Rangers’ Victor Mancini adjusting to pro life, prepares for 1st game at Madison Square Garden
Now officially an NHL hockey player, New York Rangers defenseman Victor Mancini is preparing for his first taste of regular-season hockey at Madison Square Garden after a solid NHL debut Wednesday in a 6-0 road win against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Mancini held his own against the Penguins on Wednesday, registering 17:27 of ice time and one shot on goal in New York’s dominating 6-0 win. Now he’s prepping to face the Utah Hockey Club on Saturday on home ice.
“It feels good to have a game under my belt,” Mancini said on Friday. “I know it’s still early, but to go out there and take your first hit, make your first play, and get comfortable a little bit. Adjust to the physicality, the speed of the game, try to settle in, and now just continue to try to take one step each day and try to get better every day.”
Mancini played well against some big-time stars in his NHL debut. Going up against players like Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin in your first game at the highest level is no easy task, but Mancini stood up to it with ease. He even took a jab at Crosby, who swung his stick back at Mancini, probably to welcome him to the big show.
“Going into that building the other night, even though it wasn’t home, was still a big deal,” Peter Laviolette explained. “That’s his first game, sold out crowd, and there’s some big players on the opposition that have had pretty amazing careers. You’re going to find yourself on one-on-one’s against them, that’s a pretty big moment.”
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Victor Mancini adjusting to Rangers, NHL life
Mancini has been learning on the fly as he makes the adjustment to playing in the NHL. So far, he’s remained incredibly calm, going one day at a time with Ryan Lindgren on injured reserve with an upper-body injury.
Who knows what will happen when Lindgren returns, but for now, it looks like Mancini will be staying in the lineup until further notice.
“It’s been great,” he said. “Everyone’s been really nice, really helpful to adjust to that pro lifestyle. Being able to pick everyone’s brains a little bit and be curious, get some feedback, and just to hang with them off the ice and get to know them has been fun.”
Even if his time here is temporary, these games are instrumental in Mancini’s development. Not only in terms of skill, but in terms of learning how to be a pro and learning what role he plays on a team that is expected to contend for a Stanley Cup.
“What’s really special about this team is that everyone brings something different to the table, but we’re all pulling in the right direction,” Mancini explained. “We want to all pull in the same direction, get wins, help this team in whatever way we can.”
Whether it’s a physical play, a smart move with the puck, or chipping in offensively like he did in the preseason with two goals, Mancini brings a lot to the table at the age of 22. How many games he’ll play this year with the Rangers is unknown, but expect him to be a big part of this team going forward. And expect a big game on Saturday.
“Coming back to MSG and the excitement of playing in front of our fans in New York City, that’s all pretty special,” Laviolette mentioned. “I’m sure he’ll be pretty ramped up for that game.”
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