Beck Malenstyn's Bubble Blog

AUGUST 13
Nothing has really changed in the bubble. We're still going through the same routines.
We obviously had the game yesterday, which me and the rest of the guys watched up in the stands. It was my first live NHL playoff game, so experiencing that was pretty cool. Even with no fans in the rink it seemed like the atmosphere and the intensity improved for that game.
Obviously, it wasn't the result we that we were hoping for, but it was a unique experience all the same. It looks like it's going to be a real exciting series moving forward.
Like I said last time, I'm just trying to soak in every minute I have here and learn as much as I can.

I think at any level where you can gain playoff experience, it's going to help you progress your career. Being a part of that run in Swift Current in 2018 where we ended up winning the WHL championship was something I was able to lean on a lot going through my first playoff round in Hershey last year.
The run in Swift Current was the first time that I had been involved in a deep playoff run. You learn a lot of things, whether it's going to overtime or the importance of small plays throughout a game. You also really start to see the change that little moments can have on an entire series. We even played a triple overtime game, which made watching the Tampa Bay and Columbus game the other night interesting. That triple overtime game was the longest I've ever played, and I definitely wouldn't want to play any longer. I know how I felt at three overtimes, so I couldn't imagine how my body would feel at five.

Off the ice I've taken up a bit of a chess competition with Pheonix Copley. I've been on the losing end of it for the most part.
I haven't played chess since I was a lot younger. And even then, I've probably only played a few times in my entire life. But he brought a board and I figured I'd play him and try to remember the rules. First game didn't go very well for me. Second game I managed to beat him, which got my confidence up a little bit, but since then he's taken it to me the last three or four times. We seem to have exciting, well I don't know if you can call chess matches exciting, but good back and forth matches that are close until the end. It's definitely nice to do something different and kill a little bit of time at the same time.
I'm also calling and facetiming my family throughout the day. They're always very interested in what's going on, more so my grandparents and my parents. I think they're the most intrigued about every little detail and just living vicariously through my experience. It's a unique opportunity that I've been given and it's a unique opportunity for them to have someone to share it with. So, whenever I get the opportunity, I talk to them on the phone. It's always nice to see those familiar faces or hear those familiar voices.

AUGUST 12
Life isn't too bad in the bubble.
To be honest with you, it's been better than expected. We've had lots to do. There's plenty of things to keep us entertained when we're at the hotel and then with playoffs moving along days are kept pretty full.
Compare this with how we were quarantined in Arlington for training camp, where we were stuck in a hotel. You could grab your food but weren't able to really wander around. Here we have some grounds with the soccer field and lawn games. We can get outside and move around and enjoy that kind of stuff too, whereas we really didn't have that before.
We've played some Spikeball over at the soccer field, which has been great. I've learned how to play squash in my time here, so that's been interesting. I'm not a very gifted tennis player, so that will either push me to practice or give up on it completely. We'll see how that goes.

We've had some events where the whole team will do some stuff together as well. The guys are really great about integrating everyone and making us feel comfortable, which has been awesome.
You get to be a little bit more familiar with the staff and with the players, and likewise they get to see you a little bit more as well. Even just throughout camps with this group, everyone is super welcoming to us young guys coming through. My call-up in November probably helped a little bit, but these guys have been awesome with us regardless of if we've been up or down. You meet faces at the rink throughout camp and we make sure to remember them when we come up to Washington now.
At the rink I've been watching guys' routines and how they prepare. It improves at every single level. Coming from juniors to pro you watch how guys handle themselves and it's different than you. Then you come from the AHL to the NHL and you see how guys handle themselves. It's very similar, but there definitely are differences. I think it's really important to watch how hard those guys work, how hard they warm-up before practices. It's not always going to be a direct conversation with someone as far as gathering information, but just taking the opportunity around those guys to watch and learn. Seeing what they do and then trying to translate it to myself has been the biggest takeaway for me.
This is an opportunity for me to be with the coaches every day, be on the ice with them every day, around the team every day and just learn from those guys. My goal is to soak everything in and then obviously stay ready.
Truthfully, I'm just excited to be a part of it. It wasn't something that I think anyone was expecting. We didn't even know if there was going to be a finish to the season, so I'm just taking every day day-by-day. If that opportunity ever comes that my name has to be called, that will be an unbelievable experience. But if not, I'm just eager to learn from these guys and enjoy being part of the team as we go on a playoff run.