SEATTLE -- Arshdeep Bains captured the attention of the hockey world Tuesday when the Vancouver Canucks forward became the fourth Punjabi player to appear in an NHL game, debuting in a 3-1 loss at the Colorado Avalanche.
“It was pretty special,” Bains said Thursday before the Canucks visited the Seattle Kraken in his second NHL game.
Robin Bawa, Manny Malhotra and Jujhar Khaira are the Punjabi players to play in the NHL.
Growing up in the Vancouver suburb of Surrey, British Columbia, Bains dreamed of playing for his hometown Canucks as a child and, much more recently, while playing for Red Deer of the Western Hockey League.
"I grew up watching these guys and watching this team play,” Bains said. “And even the last couple years, I was still a fan in junior, and now I get to come play with these guys that I looked up to. And they're everything that I wanted to be when I was younger. Getting here now, it just hits you that you kind of chase that dream when you're a kid, and it's kind of finally happening."
Vancouver coach Rick Tocchet was impressed with the 23-year-old’s showing Tuesday, when he had two shots on goal and was minus-2 in 13:21 of ice time. “I looked at the first two, three shifts, and I’m like, ‘Hey, this guy’s not wide-eyed,’” Tocchet said. “I think he’s going to seize the moment.”
Bains, who signed an entry-level contract with Vancouver as an undrafted free agent March 11, 2022, said he felt well prepared for his debut after getting called up Feb. 16 from Abbotsford of the American Hockey League, where he had 39 points (nine goals, 30 assists) in 42 games this season. Having three days between his call-up and his first game could help explain why Bains was comfortable when he took the ice Tuesday.
“I got in a couple practices and morning skates before I got my chance to play my first game, so I was set up pretty good,” Bains said.
Bains debuted against a Colorado team that features several top-tier players. He mentioned Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon and defenseman Cale Makar as elite talents he will always remember facing in his first game.
Making it extra memorable, the Canucks happened to be in the midst of their dads and mentors trip, which will end after the game Thursday. Arshdeep's father, Kuldip, is on the trip, and two of the forward’s friends, Philadelphia Flyers prospect Massimo Rizzo and Kraken player development consultant Justin Rai, were in the building Tuesday to cheer him on.
“Having my two buddies there, and my dad, it was just a special day,” Bains said.
Tocchet liked the 23-year-old’s performance at Colorado so much that at morning skate Thursday, Bains was elevated to the projected second line with Brock Boeser and center J.T. Miller.
“I think he could help J.T. with his speed,” Tocchet said. “He’s not afraid to hit, he’s a good checker, and I think putting a guy like that with J.T., who -- early in the year with [Phillip] di Giuseppe, and last year you get a good forecheck with [Nils Hoglander] -- they come up with a lot of pucks. So, maybe he can have that DNA for us on that line.”
Though Tocchet said he liked what he'd seen from Bains, he is also managing expectations and trying to keep things simple for him.
“He made a couple of nice plays [Tuesday], but now it’s the next game,” Tocchet said. “It's always the second, third, and fourth game ... for guys when they get called up. It's the consistency, because it's hard to do, and I don't want to give him too much [feedback]. We gave him a couple little things, but we don't want to give too much system stuff."
