Ironically, a concussion gave Matt Maggio the clarity he needed for his first season as a professional hockey player.
The Islanders prospect, who won the Red Tilson Award as the Ontario Hockey League MVP for the 2022-23 season, struggled to adjust to the demands of the AHL during the first few months of last season.
Just a few months ago, she was a big performer in the junior ranks, but now she faces the physical demands of playing against men every night and the demands to conform to the coaching staff's system.
By the time the Christmas break rolled around, his points tally could be counted on one hand, but then he suffered a concussion.
Bridgeport coach Rick Kowalski recalled that at one point, Maggio leaned over to assistant coach Matt McDonald on the team bus and said, “I never knew professional hockey would be this hard.”
“I just needed to play it more simply,” Maggio said at rookie camp last week. “I just needed to put more effort on the puck against bigger guys. I just need to play with energy every night and be consistent. That's what I really want to focus on. I came back and worked my way up the line, but at the end of the day, [Ruslan] Iskhakov defended for most of the second half, which I think was fantastic.”
Maggio is only 21, but unlike most people his age, he speaks about himself with a learned fluency.
He finished last season with 16 goals and 11 assists for a Bridgeport team that struggled for most of the season, and he came to camp this year with an improved shot and total candor.
Given the lack of space available, it's unlikely the former fifth-round pick will be available when training camp begins Thursday.
But we could see an NHL debut at some point this season with a promotion if Maggio gives the Islanders a reason to do so.
“He learned a lot. [the grind]”And then obviously he can take what he's prepared and learned over the summer and every year we expect him to take another step up. Physically, he still has a long way to go in terms of maturity and growth. And then mentally, he knows what the year is going to be like and how tough it really is,” Kowalski said.
Maggio had the opportunity to build muscle this summer and train in Vancouver for five weeks with a group that included Mathew Barzal, Connor Bedard, Macklin Celebrini and Kent Johnson.
In Toronto, near his hometown of Windsor, Ont., Maggio also worked with NHL Hall of Famer and skills coach Adam Oates and skated with Bo Holbert.
“Obviously it's great just to have familiar faces there,” Maggio said. [have] Who to talk to [Horvat] Of course it's great about that. I'm still a beginner, just getting started, and I'm looking at every way to improve my potential and become the best player I can be. It's a process, and not everyone is where they want to be at 21.
“You want to build up as much as you can during the year so that when the time comes you're ready. Working with a skills coach in the summer, working with a mental coach, a nutritionist – all of that is not to be missed. If he gives you one percent that year, you take it.”
But despite all that effort, the biggest difference this season may just be that Maggio knows what he's doing.
“Obviously, I'm just coming off my junior season so I don't know how to put it, but I'm obviously not at the skill level here,” Maggio said. “You go in there with the confidence that you can do whatever you want to do, and then you come here and you're playing against the best players in the world. It's a very structured environment so you definitely have to hone in. I feel like I had to come here and really take a good look at myself and see what works for me and what doesn't.”
