FRISCO, Texas — He was never drafted, but the NHL Draft was the best thing to happen to Gavin Bayreuther’s career.
During his draft-eligible years every team passed on the left-handed defender. Looking at raw numbers that means during a three-year span NHL teams as a whole believed there were at least 610 better prospects than Bayreuther.
“It was the best thing that ever happened to me, it made me work so much harder,” he said. “Made me take nothing for granted and kind of prove everyone wrong. Everyone passed over me, and I’m not laughing yet, but I want to be (laughing) ultimately.”
By the end of his college career at St. Lawrence NHL teams had taken notice of Bayreuther. He was one of the most sought after college free agents this past spring, and ultimately chose the Stars over a handful of offers. It wasn’t an easy decision, but the Stars long-term depth chart on defense, a solid relationship with Stars general manager Jim Nill, and a chance to live in a much warmer climate appealed to Bayreuther.
Now he’s getting a first-hand taste of just how hot it gets in Texas as one of the participants in the Stars five-day development camp.
“This is peak of it all,” he said. “I’m just getting pit stains walking back to the hotel.”
In a way Bayreuther is one of the most polished prospects at development camp. In a camp filled with teenagers, the 23-year-old already has a college degree in sociology and appeared in 15 AHL games at the end of this past season with the Texas Stars.
So while young prospects tend to have early tentativeness with the media — some worse than others — Bayreuther is the well-refined college grad that actually engages in further conversation.
“He’s come in and is one of the most professional guys I’ve seen coming out of college,” Texas Stars coach Derek Laxdal said. “He’s got steps to take on the ice, but off the ice he was ready to be a pro the minute he joined us last spring.”
On the ice Bayreuther is the traditional late bloomer, which is one of the reasons he went undrafted. He didn’t really find his full stride until college, and he’s still working out the finer points of the game.
There is raw offensive talent that shines through and he’s strong skater. His work in the defensive zone needs to take another step before he’s an NHL option, and he’s ready to work on that this coming season in the AHL.
He’s already got a head start after finishing last season with the Texas Stars on an AHL amateur tryout contract and had five points in 15 games. Bayreuther’s two-year entry-level contract with Dallas starts this season.
“It was an unbelievable experience (with Texas), it’s a huge jump and I feel like doing that has made me such a better person and a better player,” he said. “Everybody is a better player (in the AHL). And something that is very cliche, but it’s so true, is just being a pro. You see the older players just doing the same thing every day.”
Being a full-time pro is big step for a player that almost went with another sport. Before deciding to play college hockey Bayreuther took official visits to a couple schools as a lacrosse recruit. His dad, John, is a lacrosse coach while his younger brother is a Penn State lacrosse commit.
“Up until my last year of high school, kind of mid-hockey season, I was all set to play college lacrosse,” Bayreuther said. “I just didn’t really know what hockey had as a future for me. Then luckily St. Lawrence contacted me and the rest is history.”
Overall it’s a bright future for Bayreuther and he could be a part of the NHL roster within a couple seasons. While the Stars are loaded on the right side with young defenders, a lefty like Bayreuther could be ready for NHL action in a couple seasons after veterans Marc Methot and Dan Hamhuis have left the organization.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.