THUNDER BAY – Jared Staal knows it would be a long way back to the NHL.
But it’s not something that’s weighing the Thunder Bay forward down very much these days.
A new father – son Hudson was born late last year – the fourth youngest of four hockey-playing brothers long ago accepted he probably didn’t quite have what it takes to become a regular on the biggest hockey stage in the world.
Sure, he got into a couple of games a few years back when the Carolina Hurricanes made him a courtesy call-up and gave him the chance to skate alongside older brothers Eric and Jordan.
But since then the 26-year-old has languished in the minors, bouncing between the American Hockey League and ECHL.
Last fall the former second-round pick of the Phoenix Coyotes decided to take his career overseas, a move that proved he could still play at a high level.
Staal grabbed his hockey bag and headed to Scotland, where he suited up the Edinburgh Capitals of the Elite Ice Hockey League alongside the likes of former NHL first-rounder Pavel Vorobiev.
He finished fifth on the team in points, scoring 12 goals and 21 assists in 44 appearances, and is hopeful his play was good enough to attract offers elsewhere in Europe for the upcoming season.
And North America is always in the back of his mind, Tom Pyatt’s return from Switzerland to the Ottawa Senators this past season proof that Canadians who head to Europe aren’t necessarily banished there forever.
“It’s hard to say,” Staal said on Friday. “As of now I still don’t see it being that realistic yet, but you see more and more where guys have gone over to Europe, had decent years and have been able to come back.
“Years prior if you made the choice to go over it was kind of signaling the end of playing in North America. I don’t think the door is ever going to be shut on that. But my thoughts aren’t really back in North America right now and hopefully I’ll enjoy playing in Europe wherever I am for the next few seasons.”
Where that might be is still up in the air.
Staal said he doesn’t yet have a contract to play next season, but is keeping his options open. He said he loved playing in Scotland and getting immersed in the culture – not to mention getting a chance to play golf at the Old Course at the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews.
“My family loved it. We had a little boy over there and started our family life in Scotland, so we enjoyed that part of the world and I have no bad things to say about the league. It was good hockey and a lot of fun.”
He did notice the fans were a little different than what he was used to playing in the United States and Canada.
“There’s obviously not as many as in Canada, but the few definitely know the game. It’s just a different style of fans over there too. There’s a lot of singing and drums and yelling the whole time. Even if nothing good is going on on the ice, they’re still cheering.”
Staal and his brothers will once again this summer lend their name to the Staal Foundation Open, the Mackenzie-Tour PGA Tour Canada's Thunder Bay stop.
