Endicott primed for Penguins' pivot

By Josh Goldfine, Special to CNNSI.com

BOSTON (Ticker) -- You know all about the top center in the Pittsburgh Penguins organization. That man is none other than Mario Lemieux, one of the game's top players of all time.

But, there is a young pivot down in the American Hockey League who doesn't yet have the same stature of Super Mario but who someday may carve out a nice NHL career of his own. In his first season as a professional, young Shane Endicott has taken the league by storm.

Endicott, who turned 20 years old four days before Christmas, hails from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and played three years of junior hockey with the Seattle Thunderbirds in the Western Hockey League.

Drafted by Seattle in the first round of the 1996 WHL draft, Endicott made his WHL debut in the playoffs the following spring. In 1998-99, his first full campaign in the WHL, Endicott had 39 points in 72 games, followed by a 55-point sophomore season.

"One of the first things that came to mind with Shane, when we got him, was that he was a good kid from a good family," recalled Wilkes-Barre assistant Don Nachbaur. "He possessed great hands, a good ability to read a play and was very, very coachable. He listened to things. But, his intangibles of good hands and hockey sense were things that he had. Something that he had to work on, like most young kids, was to learn to compete at the next level."

For Endicott, who has consistently been cited as amongst the hardest-working players by all of coaches, that was not an issue.

"He learned how to be a professional," said Colin Alexander, Seattle's Director of Player Personnel. "This guy's an ironman. In the three years he played for us, I think he missed two hockey games. It's because he prepares himself so well. He trained after practice. He was a leader that way. He was always a skill player, but the biggest difference is his professionalism and how strong he has gotten. I'd be surprised if he weren't playing in the NHL for a very long time."

Endicott parlayed that superior work ethic and natural talent into a 79-point season in 2000-01, his final campaign in Seattle. By the time he was done in juniors, Endicott had added 30 pounds of muscle to the wispy 6-foot-4, 170-pound from that he brought to Seattle.

"He was dedicated," said Nachbaur. "There are reasons that guys make it to the pros and do well. They have that desire, and they get after it. I never had a problem with [Shane] on the ice in terms of working hard. He truly loves the game, and God gave him some good tools."

Endicott led the Thunderbirds in both regular-season and playoff scoring in his final season and was ready for the next step -- or so he thought.

This fall, Endicott attended his second training camp after being selected by Pittsburgh in the second round -- 52nd overall -- of the 2000 draft. Endicott appeared in three exhibition contests, and, in his mind, played well enough to crack the NHL roster as a teenager.

The Penguins thought otherwise and sent Endicott back to his junior team for one final season. Typical of the easy-going Endicott, he was disappointed yet still eager to reach the next level.

"I wasn't mad at all," said Endicott. "Because, it wasn't like [it was] the end of my career. I did all I could do at camp. I just thought I had to go back to junior and prove myself for one more year."

That did not turn out to be the case. While Endicott was criss-crossing the country, his agent, Saskatoon-based Tim Hodgson, and Penguins General Manager Craig Patrick were in the process of hammering out a deal for the young center.

By the time Endicott reached Medicine Hat, Alberta, where Seattle was playing at the time, Hodgson called Endicott to inform his client that the Penguins had rewarded the youngster with a three-year deal.

If Endicott has had a tough time adjusting to the pro game, you wouldn't know it from the stat sheets. He is tied for second on the team in scoring with 26 points (14 goals, 12 assists) in 37 games. Wilkes-Barre head coach Glenn Patrick, brother of the Penguins' GM, has been impressed with the play of his budding star.

"Obviously, we're very pleased with Shane and what he's brought to the team," said Patrick. "A lot of the things that Shane does are very well suited to the NHL style of hockey. He just does a lot of little things right, the type of things that help a team win a hockey game and help a person get ahead as an individual."

Q&A with Shane Endicott

Q: Your brother, who plays in the WHL now, is only a year younger than you. Any great stories from when you guys were younger?

A: Growing up, every single year my Dad made a backyard rink with official-sized boards. We'd get some pretty heated games of post going. We'd play where you'd have to hit each post one time to win. Once a week, we'd break out in a fight.

Q: Saskatoon to Seattle is 22-hour bus ride. Any special memories of that trip?

A: My parents made the Saskatoon trip with us every year for five or six games. That ride sucked. We'd leave in the morning and drive all day. Then, we'd drive all night on the bus and sleep underneath the seats on our mats.

Q: What is the biggest difference between junior and pro?

A: The biggest difference is the age of the guys. They know when to jump in the play, and they do all the little things right. You have to make sure you finish all of your checks and win all of your battles. You really have to be ready not to make any mistakes all game long. That has a lot do with mental preparation, just being ready to go for every single game.

Q: What's it like to be on the same ice as Mario Lemieux?

A: That was definitely a little bit nerve-racking. I remember, in my first NHL preseason game this year, I was sitting a couple of seats down from him. I was just nervous being around him. I couldn't believe I was sitting right beside Mario Lemieux. It took me a couple of days of being around him to get my nerves back again. He's a great guy. He definitely made me feel comfortable.

Q: Do people ever ask you about that?

A: That's the number-one question that all of my friends ask me: "What's it like to be with Mario Lemieux?" It's pretty cool to be with the game's greatest player.

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