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PITTSBURGH — Playing under the first year of his first NHL contract, Carter Rowney witnessed quite a few “firsts” this season.
He earned his first call-up to the Pittsburgh Penguins and played his first NHL game on Jan. 31. On March 17, Rowney scored his first NHL and on May 14 he and his wife welcomed their first child – a son named Anders.
Now, Rowney is in the midst of his first Stanley Cup playoff run and it’s all going to take some time to sink in.
“There’s a lot of firsts this year. After it’s all said and done, I’ll sit down, relax and talk to my family about the journey of this year,” Rowney said during Sunday’s Media Day at the PPG Paints Arena.
Rowney can also discuss the journey of his entire career, one that started out as an undrafted free agent in 2013 followed by two years of bouncing between the ECHL and American Hockey League. It wasn’t until the end of last season when Rowney finally signed an NHL contract with Pittsburgh, bringing a little stability to a career that didn’t come easy.
“It’s been a long road. I played on every team in this organization and each year took a step to build my career,” Rowney said. “It hasn’t been an easy road. Sometimes two steps forward and one step backwards.”
Now, Rowney is doing nothing but looking ahead as he has carved out an important role as a two-way forward for Pittsburgh. He appeared in 14 postseason games, registering three assists and a plus-3 rating. Rowney suited up for all seven games of the Eastern Conference Finals against Ottawa, highlighted by a three-assist, plus-4 performance in Game 5.
It’s not a bad ending for a season that began back in the AHL and was derailed for more than a month due to an injury.
“To be able to get here and have some success here, this whole experience has been pretty surreal,” Rowney said.
That applies to off the ice as well.
While Rowney is cherishing the opportunity to go to work in the NHL every day, he also enjoys being able to go home to his new family. Balancing a new NHL career with a newborn baby boy can be challenging, Rowney said, but his wife has provided stability on the home front to allow him to focus on the pursuit of the Stanley Cup.
“When I can help her I do, but at times we’re on the road for five days and, at the end of the day, I have to focus on my job here,” he said. “My wife gets the hard end of it with the baby, and she’s supported me really well.”
On Monday, Rowney will check off another “first” from his list when he plays in his first Stanley Cup finals. He said he hasn’t let up in his approach since he dressed for his first NHL game, but admitted things are a bit different in the postseason.
“I’m pretty anxious for the finals. I try to stay calm and go on with my day, prepare myself as I would for any other game, but it’s not just another game,” Rowney said. “The energy in the building is going to be electrifying. It hasn’t sunk in yet.”
A familiar face on the other side
Forward Harry Zolnierczyk spent the 2013-14 season in the Pittsburgh organization, appearing in 57 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and 13 with Pittsburgh.
Now, after playing for three organizations after he left Pittsburgh, Zolnierczyk will face his former club as a member of the Nashville Predators.
“It’s amazing. Anytime I get an opportunity to play a team I’ve played with before, there’s always a feeling that you want to prove something. That they made a mistake in letting you go,” Zolnierczyk said. “I’m glad I landed in Nashville and found a role here. It will be nice to play these guys in the finals.”
Zolnierczyk scored 18 goals for a Wilkes-Barre/Scranton team that made it to the conference finals in 2014, losing to the St. John’s IceCaps in six games. He played in 17 postseason games that year and said the run accounts for just about all of his playoff experience as a pro before this year with Nashville.
“We had a good team in Wilkes-Barre. It was nice to get to the conference finals and get that experience of how it works. Even though it’s the AHL level, it’s similar,” Zolnierczyk said. “You feel the pressure and the schedule is still a grind. It was nice to have a little bit of experience at the AHL level.”
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