As a former second-round (57th overall) draft choice of the Calgary Flames in 2011, Tyler Wotherspoon’s NHL career didn’t go according to plan.
Wotherspoon, a 6-foot-2, 222-pound defenceman, played only 30 regular-season games for the Flames over four seasons — but none since 2016-17 — and six playoff matches.
But Wotherspoon, who celebrated his 32nd birthday on Wednesday and is in his first season with the Laval Rocket, played his 700th pro game last week against Rochester and remains a valuable commodity. He was named an alternate captain by head coach Pascal Vincent, is the only Rocket player yet to miss a game and plays on the team’s first defence pairing when killing penalties.
Wotherspoon, a left-handed shot, teams with former first-round Canadiens draft choice Logan Mailloux — 11 years his junior — and has one goal and 14 points in 55 games this season along with a plus-10 rating.
“This is a tough sport to get into,” Wotherspoon said Tuesday, following the Rocket’s practice at Place Bell. “There are all these players and only a certain amount of jobs. For me, it just didn’t happen, but I tried to make the most out of it. I was glad I was able to play 30 games and play as much as I did. Obviously everyone wants to play more, play a long time in the (NHL). At some point you have to accept what your role is, and I feel I can contribute this way.
“It’s rewarding to me,” added the Burnaby, B.C., native. “I get to play a game I love and grew up loving for as long as possible. Although (the NHL) didn’t work out, this is the next best thing.”
Wotherspoon’s contribution hasn’t been lost on Vincent, who is also in his first year with the Rocket after spending last season as the Columbus Blue Jackets’ head coach. Wotherspoon has been an assistant captain on four AHL teams and is considered a valuable leader.
“We asked a lot of questions and spoke to a lot of people,” Vincent said. “His leadership skills are well known across the league, everywhere he has been. Quite early in the season, it was quite evident. Having such a young team it was important to have an older guy like him. He has done a really good job.
“His stability and accountability. He’s a big piece of our game. We know what to expect and, for a coach, that’s the holy grail when it comes to a player. There are no ups and downs. He’s steady, like a clock.”
Like many minor-league players, Wotherspoon and his family have lived a nomadic existence. The Rocket becomes his seventh AHL club, and he has never spent more than three seasons with one organization.
“My wife (Mishaela) doesn’t have it easy. She’s moving around, juggling our schedules, moving to different areas,” Wotherspoon said. “There’s not a lot of stability in our lives, but we’re going to look back on it one day and have fond memories of what we were able to do, what we were able to see, what our children were able to experience. It might be tough times right now, but we’ll look back on the great memories.”
The Rocket organization surprised Wotherspoon before last Friday’s home game against the Rochester Americans, inviting his family into the dressing room before the game and having his 5-year-old daughter Kolette — accompanied by younger brother Karter — read the starting lineup, which included their father.
“When I hit the (700 game) milestone, it made me stop and look back on the whole process and what I’ve done to get to this point,” said Wotherspoon, who represented Canada at the 2022 Beijing Olympics as well as the world junior championship a decade earlier. “There’s obviously a little luck, but there’s also a lot of hard work. It’s a great milestone to hit and I look forward to the next one.
“The hope’s always there, especially in this industry,” he added about playing in his 30s. “There’s a lot of moving parts and a lot of young guys coming in. The skill gets better and better. You’re always pushing yourself to keep up to those guys. That’s my goal — to stay as long as possible. I don’t think I expected it, but I hoped for it. Right now, I’m hoping to keep going.”
The Rocket, riding a five-game winning streak and first overall in the AHL, host Bridgeport Wednesday night. Laval then travels to Utica for games on Friday and Saturday.