VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Michael Del Zotto is 19 years old and according to Rangers head coach John Tortorella, even acts his age at times.
Just not on the ice.
“No, I’m not going into details, but it’s in a good way,” Tortorella said, laughing, when informed at yesterday’s morning skate that the precocious teenager had been named the NHL Rookie of the Month for October.
“It’s nice to have some innocence in the game. It’s nice because some players think they have it all figured out. I’ll leave it at that.”
The 20th overall selection in the 2008 Entry Draft, Del Zotto entered last night’s match against the Canucks as the sixth-leading scorer among all NHL defensemen with 12 points (4-8). He was the second leading rookie scorer, trailing only Philadelphia winger James van Riemsdyk (2-11-13).
Beyond those numbers, though, Del Zotto has combined quick decision-making with an ability to pass and fire from the power-play point, playing a major role in revitalizing the Blueshirts’ man-advantage unit. Del Zotto, who had recorded eight power-play points (3-5), had been on for 11 of the club’s 12 five-on-four power-play goals.
“The most important thing is the way the coaching staff and team welcomed me,” Del Zotto said. “They made me feel comfortable since the first day I got here.
“Obviously I’m a young guy, and I know there are going to be ups and downs, but what’s important is the way you battle through adversity. I’m just trying to go about my business without really getting caught up in it.”
Henrik Lundqvist, who last night made his 14th start in 16 games, said that he noticed Del Zotto’s confidence very early in training camp.
“It’s hard to tell how someone is going to react until you see him live in regular-season games, so I didn’t know whether he was not ready or not in camp, but I could see the confidence,” The King said. “That’s very important, because it’s such a big step to take to the NHL that sometimes a young guy can have too much respect for veterans and be tentative.
“For me, I had the advantage of playing against a lot of the NHL’s top players during the [2004-05] lockout when I was still in Sweden, so when I came over the next year, mentally I knew I could play against them.”
Del Zotto, who copped to wearing a Super Mario costume for Halloween (“You should have heard the ribbing”), hasn’t had the luxury of time to soak in what this all means.
“It’s like I’m just into it,” he said. “The first game in Pittsburgh, playing [Sidney] Crosby and [Evgeni] Malkin, I looked up for a minute and it struck home because I’d heard so much about them. But this has happened so quickly and so dramatically that hasn’t been a moment where I [find it hard to believe].”
Tortorella and assistant coaches Jim Schoenfeld and Mike Sullivan have all worked with the youngster, but the head coach was quick to deflect praise to Del Zotto.
“Learning how to be a pro is a process, and it’s going to take a while,” Tortorella said. “But Michael doesn’t rest on his strengths, he tries to improve.
“All the coaches work with him, but give him some credit, too.”
The NHL has, naming him the rookie Mr. October.