As the media gathered around outside the clubhouse at Northview Golf & Country Club for the Vancouver Canucks’ annual Jake Milford charity golf tournament, there was a slight delay while waiting for new Canuck Jake DeBrusk.
The Canucks’ top free-agent signing had to make a stop at the pro shop for an essential piece of equipment in Vancouver: a light rain jacket. DeBrusk didn’t anticipate the misting precipitation when he left the house and wasn’t adequately prepared for a rainy day on the links.
DeBrusk just learned lesson number one about living in Vancouver: it’s going to rain. As much as he’s already been in town and skated with his new teammates, this might have been his first real “welcome to Vancouver” moment.
It’s one of many lessons DeBrusk is sure to learn in the coming weeks as he heads into his first Rick Tocchet training camp, which makes it appropriate that his introduction to Vancouver has had a back-to-school vibe.
“I’ve skated a couple of times now with the guys,” he said. “It’s like your first day of school again. So, it’s one of those things where I’m just trying to get straight A’s.”
If you want to get good grades, it helps to sit beside some smart students. Fortunately for DeBrusk, he’s likely to be skating beside a couple of teammates on the honour roll. He’s most likely to start the season alongside Elias Pettersson on one of the team’s two top-six lines but could also potentially spend time with J.T. Miller and Brock Boeser on the other.
"I want to get back to that 25-30 goal range"
Understandably, the possibility of playing with one or both of those players was a major selling point for DeBrusk when he chose to sign with the Canucks.
“The centre position, I think was the first thing I really looked at,” said DeBrusk. “And then, obviously, how they played last year in the playoffs, playing against them, Rick Tocchet’s reputation — all of these things come into it when you try to decide your future.”
In addition, there’s a major opportunity available on the first unit on the power play. As a left-hand shot, DeBrusk could end up in the bumper where Bo Horvat used to play, firing home feeds from J.T. Miller on the left side of the ice.
“I mean, it sounds like a treat,” said DeBrusk with a laugh. “I think any player would say yes to that…I haven’t done a deep dive on the numbers like you guys, obviously, but just looking at it from the outside, it’s a very dangerous unit that I think any player would be lucky enough to play with. Wherever I get slotted in, that’s one thing I’ve been taught in Boston is how to be versatile, I can play different positions, so whatever can help best.”
With the opportunity to play one of the Canucks’ two 100-point centres and potentially a prime spot on the top power play unit, the odds are good that DeBrusk can score 30 goals for the first time in his career — he said he's aiming to be in the 25-30 goal range and added, "I think I could possibly get more, if things go really well."
Still, DeBrusk is trying not to get too far ahead of himself with his targets for the season.
“I usually do my goals on a month-to-month basis, to be honest with you,” he said. “I guess I’ll let you know [how it’s going] after month one.”
"They showed that they really wanted me here"
Whatever his goals for the first month of the season, DeBrusk just seems happy to get a fresh start with a new team. The winger had some tough times with the Boston Bruins over the years, whether it was being bumped down the lineup or even getting scratched in the 2021 playoffs. During the offseason, he admitted that he requested a trade from the Bruins that summer, though he ultimately decided to stay with the team.
There was plenty of uncertainty surrounding him in the subsequent years and he always seemed to be in the rumour mill, which was an uncomfortable situation to be in — just ask Brock Boeser. The long-term deal in Vancouver, complete with a no-movement clause in the first three years, gives him some peace of mind for perhaps the first time in his career.
“It’s a big, big reason why I signed here, honestly,” said DeBrusk about the long-term deal. “It eases the mind a little bit. It’s one of those things where they showed that they really wanted me here and it’s something that I take very seriously. I just want to pay that back and do the best I can.”
But even as Vancouver provides a sense of comfort with a long-term deal, the discomfort of some of his seasons with the Bruins helped shape him into the player he’ll be with the Canucks.
“It was a really tough time for me and you kind of have your back against the wall as a player — you’re worried about not only playing but your career,” said DeBrusk. “You learn a lot about yourself in those moments and it gives you confidence when you get out of them…It changed the way my career went. I had to adjust to certain things on and off the ice. It makes you mature really quick when you think your dream’s gonna be taken away from you.
“I’m here, three or four years the better for it. It makes you put everything in perspective when things are going wrong throughout the season, if you haven’t scored in a couple games. I’ve had some pretty different experiences, so it helps you.”
The Canucks will be hoping that those experiences will also help the team. If DeBrusk can help the Canucks improve upon last season — a tall task — he won’t just be getting straight A’s; he’ll be getting at least an A+ or two.
