Mayfield Embracing Sense of Normalcy in Phase 2

Slowly, but surely, there's a sense of normalcy re-emerging for Scott Mayfield and his New York Islanders teammates, who couldn't be more thrilled to be back on the ice.

Effective June 8, teams could participate in player-run, non-contact skates consisting of small groups as part of Phase 2 of the NHL's Return to Play Plan.
Mayfield, who remained on Long Island since the NHL's pause on March 12, shared insight via a
teleconference Zoom call
with reporters to discuss how the skates at Northwell Health Ice Center have progressed.
"It seemed like forever staying off the ice," Mayfield said. "That was tough. Even after the season, I usually only take a maybe a month or two months max off. It felt like a long time not being able to get on the ice. It was a little slow the first week making sure you've got your legs back under you and just trying to feel the puck a little bit. It's been really nice that we're able to pick it up now."
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Monday marked the first day that a coach was allowed to help facilitate the on-ice sessions. Isles Assistant Coach Jim Hiller joined Mayfield's session alongside fellow defensemen: Noah Dobson, Thomas Hickey, Adam Pelech, Devon Toews and goaltender Christopher Gibson.
"For me, I want coaches out there," Mayfield said. "It helps move the practices along. We don't have to worry about setting up drills. It helps us move along into a better flow practice, getting ready for camp."
While there's familiarity in having his fellow blueliners and a coach on the ice with him, Mayfield acknowledged the drastic differences in their daily routines as a result of all of the necessary health protocols that are enforced to ensure the safety of players and staff.
"We're strict with the rules and that's good, we should be," Mayfield said. "You need to make sure you're taking all of those precautions...Right now, it's making sure we stay in our small groups. We stay distanced. The weight room is different; if you use a weight, someone else is using a different weight. We're not passing around weights, we're not spotting each other. We're making sure we keep a distance. Obviously, that's tough on the ice, but we're not doing battle drills. We're still skating and doing skills stuff."
Mayfield and co. are certainly being extremely diligent with social distancing, wearing masks and sanitizing surfaces, but even so, he noted how uplifting it's been for the group to get back to seeing each other in person and lacing up the skates.
"That was one of the things that I've looked forward to the most," Mayfield said. "I want to play the games and everything, but I want my buddies back. We stay in touch really well. We have a great group. We're all in contact with each other quite a bit and even with the staff... At the rink, it gives us a very safe place -- we're being tested quite a bit -- but it gives us a safe place to hang out and see each other that's been really nice."
Another silver lining despite the COVID-19 outbreak and NHL's indefinite pause, was the ample time available that allowed Pelech to rehab a torn Achilles' tendon that sidelined him since Jan. 2.
Pelech was officially cleared to play on May 27
, as confirmed by Isles President and General Manager Lou Lamoriello.

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Mayfield applauded Pelech for his persistence in preparing himself to return.
"He put in a lot of work to get back," Mayfield said. "Especially right when the season ended. He was able to still go in and rehab. It worked out really well for him. We had planned on not seeing him [the rest of] this year. Now, we have the chance to get him back in the lineup. He's a huge piece for us defensively. He's a great player that we want in the lineup."
Phase 3 is slated to begin on July 10 and will allow the 24 remaining teams to participate in a training camp before play hopefully returns and a 2019-20 Stanley Cup champion is crowned.
Despite the laundry list of logistics that still needs to be ironed out, Mayfield is embracing every sliver of normalcy at the moment and the opportunity to make a postseason run.
"There's a lot of boxes that need to be checked for us to come back and play," Mayfield said. "For me, I'm controlling what I can and that's to be in the best shape and be ready to play if they tell me to come back and play a game tomorrow. That's what I want. Personally, I want to come back playing and I want to compete for a Stanley Cup. You train all last summer, we play all season for a Stanley Cup. Now, we get a chance to. We're in a 24-team tournament to play for a Cup. That's all I'm focused on."