By Amy K. Nelson
SportsTicker Staff Writer
Justin Papineau |
If the St. Louis Blues had to write a letter to
Justin Papineau, it might be constructed this way:
Dear Justin, Here are some instructions for a one-way ticket to the NHL. Hit somebody. Be aggressive - don't be afraid of the boards. Bulk up. Take on more defensive responsibility. Assert
yourself in the zone. Do this, and you'll be sharing ice time with Pavol Demitra and Doug Weight.
Despite sharing the lead with fellow NHLers Miroslav Satan, Jamie Lundmark and Peter Bondra with six goals in the preseason, including a five-goal outing against Boston on September 19, the
22-year-old Papineau was still sent packing for the Worcester IceCats.
Statistically speaking, Papineau had a strong camp. But his inconsistent play, especially away from the puck, was the root of his assignment to Worcester.
"I went in there with a mindset that I was going to make that team no matter what," said Papineau. "That I was going to go in there and show them what I can do, and play well. Do the things that
I'm capable of doing."
And his capabilities and talents are what landed the Ottawa native in St. Louis after being selected in the third round (75th overall) of the 2000 NHL Entry draft. Papineau's resume included
back-to-back 90-plus point seasons with Belleville in the OHL from 1997-99. During that span he won a gold medal with Team Canada in the Under 18 World Juniors tournament and earned the
Wayne Gretzky Trophy for MVP of his championship OHL squad.
Papineau is a pure goal-scorer. He owns the puck when it's on his stick and has a finesse game that often fools opposing defenses. But in juniors, its all about padding the stats, and his defense was
not a priority. Size, also, was not as big of an issue.
All of that quickly changed when Papineau arrived in Worcester for his rookie season in the fall of 2000. Head coach Don Granato, himself a rookie at the time, has overseen Papineau's development.
"Players who come in out of juniors or college hockey have dominated their competition," said Granato. "But now, their competition can also dominate them. It's been a gradual process of Paps
realizing that.
"But he's really, really matured. He's got a sense of awareness that he didn't have a couple of years ago, maybe even a year ago, and I like that. I thought he was a hard-working player to start, he's
working even harder (now)."
The first season was rough. Papineau battled injury and finished with just seven goals in 43 games. But the 5-11, 160-pound Papineau hired a personal trainer, and added about 30 pounds to his lanky
frame. He rebounded last year by scoring 38 goals and finished with 76 points in 75 games, made the AHL All-Star team and ended the season sixth in the league in scoring.
"I think in the last couple of years I've really bulked up," said Papineau. "I've just wanted to get stronger physically. I don't want other players to just be able to brush me off the puck. I want to be
able to battle with guys who are 6-3, 230. That was more or less the change I wanted to make, coming into the (AHL), focusing on the off-ice training."
But being timid is still a weakness. Is the organization expecting that he will go one-on-one with a Joey Kocur-type when there's a loose puck down low? No, not yet. But Papineau was seen
looking somewhat lost and unassertive during the preseason when he didn't have the puck. That clearly needs to change.
"One of the things he's learned down here is that there's much more to the game than scoring points," said Granato. "Being more of a responsible player, more of a disciplined player from the
defensive side of the game.
"I've seen a dramatic improvement in him with that. Just this year even, just within the last month. He's really starting to recognize the importance of being relied upon defensively."
Considering the Blues' past history with the draft and their penchant for relying on trades and free agency, Papineau is a commodity in their farm system.
The big club has a 10-game unbeaten streak even though it has been playing musical chairs with its goaltenders and is missing one of its best players in Keith Tkachuk. Papineau's former teammate
Eric Boguniecki has been red hot and Martin Rucinsky was brought in to compensate for the loss of Tkachuk. All of this makes it more difficult to win a spot on the pro roster.
As Papineau awaits the call and continues to work on his game, the organization - which has typically prided itself on defense - will need to suffer major injuries or a sudden losing streak for an change
to be made.
"It was kind of frustrating because it bumps you back a little more," said Papineau, on the lack of room. "You can't get discouraged and you can't let that get to you. It's a business. I could be up
there tomorrow or I could be up there in a month. I'm still going to try and work hard to prove them wrong."
