Tomas Hertl, optimistic, all smiles ahead of his first full season with the Golden Knights

LAS VEGAS — Vegas Golden Knights veteran forward Tomas Hertl’s jovial personality is known as the highlight of a locker room.

Having spent most of his 11-year career in San Jose, it was rare for the 30-year-old not to have a smile on his face.

Now set for his first full campaign in Vegas, it’s the combination of his upbeat personality and offensive prowess that everyone hopes will help the Knights make another deep playoff run.

“He’s a guy who’s been in San Jose his whole career and all of a sudden he’s in a completely different group,” forward Jack Eichel said. “He’s trying to establish himself with what made him so successful as a player and now he’s trying to fit in with our group.

“Anyone who knows him knows he’s a phenomenal human being and he fit right in off the ice.”

Hertl reported to Las Vegas shortly after the Sharks traded him on March 8, while he was still recovering from knee surgery he had undergone about a month earlier.

And while it was only a small sample size after playing the final six games of the regular season and the first round of the playoffs for Vegas, coach Bruce Cassidy knew what to expect after his team’s rather long summer break.

“He’s a lot further along than he was last year just because of the situation he came in with, coming off major surgery and not knowing his teammates very well,” Cassidy said. “It’s been a tough adjustment. I think the summer probably did him as much good as anybody on the team in terms of his recovery. And now training camp will help them build some chemistry with the line he lands on.”

During two days of camp at the team’s facility, Hertl centered a line between Nicolas Roy and Alexander Holtz.

And, yes, it’s obvious the two-time All-Star is still getting used to his teammates while finding his groove on the ice, but Hertl said he doesn’t care who Cassidy lines up with on opening night of the season.

It’s all about contributing to your role. And he believes that starts in the locker room.

“When the team is united, everyone is pulling in the same direction, nobody is playing for points or anything, all 23 guys just play together, that’s how you win games,” the Prague native said Wednesday, flashing his trademark smile. “And as soon as I came here… I knew from day one, it’s a fun team and the guys are having fun, making jokes… I want to be a part of it and make it even better.”

Hertl will undoubtedly be one of the skaters shouldering the scoring burden now that Jonathan Marchessault and Chandler Stephenson, who both ranked in the team’s top five in points last season, are skating in Nashville and Seattle, respectively.

After 11 seasons, Hertl is averaging 20 goals and 24 assists per season. His career average of 44.3 points per season would have ranked seventh on the Golden Knights last season.

“He’s obviously a really good player in this league, and I think we have a couple of similar games, too,” Roy said. “I think we’re both reliable defensively, so we can play against the best lines. But he’s a big guy. He protects the puck well, he’s really good in front of the net, so it’ll be fun to see how it goes.”

Hertl was arguably among the Sharks’ best offensive playmakers, and by establishing himself as a key figure in the Knights’ locker room and in Cassidy’s lineup, Hertl is sure to become the same fan favorite in Vegas that he was in San Jose.

“I expect him to come back and be the Tomas Hertl that we’ve seen all his playing years,” Eichel said. “I think we have a lot of confidence in him, and I know he’s had a huge summer working out and trying to get back on track. It’s not easy coming back from an injury. I think he’s going to be a big part of our team this year.”

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NHL AP: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL