When people hear the word "physicality," they may think of bone-crunching hits - especially when the person using that word is 6-foot-6 and 230 pounds. But physicality has many different meanings within the context of a hockey game.
"That was angling guys, staying on the right side of guys, boxing out," Bahl said. "That's not trying to lay somebody out. It's all those little things, bumps. Holding a guy off and giving your D partner half a second. Small stuff like that."
Bahl, who was recalled Wednesday morning, has only had a chance to play in one game for the Devils, that being in Toronto the same evening of his recall. He logged 11:51 minutes of ice time and delivered three hits with one blocked shot. But it was how he looked on the ice that was most noticeable.
"I thought he felt comfortable," head coach Lindy Ruff said. "Sometimes you look at a young player and he looks nervous. He didn't look nervous. He looked like he belonged. He looked like he's taken that step and saying 'I'm almost there. I know I can play. I know I can make plays. I know I can protect the puck. I know I can get there first.' All the little stuff."
The accumulation of the little stuff can result in some of the big stuff as well. Particularly when it comes to a player's mental fortitude. Bahl, 21, admitted to not having the best headspace during his first callup in December, but a lot has changed since then.
"When I went back down, I really got my confidence back up. I felt earlier in the season when I came up, I felt like I didn't have any confidence," he stated. "I felt going back down there really helped me feel a lot better."
That confidence showed against the Maple Leafs.
"I did feel pretty confident," Bahl said of his game against Toronto. "I thought I was moving pucks pretty well, being physical, kept it simple in my own end … I feel like I trust my feet a lot more and my puck movement is a lot better than last (call up)."
All that was in part thanks to the coaching staff, led by head coach Kevin Dineen, in Utica. The group helped Bahl check the boxes of improvement that he needed to make. And he did just that.
"I think you have to give Kevin and his staff down in Utica a lot of credit because they've worked incredibly hard with him," Ruff said. "For him to come up and look that way is a huge step in the right direction."
