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Throughout their careers, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguin players had to prove themselves at various levels and tryout for a team or two. Not every tryout went their way and the experience often provided a learning lesson that would be applied throughout their careers. Each week we’ll ask a Penguin player to look back at some of their tryouts over the years and what they learned from the experience.
Player: Tom Kuhnhackl
Age: 23
Years pro: 2
What was the first team you had to try out for and what was the experience like: “My first year in Windsor (juniors) I didn’t know anything about the league or the players. I was so nervous you can’t imagine. It was a different culture, different language. My first workout in camp I came to the locker room and some weird guy came up to me and said ‘Hey, who are you?’ I said ‘I’m Tom’ and he walked away. I was like oh boy, who is that. Two minutes later he came back and said he was just kidding and introduced himself. It was Ryan Ellis. That was actually the best thing that could’ve happened. After he did that I felt so much more comfortable. He was the captain and he brought me in and introduced me to everyone.”
What did you learn from tryouts that help you as a player today: “Every time I was really confident and felt I was playing good, I see guys like Tom Kostopoulos and Andrew Ebbett going out on the ice first. They’re veterans, they don’t need that. But you see them working on things like tipping pucks and one-timers. They show you how it’s done. Even though they’re a little older than us they still work to get better. You never stop improving.”
Is it different trying out for a team as a pro: “The age difference. The guys are older and have been through a lot in their careers. Guys like Kostopoulos and Ebbett, it’s nice to hear all their stories. When it’s time to compete on the ice they show how it’s done and are the leaders.”
What advice do you have a for a young player trying out for the first time: “Just enjoy it and have fun. When you’re young you have to take everything in. I’m really lucky I got that chance to come over here. You have to enjoy every second of it. It’s a gift.”