Post by gforce on Sept 12, 2011 16:22:00 GMT -6
I did not know Pat had a son...
Campbell Elynuik doesn't exactly consider himself a chip off the old block.
"I'm probably the complete opposite," Elynuik said with a smile when asked about his father Pat, a former WHL and NHL sniper. "He was a really good player with (good) hands and could put the puck in the net. I'm a different kind of player."
That's fine with the Regina Pats, who acquired Elynuik from the Everett Silvertips on Saturday for a sixth-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft. The 6-foot-4, 190-pound left winger may have a goal-scorer's pedigree, but it's his size and toughness that caught the attention of Regina's brass. "We need that," said head coach Pat Conacher, who was an assistant last season with the WHL's Chilliwack Bruins (now Victoria Royals). "I liked what I saw as far as what he brought to the Silvertips. He was active, he was physical. He brings an element that every team needs. We expect him to do that here."
Given the opportunity, Elynuik would like to think he can bring more to the table from an offensive standpoint. However, he also understands where his strengths lie in terms of helping a young Pats lineup grow a few inches - in stature and attitude.
"That's probably why they traded for me," said Elynuik, who had three goals, two assists and 54 penalty minutes in 28 games during an injury-shortened 2010-11 campaign. "I'm a big gritty forward and not afraid to drop the mitts. I can use my size when we play those other big teams in this division. They won't be pushing us around. We'll just give it right back."
Pat Elynuik had a different way of hurting opponents during his WHL career, which included two seasons of 50-plus goals and 100-plus points with the Prince Albert Raiders. The eighth overall pick in the 1986 entry draft went on to play eight NHL campaigns, highlighted by a streak of four consecutive seasons with 25 or more goals as a member of the Winnipeg Jets.
The senior Elynuik also had six fighting majors in his NHL career, the same number recorded by his son in just 28 WHL games last season. However, Campbell believes there's more to his own game than meets the eye.
"In Everett I wasn't really given the opportunity to show it," said Elynuik, who has been invited to Philadelphia Flyers training camp on a free-agent tryout. "In bantam I had a lot of skill and could put the puck in the net but when I went to Everett I was more just a third-line guy, fourthline guy, a checker. For sure that's part of my game but I'd like to take it to another level in Regina."
Although this is the first time Elynuik has been traded, it's hardly a shock to his system. Born in Washington, D.C. - while his dad played for the Capitals - the junior Elynuik also had stops in Tampa Bay and Ottawa. The family later settled in Saskatoon, where Campbell played most of his minor hockey, before moving on to their current home in Calgary.
Elynuik joined the Silvertips two years later, embarking on a WHL career which has now landed him in Regina.
"It's a business," he said of being traded. "You're never really secure in a place. My dad, he has been traded lots of times. He just told me it's a business and they want you here, obviously, so it's a fresh start. I kind of felt excited about it because I used to live in Saskatchewan. I have a lot of family in Saskatchewan (his dad is originally from Foam Lake) so it's good to be back."
gharder@leaderpost.com
Read more: www.leaderpost.com/sports/Regina+Pats+Campbell+Elynuik+follows+path/5331250/story.html#ixzz1XmOOOfmt
"I'm probably the complete opposite," Elynuik said with a smile when asked about his father Pat, a former WHL and NHL sniper. "He was a really good player with (good) hands and could put the puck in the net. I'm a different kind of player."
That's fine with the Regina Pats, who acquired Elynuik from the Everett Silvertips on Saturday for a sixth-round pick in the 2012 bantam draft. The 6-foot-4, 190-pound left winger may have a goal-scorer's pedigree, but it's his size and toughness that caught the attention of Regina's brass. "We need that," said head coach Pat Conacher, who was an assistant last season with the WHL's Chilliwack Bruins (now Victoria Royals). "I liked what I saw as far as what he brought to the Silvertips. He was active, he was physical. He brings an element that every team needs. We expect him to do that here."
Given the opportunity, Elynuik would like to think he can bring more to the table from an offensive standpoint. However, he also understands where his strengths lie in terms of helping a young Pats lineup grow a few inches - in stature and attitude.
"That's probably why they traded for me," said Elynuik, who had three goals, two assists and 54 penalty minutes in 28 games during an injury-shortened 2010-11 campaign. "I'm a big gritty forward and not afraid to drop the mitts. I can use my size when we play those other big teams in this division. They won't be pushing us around. We'll just give it right back."
Pat Elynuik had a different way of hurting opponents during his WHL career, which included two seasons of 50-plus goals and 100-plus points with the Prince Albert Raiders. The eighth overall pick in the 1986 entry draft went on to play eight NHL campaigns, highlighted by a streak of four consecutive seasons with 25 or more goals as a member of the Winnipeg Jets.
The senior Elynuik also had six fighting majors in his NHL career, the same number recorded by his son in just 28 WHL games last season. However, Campbell believes there's more to his own game than meets the eye.
"In Everett I wasn't really given the opportunity to show it," said Elynuik, who has been invited to Philadelphia Flyers training camp on a free-agent tryout. "In bantam I had a lot of skill and could put the puck in the net but when I went to Everett I was more just a third-line guy, fourthline guy, a checker. For sure that's part of my game but I'd like to take it to another level in Regina."
Although this is the first time Elynuik has been traded, it's hardly a shock to his system. Born in Washington, D.C. - while his dad played for the Capitals - the junior Elynuik also had stops in Tampa Bay and Ottawa. The family later settled in Saskatoon, where Campbell played most of his minor hockey, before moving on to their current home in Calgary.
Elynuik joined the Silvertips two years later, embarking on a WHL career which has now landed him in Regina.
"It's a business," he said of being traded. "You're never really secure in a place. My dad, he has been traded lots of times. He just told me it's a business and they want you here, obviously, so it's a fresh start. I kind of felt excited about it because I used to live in Saskatchewan. I have a lot of family in Saskatchewan (his dad is originally from Foam Lake) so it's good to be back."
gharder@leaderpost.com
Read more: www.leaderpost.com/sports/Regina+Pats+Campbell+Elynuik+follows+path/5331250/story.html#ixzz1XmOOOfmt
