Mahura Reflects on Memorable NHL Debut Against Avalanche

Rookie defenseman Josh Mahura had a lot of things going through his mind as he sat in the Ducks locker room prior to warm ups on Sunday night. Recalled the night before from the AHL's San Diego Gulls, Mahura was moments away from his NHL debut - a moment every kid playing hockey dreams about.

He would be paired with the fleet-footed Brandon Montour and tasked with the assignment of shutting down a Colorado Avalanche team that had the likes of Nathan MacKinnon, Gabe Landeskog and Mikko Rantanen. But before that, he and his teammates had to go through pregame warmups. That's when he heard his named called.
Leave it to 38-year-old Ryan Miller to give young Mahura the rookie treatment. He summoned Mahura to the front of the line, usually reserved for the game's starting goaltender. The bright-eyed St. Albert, Alberta native had no choice but to take the ice all by his lonesome and skate around for a few solo laps before his teammates joined.
Tweet from @AnaheimDucks: Solo lap for the rookie!Welcome to the @NHL, @joshmahura! #LetsGoDucks pic.twitter.com/YPIalW4mAv
"I kind of forgot that it's kind of a thing for your first game," Mahura said today after practice, still smiling as he relived the moment. "Millsy said I was going. I was laughing about it. It was fun. Just enjoying the moment."
With the news that Hampus Lindholm would be out of the lineup with a lower-body injury, the Ducks needed a defenseman who could effectively move the puck. Mahura had eight points (1g/7a) in 12 games with the Gulls this season - his first professional season after four years in the Western Hockey League. Mahura led Gulls defensemen in points and assists, and co-led in power-play goals (1) at the time of his recall. Among AHL rookie defensemen, Mahura ranked tied for third in assists.
In his NHL debut, Mahura finished with two shots on goal, a +2 rating and a game-high six blocked shots in 19:40 TOI. Head coach Randy Carlyle had no qualms using him on the power play or heavily in 3-on-3 overtime. "It's using players to their strengths," Carlyle said to reporters today. "Try to get some offensive people on the ice. Utilize those people to their strengths as many times as you can. That's what you do as a coach. It doesn't matter how old they are. They're in your lineup, and they're going to come to play."
To be here with the Ducks is something he doesn't take for granted. Mahura has come a long way since he suffered a devastating knee injury just two games into the 2015-16 campaign - his second season with the WHL's Red Deer Rebels. He underwent surgery and would miss the remainder of the regular season, but returned to the lineup in the playoffs and finished with four points (2g/2a) in 17 postseason games. The injury didn't scare away the Ducks, who selected him in the third round (85th overall) of the 2016 NHL Draft.
"It means a lot," Mahura said, on being called up to the Ducks. "I had a tough 17-year-old year in the Western Hockey League. It was a little bit of a setback, but to get the first game out of the way feels really good. I was pretty fortunate to be drafted by the Ducks. To play in my first game was awesome."
Mahura put up huge numbers in his final WHL season (22 goals and 69 points in 60 games), but it's his intelligent, well-rounded game that drew praise from Carlyle. "His strengths are his puck-moving abilities. It jumps out at you right away. He wasn't a guy who was overwhelmed by the pressure the other night. That's a great sign. There are areas he can continue to improve, but I thought he had a very encouraging first game for us with his puck moving, his positioning and his ability to take the puck and transfer it through neutral ice."
Maybe starting the season with the Gulls lessened the amount of nerves Mahura had on the ice against the Avs. The little nerves he had, he channeled them in the right way. Mahura credited his teammates for helping him throughout the night, including Montour, who had a career-high three-point night. "I felt good," Mahura said. "My d-partner Monty most of the night really helped me out. He had an outstanding game. I felt good out there."
It was the first game of what he hopes is a long, successful NHL career. Though the Ducks lost the game in overtime, the emotions he felt that night will stay with him for the rest of his life. "It was just pure excitement. It was something you work towards your whole life to get the first game under your belt. It was fun."