Rookie Rave Learning Shift-by-Shift in Malmo

[tcookie 903]

With the Malmo Nighthawks sitting at the top of the European Conference, Phillip Rave finds himself in a familiar place about halfway through his rookie year.

 

It's maybe not the place everyone dreams of being when they envision being a professional hockey player, but you won't hear Rave complaining about it too much. Rave finds himself a role player for the second straight year - he's playing more than he did last season for the VHLE's Cologne Express, but the offense just isn't there for him right now.

 

Fortunately, Rave plays a pretty complete game and prides himself on being responsible defensively in addition to providing that scoring touch. He would be the first to admit, though, that the transition to the VHL hasn't gone quite as smoothly as he'd hoped. "It's been fun, for sure. You know, the fastest way to get better at anything is to play against people that are better than you... I'm pretty early on in my career, and there's a lot I can learn from my teammates and from other players, and I'm just trying to get better every shift and learn wherever I can," says Rave. "This is the top level of hockey you'll find. The players here are so, so good. It's taking some getting used to but... it's not a level that I don't think I can get to. It's just going to take some hard work and discipline."

 

Rave has just 5 goals and 14 points in 32 games, but it feels like he's close. He sports a +8 rating, which is good for fifth on the team, and has 106 shots on goal. His shooting percentage of 4.7% suggests he's just been a little unlucky so far, although some might argue it suggests he's just taking bad shots, instead. Among VHL rookies, Rave isn't particularly close to the scoring lead, which belongs to Helsinki's Grimgor Ironhide (31 points in 32 games), but he isn't letting it get to him. "Yeah like I said, this is the best league in the world and those are the best guys in my draft class, so... look I'd have loved to be a Rookie of the Year contender, but at the end of the day, what I really appreciate is looking at the standings and seeing the Malmo Nighthawks in first place."

 

The EU was expected to be the more competitive of the two conferences in S92, and so far, it's living up to that billing with the top-five teams separated by eight points. The Nighthawks have a five-point gap over the London United and Helsinki Titans for second. There's a bit of a gap after the Moscow Menace, eight points down to the Riga Reign, so with 40 games left in the season, the Nighthawks sit in a playoff position by 16 points. Early in the season, it felt like the Nighthawks were fighting the puck a little. Strong play by the defense and from netminder Ash Sparks held them afloat until the offense came around. With a recent surge in offensive production, the Nighthawks are finding their stride.

 

For Rave, who played in the VHLM finals two seasons ago with San Diego and won a Renaissance Cup last season with Cologne, he's exactly where he wants to be. "I live for the big moments," says Rave. "I don't care about how many goals or assists I score in a random regular season game in the middle of the year. I just want to be there when we're fighting for the trophy at the end of the year. And I've been fortunate to the in that position so far in my first two years, and fortunate to be playing for a team that has a chance to be there again this year. That's all I want, man. I want to win games... the rest takes care of itself."