Desert Dogs Down Under: Checking in with Jason Zucker
ByPatrick Brown
@pbrownhockey Arizona Coyotes
MELBOURNE, Australia -- The much-anticipated trip to Melbourne is officially underway, as the Arizona Coyotes landed in Australia early Monday morning and jumped right into team activities. Stick with arizonacoyotes.com throughout the week, as forward Jason Zucker, who signed with the team as a free agent in July, keeps fans up-to-date with his experiences Down Under.
The Coyotes will play the Los Angeles Kings in two preseason games on Sept. 22 and 23 (9/23 and 9/24 in Melbourne) as part of the 2023 NHL Global Series.
Sept. 19 – Day 2
With one day in Melbourne under their belt, the Coyotes hit the ice for their second day of training camp. The skate was just as spirited as Day 1, but the team has a little light at the end of their jet-lagged tunnel: A team bonding event where they can continue to build upon camaraderie that has already started to develop since departing Phoenix on Sept. 17. Here’s the latest from Zucker, who is already embracing a leadership role on the team:
First of all, how are you feeling today compared to yesterday?
JZ: I feel good. I had a good night’s sleep last night. It’s been an interesting transition just with the sleep, and being up early and all that, but it’s been great. I had a really good practice today. I felt good on the ice, felt better than I did yesterday, so that’s positive. Now we’re going to get into some team bonding for the afternoon and enjoy some time.
You mentioned how good practice was, and you guys have really been going hard. Is that typical at the start of camp?
JZ: It should be. The first couple of days are the primer to make sure guys get their wind back, get their battle back, and get back into their game habits, and their season habits. From there we start getting into some more systems stuff, which can kind of lag things down a little bit and make it a little slower, so it’s nice to get some pace and tempo those first few days and then get into that stuff a little later on.
How important is it to leverage some of this time to develop camaraderie?
JZ: It’s huge. It goes such a long way. I think this puts us at a massive advantage, having this team bonding, especially with some of the new guys: Myself, Dumba, Kerfoot, and the list goes on. I’ve been able to get to know the guys that are here, and especially for the young guys coming in, like Logan Cooley, just making sure that they get to know the guys and get everyone involved. It’s a massive part of it.
Do you already feel like you’re gelling together as a team?
JZ: Yeah, I think we’re moving that way. Having the long flight helped, and having some time before the season started in Arizona helped, and I think it will be good for the rest of the trip as well.
What are you most looking forward to this week?
JZ:I’m excited to go check out the AFL (Australian Football League) game. It’s going to be fun to see that. I don’t know anything about the sport, but it will be fun, I’m going to learn it and see it a little bit, so I’m looking forward to that, it will be great.
Monday, Sept. 18 - Day 1
The Coyotes landed in Melbourne around 7 am local time, and almost immediately hit the practice rink at O’Brien Icehouse to officially open training camp. Zucker spent some of the practice alongside Dylan Guenther and Logan Cooley, helping to usher in the newest wave of Arizona hockey.
Here’s what he had to say about the day:
How are you feeling following the trip?
JZ: I feel pretty good, surprisingly. I got some decent sleep on the plane, and I think it was good to get out here and get moving a little bit. I went for a little walk when we got to the hotel. Now it’s just about trying to stay awake and try to get some good sleep tonight.
There was some input from sleep scientists prior to the trip – did you adjust your sleep schedule at all before departure?
JZ: I didn’t do very well on that front. Some guys were a little better than I was, but I got some good sleep, so I was happy with it. I just tried to stay up as long as I could on the plane, and I think I got a solid, I don’t know, eight hours or so, so I was happy with it.
There’s been a lot of talk about the team being able to bond early this year, even before training camp starts. Are you feeling that already with the guys?
JZ: Yeah, I think it’s good. Being able to stay up with the guys on the plane and play cards, and just having some good talks, you get to know the guys a bit more, and I think it was great, so I’m looking forward to the rest of the trip.
How did it feel to be back on the ice?
JZ: It was great. It was good to have an organized practice and not just the practices before camp, so I thought it was good. It was a good first day. It was just getting guys moving. We tried to get something good out of it, too. Not just go through the motions, we tried to get a good skate out of it. This is training camp, and we need to make sure we get better, and get ready for the season.
You were on the ice with a couple of the younger players, Guenther and Cooley, how did it feel to be out there with them and be that veteran presence?
JZ: It was great. They are two extremely talented players. They’re going to be big parts of our team, both now and moving forward. For me, I’m just hoping I can help them through anything they need, but also, they’re great players so they’re going to help my game. Any time you play with some of the great, talented players, it’s going to be good.
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA -- SEPTEMBER 18, 2023: Jason Zucker skates as the Coyotes open training camp at O'Brien Icehouse in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Isaac Torres/Arizona Coyotes)
What’s on deck for tomorrow?
JZ: Tomorrow we’ve got some team bonding, and we’ve got another skate. A little team bonding, it’s not a trip, but we’re going out to play some games, and stuff like that. We were put into some teams today, we’ll head into tomorrow, and we’re going to have some fun with it.
Be sure to check back to arizonacoyotes.com for all of the latest from Zucker, who will be checking in with team reporter Patrick Brown throughout the week.