Former Eli Giroux now a lock for the AHL

By Alison Morris

JULIA TIERNAN/YH

The game on Sun., Nov. 1, was more than just a typical American Hockey League matchup at the New Haven Coliseum. The building buzzed with excitement when the Lowell Lock Monsters faced off against the Beast of New Haven: Ray Giroux, BK '98, was back in town.

The captain of Yale's ECAC champion hockey team last season, Giroux was named the 1997-98 Eastern Collegiate Athletic Player of the Year and was a finalist in the race for the Hobey Baker Award, given to the NCAA's best player. By the end of last year, it seemed as though Giroux had reached the high point of his hockey career.

But Giroux's four years as a Bulldog were merely the beginning of what appears to be a very promising career in professional hockey. Although many expected him to begin playing major league hockey with the Philadelphia Flyers--which selected him as its seventh overall pick in the eighth round of the 1994 National Hockey League Draft--this summer brought a major change of plans. Giroux was traded in September to the New York Islanders.

At only 6'1" and 188 pounds, Giroux's small stature caused some to question his chances of making it as a major league defenseman. But the two-year, one-million- dollar contract he signed with the Islanders shows the team is commited to developing Giroux as an NHL prospect. Immediately following his contract agreement, Giroux was assigned to the Lowell Lock Monsters, the Islanders' AHL affiliate, and has been seeing substantial playing time, both at home and on the road.

Though his heart is set on making it to the pros, Giroux is aware that he has a long way to go. "Playing in the NHL is a ways off," Giroux said. "I have to be realistic. At least for now, I'm going to stay in Lowell and get used to being in the pros."

As for the transition from college hockey to the minor leagues, it appears that Giroux is holding his own. In Lowell's 4-1 defeat of the Beast on Sun., Nov. 1, he held a steady defensive spot on the Lock Monsters' third line, and pyed a significant amount of time, especially in the second period.

He demonstrated an impressive skill level for a newcomer, particularly in terms of speed and positioning. In nearly every race for the puck, Giroux out-hustled his opponent and kept the puck in Lowell possession, which created additional scoring opportunities. Though Lowell failed to capitalize on five power- play opportunities, Giroux's positioning was crucial in preventing the Beast from clearing the puck out of its defensive zone.

Positioning skill is coveted by NHL teams, particularly the Islanders, with its roster packed with young, inexperienced players.

Since his arrival in the AHL, Giroux has had to alter his style of play in order to compete with his new opponents. "I had to make a few adjustments," Giroux explained. "I was more offensive in college. Now I'm learning how to pick those spots where I can step up on the offensive play." The need for adjustment is due to Giroux's smaller stature. "In college I could out-muscle them," Giroux said, of his opponents. "Now, I have to contain myself a bit more."

"In the AHL, you have to be one notch better because the guys are bigger and better," Giroux noted. "In college you could make little mistakes and make up for them later. Here, you can't get away with making mistakes."

As different as the AHL may be, Giroux pointed out that it's not an entirely foreign world. "The transition hasn't been too difficult," he said. "The practices and games can be tough and you're on the ice a lot more. But it's still hockey, and you still have to keep working hard."

Hard work and dedication to the game are two aspects of hockey that Giroux displayed as a member of the Yale hockey team. He claims that the lessons he learned while playing under Bulldog head coach Tim Taylor have left the greatest impact on him leaving college. "Coach Taylor influenced me in a huge way," Giroux said. "He really let me know what I needed to do to play pro hockey and he was right. He knows the game and he knows so much about defense and positioning."

As for Giroux's ability to master these skills in the big leagues, only time will tell. But if his recent appearance in New Haven was any indication of his prospects, Ray Giroux's future as an Islander isn't quite so far away.

Photo by Julia Tiernan.

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