Opportunity knocks for IceCaps defensemen

ST. JOHN’S, Newfoundland and Labrador – For the first month of the 2011-12 AHL season, Jason DeSantis and Ben Chiarot were regularly spotted in the press box of Mile One Centre in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador.
 
As the seventh and eighth defensemen, respectively, of the St. John’s IceCaps, the pair was forced to watch from the seats as their teammates played in front of packed houses and screaming fans. It was plain to see they would much rather be on the ice than sitting amongst the scouts, reporters and IceCaps staff who occupy the press box on game nights.

 
“I waited about a month to even get into a game. It was tough sitting out, especially since I’ve played in the league before,” said DeSantis. “Nobody wants to sit in the stands when you know you can play out there.”
 
It took a rash of injuries with the IceCaps parent club in Winnipeg to finally open roster spots for DeSantis and Chiarot. With several d-men out of the Winnipeg line-up, the Jets recalled IceCaps defensemen Mark Flood, Arturs Kulda, Brett Festerling and Paul Postma (who has since been returned to St. John’s).
 
DeSantis and Chiarot were suddenly thrown into prominent roles, receiving not only regular game action, but top-four minutes and critical assignments on the power play and penalty kill.
 
“It’s happened to all of us. Guys get injured, and third and fourth line players are suddenly given more prominent roles. The fifth and sixth defensemen can quickly become part of your top four and guys who haven’t been regulars are in the line-up every night,” said Keith McCambridge, head coach, St. John’s IceCaps. “A real benefit for our team is we have a lot of depth. Guys can move into the line-up, and there’s not a lot of drop off. We expected this could happen, and that’s why we kept a lot of extra bodies around to start the season.”
 
DeSantis and Chiarot have each taken full advantage of the opportunity to play regularly. DeSantis has registered nine points in eight games and is currently the team’s leading scorer among defensemen. Chiarot is establishing himself as a tough, physical blue liner who will stick up for teammates, while also adding a goal and an assist in seven games.
 
“I’m not surprised by the way they’re playing. I was well aware what they could bring, after watching them in training camp and during practice,” said McCambridge. “I knew eventually their chance would come and could see they were working hard to make sure they would be ready when that chance came.”
 
From Chiarot’s standpoint, the situation is similar to his rookie season of junior hockey when he was a 16-year-old rookie with the Ontario Hockey League’s Guelph Storm. He played in only 31 games that year, before becoming a staple in the team’s line-up the following season.
 
“Being the youngest player on the team, I know I have to pay my dues and work my way up. This is giving me a chance to prove myself and I’m trying to make the best of it,” said Chiarot, a 20-year-old native of Hamilton, Ontario. “It’s difficult, but I’ve been through it before. As a rookie in junior, I had to prove myself before getting a regular spot in the line-up. It’s part of being a rookie.”
 
DeSantis was understandably more frustrated with the situation. DeSantis, a 25-year-old from Oxford, Michigan, is a fourth year pro who had 85 AHL games under his belt before the 2011-12 season even started. He was not accustomed to being a healthy scratch and was anxious to show the IceCaps what he could bring to the team.
 
“It would be a different story if I was a rookie and didn’t know what to expect. But I had played in Philadelphia and Wilkes-Barre with great teams and felt comfortable in the league and knew I could play at this level,” said DeSantis.
 
The smooth-skating d-man practiced hard and trained even harder off the ice to stay ready. More importantly, he had the right attitude while he waited.
 
“I just stayed patient and once I got in there, I made sure to take full advantage of it,” DeSantis said. “The biggest thing is staying strong mentally. If you start getting frustrated and upset that you’re not playing, that’s just going to take away from your play when you get in there.”
 
Notes: IceCaps captain Jason Jaffray was recalled by the Winnipeg Jets on Nov. 12. The left winger had seven goals, five assists and 12 points in 15 games with St. John’s. So far with Winnipeg, Jaffray is pointless after two games … The Jets assigned forward Kenndal McArdle to St. John’s on Nov. 18. McArdle had dressed in nine games for Winnipeg, but failed to register a point … Among those in the press box for the IceCaps game with the Norfolk Admirals on Nov. 18 was Scotty Bowman, the senior advisor, hockey operations for the Chicago Blackhawks and a legendary NHL coach. Bowman, who has won Stanley Cup championships with four different organizations, was scouting both teams during a trip to St. John’s.
 
Darcy.MacRae@prohockeynews.com