With a shortened runway prior to the season - Stockton skated just once before the games counted - there's a lot of on-the-job learning right now.
But the Heat rode the rookies en route to a successful first two games this past weekend, taking three of a possible four points on home ice against divisional foe Tucson.
In the first tilt, it was Dustin Wolf who did the heavy lifting, stopping all 34 shots faced in regulation before one puck snuck past him in overtime in a 1-0 defeat.
In game two, Justin Kirkland got the scoring started, before rookies Walker Duehr and Jakob Pelletier each potted their first professional goals to propel the Heat to victory. Oh, and there was another, ho-hum, 32-for-34 evening for Wolf between the pipes.
Duehr's first tally came just 14 ticks into the middle frame and Pelletier's lamp-lighter proved to be the game-winner just 1:42 later.
"We preach process and progression," said head coach Mitch Love when asked about the play of the freshmen. "We want to get better each and every day. I thought (Duehr, Pelletier and Wolf) gave us quality performances. I know Jakob, he really wanted to elevate his game (Saturday). He did a really great job, some of the finer details of good stick positioning, stick placement, getting to the hard areas. I thought he was competitive, and he got rewarded offensively. So did Walker. Again, that's what we want to see out of all of our players."
Now, the fun starts.
Two games worth of film means plenty of opportunity for Love and the staff to fine-tune the kinks, work through the trouble areas, and continue to help their group gel as a team. Two of the three goalscorers from the weekend finale weren't added to Stockton's roster until two days before the opener. They had just one practice with their teammates before hitting the ice on opening night.
But after this solid start, it's easy to see why optimism is high around Stockton Arena.
The Heat have a week of practice ahead before hitting the road for a pair of games in southern California - Friday at San Diego and Saturday against rival Bakersfield.
"We'll sit with some individuals and evaluate the games, see where guys are at and what we need to continue to work with," said Love. "As a team, we want to make sure we practice hard, that we have good pace with our practice, that our execution is a little bit better. I think now that we have a few game reps, it does help the guys with their rhythm. Maybe find some line combinations, pairings, and try to get ourselves ready for taking off for San Diego."
