get on the team.
“It's even more home soil for me. I have family and friends that are all going to be able to come to the games.”