Napravnik Enjoying The Many Experiences Of First Pro Season

HERSHEY, PA - Head coach Todd Nelson has stated several times his Hershey Bears team has a 'next man up' mentality.

This season, through illnesses and injuries, players have risen to the occasion time and time again.

Recently, Connor McMichael was a late illness scratch for Hershey’s 5:00 p.m. ET contest against Lehigh Valley on March 26th, so Nelson called Julian Napravnik.

Literally.

"Around 3:30, yeah, he called me and said, get here, please. And yeah, so I just got changed and rushed over here," Napravnik explained to InsideAHLHockey.com.

As with many first-year players, Napravnik has had to wait his turn on a deep and talented Hershey roster. While that might be frustrating to some, Napravnik, who is still adjusting to the professional life, has been able to stay mentally focused and has been contributing offensively when he gets opportunities, even when they come as last-minute lineup changes.

That lineup change proved fortuitous as Napravnik scored Hershey’s third goal, which made it 3-1 Hershey before the Phantoms tied the game later in the third period and ultimately secured a shootout victory over the Bears, but Napravnik's goal allowed the Bears to earn a vital standings point.

"Yeah, you know, he's doing a great job for us," Nelson said of Napravnik. "You know, last night, we had a pretty strong game scoring at the last minute. He comes in and does a great job for us. So no, that's what we're really good with our hockey club, we have a lot of good depth on our team. And it gives us, as a coaching staff, a lot of options to put together to hopefully beat your opponent."

After the game, Napravnik reflected on the last-minute change, stating that preparation is the key.

"When you get the call, like you got to get into the zone as quick as possible. And you have to be prepared."

But Napravnik was not sure if it was better to be told at the last minute or to have the entire day to prepare.

"I actually thought about it, like, I'm not quite sure what's better, because like, obviously, when you play you're like in the zone kind of like the whole day just thinking about certain things. I think, in that way, it helped a little bit just to get my mind off of it a little," Napravnik said, adding, "I feel like it's definitely better if you know then just getting thrown into the water, but it turned out okay tonight."

Napravnik, who tallied against Syracuse on the 25th, was scheduled to be out of the lineup with Hershey's three-in-three weekend, but he's making a strong case to become a regular in the lineup - finishing the regular season with four goals and two assists in his final seven games.

"Yeah, I mean, that's what I have to do. It's tough not playing like every game, being in and out of the lineup," he admitted. "It's not an easy job to do, but you just have to prepare like you were in the lineup every time. So it's just the preparation and to stay mentally engaged."

The wiser-than-his-age winger is just a season removed from his final NCAA season. A year ago after signing with the Bears, Napravnik, along with Ethen Frank, joined the Bears and entered the lineup, but ultimately was sidetracked by an injury.

"Yeah, I mean, it was quite an adjustment last year, like getting in and getting those games just playing pro hockey. I think I got a little better adapting this year. I feel like last year kind of helped me to understand, like, what the game is like at that level," he said, adding, "And I think throughout this year, I kind of got adapted to it pretty good."

The first-year pro was also looking forward to more travel as the team was heading off to Toronto, a city he said he visited previously when he was either 16 or 17, and Cleveland.

"I like being with the guys and on a road trip, especially now like I don't have much to do. Like last year I had homework and all that stuff," he said. "And now it's just kind of like, you get into those cool cities like now Toronto.. it's awesome. We can go out to see the city a little bit, go out to dinner somewhere nice. It's just nice to get out of Hershey and see something different and like, have that experience with everybody."

One thing in Hershey that was a different experience for Napravnik and his teammates was the opportunity to visit with students and ice hockey players at the Milton Hershey School.

"That was awesome, some cool kids we met," Napravnik said. "I didn't know that there was such a big school like that in Hershey. So it was cool to kind of see what they're like, where they're living and what their kind of daily routine looks like."

As for the Milton Hershey hockey players, Napravnik said, "We talked to them a lot. They're telling us about their season, their schedule and all that and we kind of let them know a little bit about our profession and how it works and everything; it is cool to exchange that information."

Certainly, Napravnik and the Bears are hopeful that opportunities for new experiences and travel continue well into the post-season.