Allen defenseman Strathman making his mark

ALLEN, Texas – When you think of Arizona , arid deserts, high temperatures and plenty of sand spring to mind – but ice hockey is one of the last things you’d envision.
The arrival of the National Hockey League’s Phoenix Coyotes has helped change that, and hockey has exploded in the Southwest. Allen Americans defenseman David Strathman is a very talented by-product of this growing hockey market.
 

Strathman has wasted no time making his mark in professional hockey. The Tempe, Arizona native has tallied 21 points (8 G, 13 A) in 30 games played this season, placing him third in scoring amongst his fellow rookie’s and tied for eighth overall in the Central Hockey League amongst defensemen.
The latest feather in his cap is an invite to represent the Americans at the  2011 CHL All-Star game, set for January 12th in Rapid City, South Dakota.
 
On his way to downtown Dallas to watch the Stars take on the Detroit Red Wings, Strathman received several calls from teammates and from his coach Dwight Mullins, telling him of his nomination to the All Star team.
 
“I got a call from Mully (Americans head coach Dwight Mullins) who called to tell me and some of the guys from the team called to congratulate me and tell me what an honor it was,” Strathman said. “I couldn’t ask for anything more. It was pretty cool that my girlfriend was with me at the time to celebrate with me as well.” 
 
Strathman credits former Arizona Sundogs player Dusty Collins with getting him started in hockey many years ago when both were playing t-ball.
“He got me involved when I was about 6 years old…where else would you want to be in a 110-degree summer?” Strathman said, laughing. “The ice rink was the best place to go and there’s a water park right next door, so it was perfect, it made it easy going to the rink.”
 
Starting out as a forward, Strathman was then moved back to the blue line during his final Midget season.
“Once you learn one side of the puck, everything on the other side is kind of natural.” Strathman said.
 
While his offensive abilities come naturally from all the years playing as a forward, Strathman continues to hone his skills as a defenseman by looking to a pair of NHL players for inspiration.
 
“I try to focus on the defensive part because I want to be like a Byfuglien or a Lidstrom; guys that can take care of the puck on the offensive side naturally, then defensively they work at it every day,” Strathman stated.
 
“ After playing four seasons at Northeastern University, Strathman originally signed with the new ECHL team in Greenville, South Carolina – the Road Warriors. However, the team already had too many players on contract with the American Hockey League, and he was placed on waivers.
Strathman fielded calls from a few CHL clubs, but when Americans Head Coach Dwight Mullins called, Strathman felt the Dallas area was the right place for him to play.
 
“Mully called me because I almost came to play for him when he was coaching the Dallas AAA team here, so that was pretty cool to get back with him…I felt the metro area of Dallas was a good fit.” Strathman said.
 
When asked about the attitude in the Americans locker room this season, Strathman said the mood was high.
 
“It feels like there’s a little extra swagger to our step; you want to see that. You don’t want to be too cocky or get too high or too low but you want to have that swagger because you want to be confident. That’s what we want, the guys are confident right now,” he said. 
 
That confidence stems from a team that off the ice, gets along as well as they do on it.
“Everyone gets along – there are no cliques. We do things off the ice that are fun. We go bowling, we go to movies together, we have lots of fun. Guys want to pick each other up when things aren’t going right,” Strathman said.
 
Strathman notes the Americans depth has been a real catalyst for their success this season.
“We’ve got guys that can put up numbers, you see it on the stat-sheet every night. There’s a different guy on it every night,” he pointed out.
 
When asked about next season, Strathman says he’d like to be on a two way contract but would also like to stay in Allen.
“I’d like to be here…I like the set up we have here,” Strathman said.
 
If his level of play continues the way it has so far this season, Strathman could very well realize both of those goals come next season. 
 

Contact the author at maurice.fitzgerald@prohockeynews.com