Sheng Peng
“You can’t even put into words quite how hard it is.”
That’s how Sam Dickinson described playing in the NHL, comparing to other leagues that he’s played in.
But if not words, how about a number?
How many times harder is it to play in the NHL compared to the OHL?
The top San Jose Sharks prospect tried to measure, in the simplest possible way, a 1-10 scale, how challenging his many different levels of play have been over the last six months, the OHL and the London Knights, development camp, the Rookie Faceoff, training camp scrimmages, pre-season games, and finally, the NHL.
This was an unusual exercise, but the affable and thoughtful Dickinson was up to the task of trying to quantify how many levels up that he’s playing now from juniors.
Development Camp
Let’s say on a 1-10 scale of difficulty, the OHL being 1, how much of a step up is the San Jose Sharks’ development camp?
“It’s not that much further up from London. It’s definitely not as highly intense as typically a [OHL] game is,” Dickinson said. “Probably around a 2 or 3, I’d say, you’re getting the best players from juniors and everywhere coming here, but pretty different in the style of what’s going on.”
Rookie Faceoff
“That one’s pretty similar to development camp, basically a lot of similar players going against each other. But it’s more competitive, more intense, [like a] game,” Dickinson said, “you’re probably up around the 4, maybe 5 area.”
Training Camp Scrimmages
“It’s a pretty steady increase here. I think you’re jumping into the 6 or the 7,” Dickinson said. “Obviously, there’s NHL players in that sort of thing. But again, just different in terms of the intensity and what’s going on. A lot more learning, rather than anything else.”
Pre-Season Game
“More NHL players you’re going up against. The stakes are a lot higher, getting into a real game, per se,” Dickinson said. “You’re probably around an 8 for that.”
Carolina Hurricanes
“I can figure out where you’re going,” Dickinson smiled.
The 19-year-old defenseman knows that he struggled against Hurricanes in the San Jose Sharks’ 5-1 loss.
“It was a poor effort for me,” he said, “pretty disappointed in the way I played.”
What made the Hurricanes so challenging? First, their vaunted forecheck.
“It’s just how fast they are, how perfectly it seems executed. They are coming down on a forecheck and seems like their guys are always in the right spots,” Dickinson said.
Next, in all zones?
“It’s pretty apparent in the Carolina game, just the speed, the execution that some of the best teams in league play with,” Dickinson said. “Seems like there’s no bad passes, bad plays.”
So on a 1-10 scale, 1 being the OHL, 10 being the highest, how hard is it to play in the NHL?
“The NHL, you probably break the scale, probably feels like you’re up around 12 or 13,” Dickinson said.
So the NHL is at least 10 times harder than the OHL?
“The CHL is 16 to 20-year-olds. This is fully grown men, trying to make a living off of this.”
Of course, it’s not just about speed and execution and strength in the NHL. The teenager also has to elevate his mental game.
“Letting a game like last night kind of destroy my confidence, make me not play confident, or anything like that anymore, it’s not going to help me with anything,” Dickinson said. “It’s gonna be big to still keep that confidence, but at the same time, understand that there’s definitely a line to walk with, how I need to play, making better reads and all that kind of stuff.”
Remember, Dickinson is just 19, this is just his second NHL game, and defense is the hardest position to learn in the league. There’s plenty of room to improve…and he will.
“I’m really excited for the challenge,” Dickinson said. “There’s a reason it’s the best league in the world, and this is where all the best players play. Makes sense that it’s harder than you ever would have thought.”