Sometimes, making the NHL when you aren't a top pick is a crapshoot, and you have to survive until the time is just right. Things are shaping up just that way for Adam Ginning.
We're not going to count our chickens before they hatch, but right now, Ginning is one of the last defenders in camp. With Dennis Gilbert, Noah Juulsen, and Egor Zamula as his remaining competition, the final two preseason games are incredibly important.
What's Ginning Done Thus Far?
Adam Ginning was originally drafted by Ron Hextall in 2018. The 6'3" 196-pound Swede was a dominating physical presence for Sweden internationally and he played in their highest league at just 18 years old.
Ginning played overseas through the 2022 season and then made the jump for the 2022-23 season, playing with both the Flyers and the Phantoms. His Flyers stats are pretty much non-existent. With the Phantoms, though, he's been reliable in producing some assists on the backend, and has been a physical presence.
This has been a mark of consistency in his play. He hasn't gotten his breakthrough at the NHL level just yet, but it seems like his time is finally here.
Why Now?
Well, he's survived several regime changes. Hextall brought him in, and was promptly escorted out. Chuck Fletcher did his...best? But he couldn't hang on, and now we're onto Danny Briere, and Keith Jones.
Coaches? Well, Dave Hakstol started things off, Scott Gordon had his interim duties, followed by Alain Vigneault, an interim stint from Mike Yeo, who I blocked out of my mind entirely. And then John Tortorella with a finishing off from Brad Shaw.
Now it's Rick Tocchet, with a new crew. Until recently, they haven't seen much of Ginning in person. That's an advantage. He's played some of his very best hockey this pre-season, and he did some fine work during the previous Phantoms' regular season and playoff run.
He's already beaten out Emil Andrae, who played a lot of NHL hockey last year but at 5'9" scares a lot of people off, and Helge Grans, who was projected to be one of the next guys to get a long NHL look. Now it's coming down to Gilbert, Juulsen, and Zemula.
He might not have the inside track on Juulsen, but with Zamula already having cashed a few NHL checks, he might have shown too much tape.
With Ginning still not really having the NHL time with a functional team, it plays to his advantage. His size and physicality do as well, with Nick Seeler being the only other current rostered defenseman who plays with a large amount of jam.
He can also move the puck. That's important in Tocchet's system. He won't score a ton of goals, if any, but his passing ability keeps the play moving, and he can spring forward. The Phantoms weren't the most offensively adept team, and probably kept his offensive numbers down. His 17 points weren't all that far away from Louie Belpido's 28, the team high for defenders.
Really, at this point, why not Ginning?