Sergey Tolchinsky is a name that fans have been hearing for a few years now. A magician with the puck, the 20-year-old set the Internet ablaze with a few jaw-dropping goals during training camp and garnered lofty expectations as he began his pro career.
Now 20 games into his rookie season in Charlotte, Tolchinsky is seeing just how big the leap from junior to the pros really is.
“I think the mindset for him is vastly different,” said head coach Mark Morris. “He was a guy who was noted could just beat people by himself. Now he’s starting to use people more effectively. He’s more likely to get pucks deep now than before when he’d try to deke two or three guys by himself.”
Tolchinsky began the season red hot, recording points in each of his first four games, but has since fallen into a drought that has garnered him two assists in his last 16 contests.
A big shift in the young forward’s game has been realizing that things he was able to do on the ice amongst his peers in junior aren’t going to translate against bigger, more experienced skaters.
“It’s a hard lesson to learn, but the sooner you figure that out, the more ice time you’ll see,” said Morris. “When he starts sharing the puck with more regularity, it’ll certainly add to our team.”
Both his coaches and his teammates have worked with Tolchinsky during and after practice in an effort to help the rookie’s acclimation to this level. Morris in particular has spent time after several practices talking one-on-one with him.
“We’re making some progress with Sergey,” said Morris. “He’s a little stubborn at times, but he’s a good kid. I think when he figures things out and learns to manage the puck better and defend better, it will only accentuate his playmaking skills.”
Tolchinsky’s play has seen the forward up and down in the lineup over the last few weeks, spending time on both the second and fourth lines in recent games. With both his role and ice time fluctuating game-to-game, there are keys to him finding his niche in the lineup.
“As he learns how to check, he could be utilized in a lot of different roles,” said Morris. “But learning stick position and awareness of the systems is critical to where we put him. If you’re going to play big minutes, you’ve got to play within the system.
“When someone struggles at understanding, you hope that they’re receptive to the ideas that you have. In his case, it’s been a longer process and I know it frustrates him that he hasn’t seen more minutes, but all that time is earned.”
While the young forward has plenty of work to do at this level, Morris is committed to helping Tolchinsky get there. The rookie obviously has a large amount of talent to draw from, and if he can learn the ins and outs of the pro game and buy into Charlotte’s system, he could absolutely be a force for the Checkers. How long that takes is up to Tolchinsky, but Morris has laid out the groundwork and expectations, as well as giving the rookie an example to build off of.
“I’ve used the analogy of a guy like Marty St. Louis,” said Morris. “He moved the puck and jumped to holes and it made him a great player in the NHL for a guy that’s a very similar size [to Tolchinsky], maybe even a little smaller. He had a big impact on the game. You have to use those guys as a measuring stick for what you’re able to do.”
