Rejuvenated Olsson Back in Top Form


After a trying first season with the NTDP, the Escondido native is ready to take on all comers By Chris Bayee


T


he clouds have cleared, and seasonably warm weather is in the forecast for Escondido’s Nik


Olsson.


That’s a welcome change after a nightmarish Under-17 season in USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program (NTDP).


Olsson, a 1994 birth year, is rated as a B prospect by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau on its “Players to Watch” list for 2012 draft-eligibles, which was released last month. By the CSB’s definition, a B rating equates to a potential third- to fifth-round selection in next June’s Entry Draft.


The primary rating Olsson was associated with a season ago was a baseline rating... to measure his progress in a return from not one, but two concussions. The first was sustained during an off-ice workout at the beginning of the season. The second was a rebound concussion that ended his season after 24 games.


“The worst part was not playing, and sometimes not being able to do anything,” Olsson said. “I’d start to work out and have a setback. I never had the opportunity to get back to full speed.” NTDP coach Danton Cole said all the missed time created many hurdles.


“It’s not just missing games; he couldn’t train and do a lot of the activities we do that make our program what it is,” Cole said. “It was mentally tough on him as well.”


The lost 2010-11 season, on the heels of a Midget 16 AAA season for the LA Selects that was ended early by a shoulder injury, shrouded the fact that the 6-foot- 1, 195-pound Olsson was one of the first players offered a spot in the NTDP after the 2009 Select 15 camp. “That got lost in the shuffle with all of his injuries,”


said Louis Pacella, his coach in Southern California. “Nik was a kid who had every major college program recruiting him - six or seven offers were on the table - and he didn’t commit because he wanted to take his time and visit the schools. “He got derailed with injuries and adversity, and everyone was ready to quit on him.” Said Olsson,


A 2012 NHL draft hopeful, Nik Olsson is poised to make an impact this season after injuries derailed his 2010-11 campaign. Photo/Tom Sorensen


“The injuries slowed down the process (of selecting a college), but I’m trying not to get sucked into that. My focus is playing well so I can help the team and get back to where I was. “It’s just another thing that’s making me work harder.” Fully recovered, Olsson was cleared for full workouts this past spring, and program officials issued strict summer


marching orders.


“You have to work hard every day to get back into shape, and then catch up,” said Ryan Rezmierski, the NTDP’s director of player personnel at the time. “We were very clear with him there was no guarantee he was going to make (USA’s) Ivan Hlinka (tournament team).


“(At tryouts) he took the first two days for granted, but he finished Day 3 strong and played well after that. He didn’t make the team, and was extremely disappointed, but I told him I believed in him.” Olsson’s path back into the NTDP lineup this fall was paved with plenty of sweat.


“I did all of the workouts they gave me; they were extreme for an offseason routine,” he said. “Six days a week I was doing a lift and doing cardio afterward, sometimes twice a day. Three times a week I was on the ice doing a high-tempo workout.”


Olsson returned to Ann Arbor, Mich., home of the NTDP, eager to return to the ice - and fully be part of the team again.


“He did a nice job over the summer,” Cole said. “Now it’s a matter of ice time and getting used to the pace of play again.”


Olsson played in all of the Under-18’s first 11 games, scoring two goals, against a mixture of college and United States Hockey League teams. Always a finisher during his time with the Selects, San Diego Jr. Gulls and San Diego Rangers, the other elements of Olsson’s game have returned as well. “He plays a hard game, plays in the tough spots,” Cole said. “He’s a prototypical pro winger, in my opinion.”


Olsson boils his style down to “lots of shots, lots of hits,” and says he has no plans to alter that formula despite the string of injuries.


Rezmierski now is an amateur scout for the NHL’s Nashville Predators, and part of his territory includes the NTDP.


“I saw him recently with a different hat on, and he wants it,” Rezmierski said. “He’s running around and hitting people. It looks like he’s taking strides back to where he was.


“It was the first time in probably a year you could see he was excited about playing hockey again.” Added teammate Nic Kerdiles (Irvine): “He looks like the old Nik I played with on the Selects. He’s definitely playing with more confidence.”


California’s 2012 NHL Draft Prospects H


ere’s a look at players with ties to California listed on the NHL Central Scouting Bureau’s “Players to Watch” list for 2012 draft-eligibles, which was released last month:


A Rating (considered worthy of top-60 pick consideration by CSB) LW - Nic Kerdiles, 6-2, 201, left shot, NTDP


The former LA Select followed up a strong Under-17 season by sharing the early goal-scoring lead on the Under-18 Team. Kerdiles (Irvine) has committed to Wis- consin.


C - Stephane Matteau, 6-2, 210, left shot, NTDP The North Dakota recruit started playing hockey with the San Jose Jr. Sharks when his father, also named Stephane, was a pro with the NHL’s Sharks.


B Rating (considered worthy of mid-round pick consideration)


F - Adam Chlapik, 6-0, 181, left shot, Tri-City (USHL) The former LA Jr. Kings player has scored at a point-per-game clip since being traded from Omaha last month.


RW - Miles Koules, 5-11, 189, right shot, NTDP 14


RW - Nik Olsson, 6-1, 194, left shot, NTDP


A former Selects teammate of Kerdiles and


Koules, Olsson (Escondido) is healthy this season after a series of injuries derailed his Under-17 campaign.


C Rating (considered a potential late-round pick)


D - Chris Buchanan, 6-1, 185, right shot, Alaska (NAHL) The former Jr. Shark and San Jose native is making his mark as a responsible defenseman.


C - Dennis Kravchenko, 5-9, 168, left shot, Wichita Falls (NAHL) A former LA Select, Kravchenko is scoring at nearly a point-per-game clip in ju- niors. He’s a 2013 commit to Vermont (see more in Kravchenko on Page 16).


- Chris Bayee


The former LA Select brings skill (he’s in the top 10 in points on a loaded team) and grit. The Los Angeles native has committed to North Dakota.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24