Everett Baldwin was playing for St. George's in New England prep hockey less than seven months ago.
Now, he's suiting up for the Tampa Bay Lightning and playing the Carolina Hurricanes, Florida Panthers and Nashville Predators over the next few days.
Baldwin finds himself in a unique position. He's one of the many future NCAA Division 1 commits who can attend an NHL Rookie Camp for the first time, a byproduct of the CHL ruling.
Most of the players Baldwin will face — and play alongside — are signed and looking to make their NHL team. Baldwin, however, will be heading back to the QMJHL's Saint John Sea Dogs once this is over. He's committed to Providence College.
"I was actually thinking about this at dinner," Baldwin said Thursday night.
The point of these camps and the games is for teams to evaluate their prospects at the NHL level. For players in the unique position of still being in juniors and committed to a Division 1 program but not actually at their college yet, these camps give them a taste of what's to come.
"It's an interesting time in hockey," Providence Bruins head coach Ryan Mougenel said at Boston Bruins Rookie Camp on Wednesday.
Take Teddy Mutryn, for example. He considered going to Boston College, which he's committed to, but opted for another year of seasoning. After being in the USHL with the Chicago Steel last season, he opted for the QMJHL's Moncton Wildcats this fall.
Mutryn was picked by the San Jose Sharks in the third round of June's draft. San Jose is far from his home in Norwell, Mass.
"It's nice to see what the pro guys are like and even the older rookies — they've been through it," Mutryn said. "Getting to learn from them and the coaches and just getting familiar with the staff and the area is big too. I'm going to be out here for development camps and hopefully playing with the team in the future.
"It's nice to be around."
READ MORE: Inside Teddy Mutryn's wait for his NHL Draft call from the Sharks
Mutryn's development camp experience was odd, but not abnormal. He was selected on Day 2 of the draft, which was on a Saturday. Come Sunday morning, he was on a flight to San Jose for development camp that started Monday.
"It was kind of a blur if I'm being totally honest," Mutryn said.
Development camp was a lot of tips between drills over the four days. This time, at rookie camp practices before the games, there are fewer players on the ice, so there's even more attention to detail.
"They are definitely very hands-on," Mutryn said. "The staff is awesome on the ice."
The jump from the USHL and QMJHL to an NHL Rookie Camp is legitimate. But the jump from high school hockey to an NHL Rookie Camp is massive.
"You just don't have any space," said Boston Bruins third-round pick Cooper Simpson, who played Minnesota high school hockey last season and is committed to North Dakota. "Before you get the puck, you have to know what you're going to do with it. You've got to keep your head on a swivel because you don't know when someone's coming to hit you."
However, a player's response to that jump to rookie camp is big for the NHL team's decision-makers. At Bruins camp, Riley Duran (Woburn, Mass.) is 6-foot-1 and 174 pounds. He has three seasons of college hockey, 71 AHL games and two NHL games under his belt.
"You're playing against men now," Mougenel said of the college commits at camp. "It's a good measuring stick for sure."
That part is hard. An 18-year-old taking on a player in their early to mid-20s for a puck in the corner can come with pain. But there are long-term benefits.
"It's nice to get the chance over some other guys who are in school," Mutryn said. "I think it's been nice to learn from the staff. They have an unbelievable staff here with Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau. All those guys are around, so getting to learn from them and get familiar and get that confidence, too.
"It's nerve-wracking being out here as an 18-year-old, but it's something you learn from, so it'll be good."
There's also this element: This is their first time going through a rookie camp, and they're not trying to make the team. Does that take some pressure off?
"Yes and no," Baldwin said. "They gave us a talk at the beginning, saying this would be an evaluation for us. That wasn't really the message they gave us for development camp back in July. That was kind of an orientation thing. That might add a little bit of pressure, but I think knowing that you're not trying to make the NHL right now might take off a little bit. It's definitely a little bit of a pressure situation."
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Baldwin has a bit of a chip on his shoulder after waiting longer than expected on draft day. It wasn't until the back of the fifth round that he heard his name.
"Here's a perfect time to use that," Baldwin said. "To kind of use that and help [me] move forward."
