Trevor Connelly has done everything he can. From the bulking up to honing his skills all summer.
The only thing left for the Vegas Golden Knights’ top prospect is to put that work on display on the ice.
He’ll take that first step when the Knights’ rookies take part in the Rookie Faceoff at Tech CU Arena in San Jose. The Knights play the Utah Mammoth on Saturday.
It’s not the first time Connelly has skated in a rookie tournament. This one is the first step in finding how far he’s come from a health standpoint after injuries have halted his progress the last two years.
“I think this is a big summer for me,” Connelly said Friday at City National Arena.
Ice time is the only thing Connelly needs more of. The 20-year-old has shown flashes. The offensive ability is there. Connelly thinks that part is ready for the NHL level.
He worked on the minor details last season with the Henderson Silver Knights — honing his wall game, being better in the defensive zone, for example.
“I think I took a lot of major steps in the second half of the year with that,” he said.
It’s the off-ice work that Connelly has put in that will determine how close he is to the NHL level.
Connelly has suffered three significant lower-body injuries since the Knights took him 19th overall in the 2024 draft. Two came last season. One forced him to miss training camp, the other kept him from representing Team USA in the IIHF World Junior championships.
The eye test doesn’t lie. Connelly looks stronger. There were times during practice Friday he got bumped around by a bigger player and held his own.
Connelly, near 180 pounds, said this is the strongest and most stable he’s ever felt. He stayed in Las Vegas all summer for his workouts. They were a combination of balance and strength exercises to get his legs ready.
“(He) really looked good in (development) camp. It looks like he’s put in the body of work,” Silver Knights coach Joel Ward said. “For me, (this weekend is) just to evaluate him, see him up close and be a little more personable.”
Connelly got a small taste of the NHL life during the Knights’ run to the Stanley Cup Final last season. He was called up during the first round of the playoffs to get extra on-ice reps before the Silver Knights played in the Calder Cup Playoffs.
What he called an “unbelievable experience,” Connelly was surprised at how much he learned in that short time on the intensity of playoff hockey.
It also helped he got to experience it with former Henderson teammate Braeden Bowman, who signed a six-year extension with the NHL club on Thursday.
“You learn so much just in meetings, being around those guys, seeing just how intense it is during that time of year,” Connelly said. “(Bowman) and I were talking about it. It was cool to be up there and just kind of experience that together.”
Connelly hopes to join Bowman on the NHL roster. It could be after training camp. It could be at some point in the season.
He’s going to get his chance. He just needs to stay on the ice for that to happen.
“Just go out there and be myself,” Connelly said. “I’m not going to try and do anything too much, too little. Just trust my instincts, trust my game and go out there and have fun. I love the game so much and love playing hockey.”
Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.
