Nesterenko Eager to Prove Himself in First NHL Experience

As he stepped off Rink 3 at Great Park Ice and into his new stall within the Ducks locker room, Anaheim's newest forward, Nikita Nesterenko, stopped for a moment to reflect on his journey to Orange County.
Signed to a two-year entry-level contract earlier this week, it's been a whirlwind month for the now-former Boston College Eagle.
Once a sixth-round pick by Minnesota in the 2019 draft, Nesterenko saw his NHL rights dealt mere minutes prior to the league's trade deadline, concluded his collegiate career with a heart-breaking tournament loss, signed his first professional contract and then made his first of many future trips to sunny Southern California.

The 21-year-old center tried to take it all in Thursday, meeting with coaches and management prior to practice, getting to know his compadres around the room and testing the usual suspects, Trevor Zegras and Mason McTavish, in their desire to be the last ones off the ice.
"It's been a long week," Nesterenko admitted after eventually making his way back to his locker stall. "After the season ended, my head's been spinning with people pulling me in different directions. [But], I'm super happy to be here. I'm excited to get going."

Among those new teammates are a pair of familiar faces, goaltender Anthony Stolarz and Nesterenko's fellow New York native, Zegras.
Nesterenko and Zegras have shared a locker room before, 12 years ago in fact, as teammates for the Fairfield Rangers youth program in Connecticut. In 2011, the two starred alongside future NHL netminder Spencer Knight, who now plays for Florida, at the famous annual Brick Invitational in Edmonton.
Somehow, they didn't win, but Nesterenko remembers "Z" as the same eccentric personality he remains today.
"Oh yeah, he's a character," the newest Duck said with a laugh. "It's hard not to like him. He's a great guy and we've been keeping in touch [over the years]. Nothing but good things to say about that guy."
Nesterenko joins a locker room that, along with Zegras, includes several young players working their way through the adjustment of becoming a full-time NHLer and one in particular who knows exactly what Nesterenko is about to go through.

Troy Terry first joined the Ducks in March 2017 after his Denver Pioneers captured the university's ninth NCAA title, making the sudden jump from collegiate hockey to the game's highest level.
Now a two-time All-Star winger, Terry recalled his struggles with the usual aspects of that difficult leap, the significantly increased pace of play, the strength of opponents battling for loose pucks in the corner and the consistency required to earn regular ice time. But even more challenging than that, Terry said, was the adjustment to the constant grind that is life in the NHL.
"When you're in college, you play two games a week and so you play hard on Friday and Saturday and then you know you have a week off," Terry said. "Especially when you first come into the league, you're trying to make a good impression and you're trying so hard every game. Then you get a day and you're doing it again.
"That was the biggest adjustment for me, just mentally learning how to manage my emotions away from hockey. You have to be able to reset, then just be ready to come back the next day and re-dial in."

"It's going to take a while," Eakins said of the transition, specifically pointing to Nesterenko's development in board battles along the wall and a necessary commitment to building more strength. "About 85% of our game is played within six feet of these boards. All night, that's where the puck is. So if that's where the game is played, you better be damn good along the walls. We got him out there right away starting that process. It takes time, it takes experience, and it takes a lot of reps.
"I always think it's important to walk before you run and that's what we're gonna do."
Although Boston College fell short of the NCAA tournament, Nesterenko finished his collegiate career with his best season as an Eagle, posting career highs in points, goals and assists.
"I'd say I'm a skilled power forward," Nesterenko replied when asked to describe his game. "I try to use my skating to my advantage with my long stride. I'm more of a playmaker [than scorer] I would say. I've been trying to shoot more, especially the second half of the season at B.C. I know [the coaches] were telling me to just put it on net and good things will happen. So I'm trying to implement more of that into my game."
"He's got some pretty good vision and hands," Eakins said of his first impressions. "Seemed to know his way around the ice. He can shoot the puck, and probably could shoot it a little more my view high above."
A versatile forward with experience playing both wing and center, the Brooklyn native has always stood out for his raw skillset, but particularly impressed general manager Pat Verbeek with the strides he took this season in the areas less easily quantified.
"The thing he's added into his game that he hadn't had a couple years prior is he's competing harder and he's getting to the dirty areas of the ice to score goals," Verbeek said. "That's the part that's really changed for me. We started watching him pretty good. We've had one of our college scouts watching him all year, and he's taken a real good liking to him with improving his game overall from where he started in college to where he is now."

Nesterenko will have about a month to leave a lasting impression on Anaheim's coaches and management before the summer, while Eakins and Terry alike said the next 30 or so days will offer the rookie a crucial chance of what to expect come his first full NHL training camp.
"Everyone's path is different," Terry said. "There are guys that come in and they're able to apply their skill level to the NHL. Some guys need a little bit more time to figure out how to use their skills in the NHL. The time definitely helped me.
"You need to treat the older guys like they are veterans but once you get on the ice, stop worry about who you're out there with and realize you're here for a reason...I know you're a young guy, but once you get on the ice, every put their skates on the same way."

"Habits are going to be huge," Eakins added. "The points for him will be, can you beat McTavish out on the ice for practice? Can you stay longer than Z and McTavish after practice? How does your body-comp style compare to Max Jones?
"I'm actually more concerned about his habits, practice and weight-room conditioning than I am on how he's going to play in however many games he plays."
With that in mind, regardless of any prospect status on a rebuilding team, Eakins was quite clear his new pupil will have to earn any role the old-fashioned way.
"He's going to have to find that habit of work-ethic and investment in practice and he'll have to do the same thing off the ice," Eakins said. "Now the challenge is, how many extra minutes a day can he pocket at getting better?"