by Chris Kuc | AHL On The Beat
On a recent wintry night in Rosemont, Ill., Carolina Hurricanes brass gathered to watch the organization’s top prospects take the ice for its American Hockey League affiliate, the Chicago Wolves.
Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour was seated in the front row of an Allstate Arena suite to get a first-hand look at players who soon could make an impact at the NHL level.
While Brind’Amour was assessing each Wolves player when they took the ice, his attention was naturally drawn to the player wearing No. 22 and sporting a familiar name stitched across the back of his jersey.
Skyler Brind’Amour, the 25-year-old son of Rod, is in his first season with the Wolves and has developed into one of the team’s most reliable forwards. Through 53 games, Skyler has already established AHL career highs with 13 goals — including two on the power play, two shorthanded and two that were game-winners – five assists and 18 points.
“I enjoy watching him play,” Rod Brind’Amour said during a break in the action. “When we talk hockey, I’m a coach first. If there’s something that I see, I’ll try to make sure I’m teaching. Then there is the supportive stuff. I try not to be too hard on him. You have to be a dad, too.”
To that end, Rod watches each Wolves game and doesn’t hesitate to reach out with his thoughts on Skyler’s performance.
“He usually sends me a text,” Skyler said. “He watches all the games, not only for me but he likes to see the prospects, so I talk to him quite a bit. He gives me his thoughts on the game — some good, some bad.
“Obviously, he’s juggling a couple of things being a coach and being a dad,” Skyler continued. “You always think your kid can do this and do that but he’s good about it. He tries to stay out of it and let me initiate the conversation on the feedback. Sometimes, I don’t want to hear it so he’ll leave me alone. For the most part, it’s all good. He knows what he’s talking about so I try to listen.”
Rod Brind’Amour should know what he’s talking about. He played 1,484 NHL games with the St. Louis Blues, Philadelphia Flyers and Carolina Hurricanes during a career that spanned from 1989 to 2010 — and included captaining the Canes during their run to the 2006 Stanley Cup championship.
The two-time Frank J. Selke Trophy winner and 1992 NHL All-Star has been head coach of the Hurricanes since 2018 and captured the Jack Adams Award as the league’s coach of the year in 2021.
So how does he assess his son’s game?
“He’s pretty good doing the little things,” Rod said. “It’s about him being on top of the puck and on top of his guy and making sure every puck touch is right. What are you doing with the puck? Are you leaving it in a better place than you had it?
“I’d like to see him be a little more selfish sometimes but that’s just not how he is,” Rod continued. “He works hard and he gives an honest effort and that’s what you ask.”
One thing that can’t be taught is size and that’s an area in which Skyler Brind’Amour stands out — literally.
At 6-foot-3 and 190 pounds, Skyler doesn’t hesitate to crash the net and does most of his damage offensively from in close.
“That’s how I’ve always scored goals, just being in front,” Skyler said. “I have a bigger body so I try to get there.”
Skyler said his father has been “crucial” to his development as a player. “He’s been with me every step of the way.”
What advice did his father hand down when Skyler indicated he wanted to play hockey for a living?
“He said, ‘You have to work hard every day. If you’re going to do it, you have to be full-go — there’s no being half into it,’” Skyler said. “‘You’re going to have some tough nights or even tough years but if you really want it you have to keep battling.’”
Skyler, who was selected in the sixth round by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2017 NHL Draft, said being the son of a legend in the sport does have one small drawback: opponents have been known to chirp him about bearing the same name.
“Yeah, I do get a couple of those for sure,” Skyler said with a laugh. “But I don’t pay too much attention to it.”