Cameron Rowe came so close to his goal that he could see it. It was just a short walk away.
Rowe, a Wilmette resident, attended the 2019 NHL Draft at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia. From his seat, he had a good view of the stage and the microphone where each pick was announced.
A goalie who spent the previous two seasons with the U.S. National Team Development Program in Plymouth, Mich., Rowe was ranked fourth among North American goalies by NHL Central Scouting.
While the three goalies ahead of Rowe on the list were selected within the first 60 picks and multiple players ranked behind him also had their name called, Rowe was never summoned to the stage to pose for photos with representatives from an NHL team.
“I just remember the emotions of it. I think that it hurt, for sure, for a while,” Rowe said. “But at the same time, I’m very humbled and I’m grateful that I actually didn’t get picked.”
Rowe said the draft served as a reminder that nothing is guaranteed, and he needs to be thankful every time he plays in a game because it’s a new opportunity. He has had numerous opportunities this season.
In 33 games with the Des Moines Buccaneers, Rowe has logged 1,857 minutes and faced 1,081 shots. He ranks fifth and second, respectively, among USHL goalies in those two categories. Games and practices with the Buccaneers have helped Rowe move past the disappointment of the draft, he said.
“I had to build my confidence back up in myself, and I feel like I’ve really done that throughout the year,” said Rowe, who is the 19th-ranked goalie in North America ahead of this year’s draft. “Once you’re confident, you feel better about yourself and you start to realize that, ‘Hey, this isn’t the end of the world.’
“You have this opportunity now to show everyone that didn’t pick you that you are someone that should be at that level, or at least given a shot.”
The season in Des Moines has also reunited the 18-year-old Rowe with a pair of familiar faces: Buccaneers coach Peter Mannino and assistant coach Kevin Lind.
A goalie himself, Mannino led Denver to the 2005 NCAA national title and was named the tournament’s most outstanding player. He went undrafted but reached the NHL and appeared in six games. Mannino then served as an assistant coach at Nebraska-Omaha. He was a big reason why Rowe initially committed to the Mavericks.
“I think him and I have a really good connection and a very similar inner drive where we just want to succeed,” Rowe said of his relationship with Mannino. “We want to win. We want championships.”
Mannino called Rowe “that ultimate competitor,” and this season they have been working together on the mental side of the game to help Rowe remain calm and composed.
“With the mental side and the technical side, we’re working on not over-pursuing things, not over-hyping things,” Mannino said. “But using and harnessing that competitiveness because that is a hard thing to come by and Cam has it. He has that desire and fire to win and be the best. Now, it’s fine-tuning that.”
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The season in Des Moines has also afforded Rowe — who is now committed to Wisconsin and set to join the Badgers next season — a chance to develop his leadership skills.
For much of his two seasons with the National Team Development Program, Rowe split playing time in the USHL with teammate Spencer Knight, the 13th overall pick in the 2019 NHL draft. Rowe’s experience, his role as the Buccaneers’ top goalie and his will to succeed all help to explain his emergence as a leader in Des Moines’ locker room.
“He is one of the foremost voices in our room,” Lind said. “We expect him to lead, and we want him to lead. He’s in our office all the time, giving us the pulse of the team and communicating between himself and Peter how things are going.”
Lind added that Rowe, who has a 3.52 goals-against average and an .899 save percentage, also does a good job of communicating with his younger teammates, especially the Buccaneers’ young defensemen.
During Rowe’s two seasons with the National Team Development Program, Lind served as the intern assistant coach. Lind, a Homer Glen native, said he spent a lot of time with Rowe over the summer and took him to White Sox games to try to help him not dwell on the draft. Lind acknowledged it was not easy for Rowe because Des Moines didn’t play its first preseason game until September, more than two months after the draft.
“You can’t prove yourself that, ‘Hey, I should have been drafted,'” Lind said. “He had to wait a couple months, and that stings. I think that was the biggest thing. Once he got going, once he got playing games and realized, ‘Hey, all that is is an opportunity for me.'”
Rowe said he has matured as a result of the 2019 draft, and it changed his perspective.
“There are tons of great players in the NHL today, great goalies in the NHL past and present, that went undrafted,” Rowe said. “That’s a total OK route to go. Honestly, those are the guys that they work the hardest. They understand what they have to do to be at that level because they had to work. Nothing’s been given to them. It’s the hard road, but it makes the best players and men.”
The NHL draft is scheduled for June in Montreal. Rowe said he will likely be working out in a gym while it takes place.
Ryan Nilsson is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Twitter @Pioneer_Press