Szuber Acclimating to North American Game as he Pursues NHL Career

Maksymilian Szuber felt like he was in a much more familiar spot during the Coyotes' development camp last week.

Just one year ago, the defenseman was caught in a whirlwind of emotions following his selection at the 2022 NHL Draft, making the trip from Germany to the United States for dev camp after learning the Coyotes picked him in the sixth round -- 163rd overall.

That journey was overwhelming at times for Szuber, who said his selection in the draft was somewhat of a surprise, and suddenly he was playing on a sheet of ice that's roughly 13.5 feet less wide than its European counterpart. Coupled with all of the new faces in an entirely new country, it was a lot to take in.

Fast-forward to 2023, though, and the 20-year-old was in a much better headspace.

"Last year was more overwhelming because I didn't know anybody, so I was just trying to play as good as possible on the ice," Szuber said. "I was one year older, so I know how it goes here. It was a lot of fun, and we'll see how it's going. The coaches told me what to work on, and I appreciate that a lot, and now the hard work starts."

With two development camps under his belt, he said he's learning starting to catch on to some of the major differences between North American and European hockey. Aside from the obvious difference in rink size, Szuber said he's had to adjust to the physicality and the speed of the game.

"There's way less time to make decisions, and everything is so much faster," Szuber said. "I need to adapt to that, and I'm trying my hardest to do it."

That effort was on full display at the Coyotes' development camp last week, as Szuber was a clear leader both on-and-off the ice. He's still developing much of his game - he said he's working on the finer details of both his shot and his skating ability - and though there's still a journey in front of him, he's happy with his progress to this point.

He signed a three-year entry-level contract with Arizona in May, and though it hasn't yet been determined where he'll play this upcoming season, Szuber said the ultimate goal is continuous improvement.

"I want to improve myself as much as possible, see how the season is going, and I'm going to stay positive," he said. "I feel much more acclimated because of the camps because it really helps getting to know the ice."

Following last week's development camp experience, though, one thing's for sure: He hopes to play in front of Coyotes fans a lot more in the coming years.

"We had so much fun every day, and the scrimmage was especially cool," Szuber said with a smile. "Everyone was watching, there were so many fans, and it was really cool to get to know everyone."