Trevor Connelly is looking more comfortable as the games go on, showing how much confidence the Golden Knights have in the rookie forward. He had a prime opportunity on the first power play unit due to an injury to Victor Olofsson, gathering the puck at the top of the right circle and firing a laser toward the net, only to be robbed by Toronto goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky with the glove to keep it a 3-3 tie.
Connelly got his revenge in the shootout, scoring on a forehand-to-backhand move in the fifth round to give the Knights their third straight win. He said, “That’s a move I’ve been doing in practice a bit, and it seemed to work,” and added, “I’ve just trusted what’s been working in practice.”
Through his first five games, Connelly has two points while averaging 12 minutes and 16 seconds of ice time. He scored his first goal in his first game and has not spoken to the media since the opener against Chicago. He described the experience as “a dream come true” and said he’s focusing “day by day, game by game.”
Teammates and coach Ryan Craig have encouraged him to play his game, with Mitch Marner taking on a big brother role. Marner said, “Every time you guys ask me about Trev, I have such confidence in him. He’s just such a good player. You see it daily, just with the plays he makes. He’s got those skill sets.” Connelly said Marner is “the guy that I’ve looked up to growing up” and that he’s “loved the way he plays.”
Craig noted that the veteran players on the ice with Connelly — Jack Eichel, Mark Stone, Tomas Hertl and Marner — have told him to “play hockey and play his game,” adding, “put yourself in a position to succeed and make the play that you see and trust it.” He emphasized that hearing it from peers carries more weight than from a coach alone.
Sources: Las Vegas Review-Journal
Original reporting: Las Vegas Review-Journal →
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