Jack Ahcan rides the roller coaster that comes with life in NHL

There’s never just one “Welcome to the NHL” moment. 

It’s not limited to the first time a wide-eyed youngster strolls into a dressing room anchored by established stars, nor does it end upon taking that first shift out on a fresh sheet of ice. 

Thursday night stood as Jack Ahcan’s eighth game in the top hockey league in the world. And the 24-year-old defenseman would be the first to tell you that every new venture over the boards presents a new learning experience. 

Of course, as I’m sure we can all attest through our various walks of life, not every learning experience is a net positive. 

Ahcan, a fleet-footed blueliner whose at his best with the puck on his stick, was originally a forward while growing up in Minnesota. Even though he remained loyal to his roots as a Wild fan, his favorite player to watch as a kid was the uber-skilled Patrick Kane, with Ahcan noting postgame on Thursday that the Blackhawks star’s jersey was the first he owned. 

So to be on the ice with Kane more than a decade later served as yet another “pinch me” moment for the young Ahcan. Well, except for when Ahcan stood as the lone D-zone pillar in the midst of a 4-on-1 Chicago rush — with Kane bearing down on him with the puck on his stick. 

Not a scenario conducive to a ton of success. 

“Obviously the first thing I was thinking was, 'Oh, here we go — Kane.' Watched him all my life," Ahcan said. "I knew he was going to pass. I tried to kind of bait him into passing it a little bit earlier and he's such a good player. I probably should have just kept my stick in the lane. You know, it's a far one. But I probably should have kept my stick in the middle. So, definitely a good learning experience. Next time I have a 4-on-1, I think I'm just going to keep my stick in the middle.”

Lesson learned. Still, another souvenir for the memory bank.

Thankfully for Ahcan, being on the wrong side of an odd-man rush against Kane, Alex DeBrincat and Chicago’s big guns ended up falling far down on the list of memorable moments from Thursday’s eventual win over Chicago.

Throughout Ahcan’s various stints up in the NHL ranks so far in his young career, Bruce Cassidy has often stressed the need for the defenseman – like countless other rookies and green players — to focus on playing to their strengths.

Of course, it’s a task easier said than done, given the jump in competition and skill of the opposition around you.  

The learning curve stretches further for talent that fits Ahcan’s profile. Measuring out at 5-foot-9, Ahcan — like fellow undersized D-men like Torey Krug and Matt Grzelcyk — face an uphill climb against the bigger bodies that populate an NHL roster, often having to rely on their transition ability and puck skills to evade danger in the D-zone. 

For players like Ahcan, the best defense is often a good offense. And if he wants to make his case for steady minutes in the coming years, Ahcan is going to have to minimize his reps in Boston’s own end — while landing punches down the other side of the sheet.

"We'd like him to play to his strengths, be active when the situation dictates, make a transition play that may require an escape move or a little bit of skill, technique, that he has,” Cassidy said of Ahcan. “He's just gonna have to find those spots and be willing to do it. Still gonna have to defend. But for those guys, and Torey was in the same boat, they've been doing it their whole life against bigger guys.  

"They've probably learned through hockey IQ how to defend bigger guys for a long time. Now it's a matter of, 'What can I get away with, how can I play to my strength as a smaller guy and a puck mover and still defend well enough?' So that's the challenge for him."

The closing moments of a Bruins power play in the second period gave Ahcan a chance to flex those O-zone muscles.

Activating off the blue line as Chicago's PK unit looked to snuff out Boston's O-zone possession, the St. Cloud State product kept a puck alive before setting his sights toward Grade-A ice. With Chicago defenseman Riley Stillman struggling to corral the skittering biscuit, Ahcan glided into the slot and snagged the puck in short order. Gathering the puck on his stick, Ahcan let one fly toward Blackhawks netminder Kevin Lankinen — with the offering sailing into twine to secure Ahcan’s milestone marker. 

"It was kind of crazy. I think I just said 'Let's go' and I was pretty fired up. I thought it hit the post and went wide. I didn't really see it. It's just such a good feeling. You do picture it over and over in your head before it actually happens."

Ahcan’s tally served as a positive stamp on a night in which the rookie took both the good and bad that comes with the arduous effort of carving out minutes in this league. 

Beyond getting put out on an island during that 4-on-1 (the byproduct of a brutal pinch from his D partner in Brandon Carlo), Ahcan was also on the ice for a Brandon Hagel tally, with the B's skater left scrambling (and his stick caught in Jeremy Swayman’s pads) while trying to put out another D-zone fire. 

Just as there’s no one true “Welcome to the NHL” moment, there’s rarely one singular moment that plants a hungry, young player in the NHL for good.

It’s a roller-coaster ride that comes with its fair share of ups and downs, twists and turns. 

Ahcan, whose spot in Boston’s lineup is likely contingent on a player who found himself in similar shoes (or skates?) in Grzelcyk just a few years back, is well aware of the non-linear path that he might need to take. 

But for one night, Ahcan wasn’t going to fret about the journey in front of him and the expected hurdles he’ll need to clear if he wants to etch his name into the lineup night in and night out.

The only thing racing through his mind? What he was going to do with his hard-earned puck.  

It ultimately ended up being an easy choice. 

“My mom probably wants it,” Ahcan said. “So I’ll give it to her.”