TORONTO — Victor Mancini was filled with many emotions when he returned to his home state of Michigan earlier this week.
I'm excited to play in front of my friends and family.
I hope to be on the ice soon.
And as he walked into Little Caesars Arena in downtown Detroit that Thursday morning, a wave of nostalgia washed over the Rangers rookie. That nostalgia had many layers of emotion for various reasons.
Not only did Mancini attend the former Joe Louis Arena and grew up going to games there, the 22-year-old also played on the Little Caesars 16U AAA team and spent many hours at the practice rink in the building. I spent a lot of time there.
“The 16-man coach was Chris Draper,” Mancini told the Post on Saturday morning before the Rangers played the Maple Leafs, referring to Chris Draper, who won four Stanley Cups with the Red Wings. spoke. “It was really nice to have a coach like that with NHL experience and be around him and be coached by him. Just being around the facility, you know, he's Chris Draper. Sometimes the Wings have I also used the weight room.
“As a 16-year-old, that journey is just beginning and everything is getting very serious and juniors are coming up. It’s so cool to see how far I am, where I want to go, the levels and facilities. It definitely makes me more motivated.”
It was a full-circle moment for Mancini, who marked his return home with his first NHL goal/score in the Blueshirts' 5-2 win over the Red Wings.
After watching the puck land in the back of the net in overtime of a 6-5 loss to Utah, Mancini said his first reaction was whether it would be called an official goal.
Then the elation of scoring a goal in front of friends and family began.
“The reaction from the players on the ice and the team on the bench meant a lot,” he said. “It was very special.”
Mancini looked fit through his first four NHL games, recording one goal, nine shots, three hits, and six blocks.
Mancini, who played on the right side of Zach Jones, was expected to pair with Chad Ruhwedel in Saturday's game against the Maple Leafs.
This took Jones out of the Rangers' lineup, but the Rangers are still missing Ryan Lindgren, who was placed on injured reserve with an upper-body injury on Oct. 7 and is recovering.
Scratching Jones may simply mean keeping Ruwedel in the game and involved, but regardless, it speaks to Mancini's place in the Rangers' defense.
Head coach Peter Laviolette removed Jones, who is left-handed, and actively used five right-handed defensemen.
The D-pair is expected to change once Lindgren returns, but if Mancini can maintain his level of play, it could ensure he won't be an outlier with the Rangers' 159th overall pick in 2022.
“I think it's just a growth mindset,” Mancini said of his mentality going forward. “Go out there every day and be motivated to grow, learn, and get better every day. Keep doing what I've been doing, okay? Believe in your abilities, be confident, and never get too high or too low.” Please don't.
