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Fit Kolanos heading in right direction
By Jim Wilkie
NHL Insider
Send an Email to Jim Wilkie Friday, September 26
Updated: September 26
1:53 PM ET


VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- For Phoenix Coyotes center Krystofer Kolanos preseason games are far from meaningless.

A year after suffering a serious concussion in Phoenix's first exhibition game of 2002-03 that would cost him most of the regular season, Kolanos is in top shape and making an impact in the preseason.

Kolanos had a power-play goal and was one of the best Coyotes on the ice Thursday night in a 3-1 preseason victory over the Vancouver Canucks.

The 22-year-old Calgary native took a pass in the left corner from Jan Hrdina, skated out beside the net, faked Canucks defenseman Ed Jovanovski to the ice and wristed the puck past goalie Dan Cloutier for his first point in three preseason games.

Playing on the power play with Chris Gratton and five-on-five on a line with right winger Branko Radivojevic, Kolanos and Hrdina were a dangerous combination, just missing on a couple of other opportunities.

"We've had a couple of practices now and it's definitely something we can build off of," Kolanos said of playing alongside Hrdina after Thursday night's game at GM Place. "We both see the ice really well. We feed off each other on the power play and five-on-five. But it's early though, I think we've still got some work to do."

If the pair can keep it up as they get more comfortable together, they should form two-thirds of a dangerous second unit behind the Coyotes' top line of Ladislav Nagy, Mike Johnson and Daymond Langkow. Hrdina can also play center, but he was mostly on the wing Thursday night.

"The good thing having two centers out there is on draws. That's a big part of the game, possession of the puck," the 6-3, 203-pound Kolanos said. "I think that's a good advantage to having us both out there."


Krystofer Kolanos is enjoying a strong preseason.
Hrdina and Gratton were obtained late last season to improve on faceoffs and together with Langkow, offseason acquisition Mike Sillinger and a healthy Kolanos, Phoenix is significantly deep at center.

After scoring 11 goals and 22 points in 57 games as a rookie in 2001-02, Kolanos missed all but two games because of a concussion in Phoenix's first exhibition game. Kolanos never played again until April 4, but his hockey didn't end there despite Phoenix finishing in 11th place in the Western Conference and 14 points out of the playoffs.

Kolanos joined teammates Shane Doan and Sean Burke on Team Canada at the World Ice Hockey Championships in Helsinki, Finland. After what could have been a depressing season, Kolanos gradually earned increased ice time while playing every game for Canada's gold-medal winning team.

Kolanos, who helped Boston College win the 2001 NCAA title, said the Worlds taught him more about what it takes to win at a high level. He saw how a group of players from numerous teams found the right chemistry in a short time, and it's something he hopes all the new faces on the new-look Coyotes can duplicate.

"You can have all the talent in the world but if you don't pull together you're not going to get it done," Kolanos said.

He had just one point in the tournament but it was a beautiful pass to set up Dany Heatley's game-winning goal in Canada's quarterfinal win against the Czech Republic.

"Getting those 10 games over there, I think that was huge for me and my career," Kolanos said. "Sometimes things happen for a reason. Being able to get that opportunity and having a good summer of training, I was able to report in my best physical shape ever. I'm happy where I'm at."

He's wearing a thicker Bauer 5000 helmet and a mouthguard to help prevent more concussions (he also missed 22 games at the end of his rookie season because of the effects of a concussion).

Buoyed by the worlds, Kolanos has gained confidence and worked out hard in the summer to bulk up his upper body while also losing 16 pounds. At a preseason fitness test, Kolanos had a team-best 69 on the Max V02 test, which measures the body's ability to fully utilize oxygen. Scoring higher than 60 is said to be excellent for a professional athlete.

Seeming to have his career back on track, Kolanos said he's aiming to stay in shape, play all 82 games and "let the rest take care of itself."

"I always think it's not how you start sometimes, it's how you finish. That's what comes to mind every time I think of that situation."

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