CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — What began as another regular day for Josh Currie on Friday quickly turned memorable.
Currie, who signed a one-year contract with the parent Pittsburgh Penguins in October, participated in a scheduled practice with his new team, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League (AHL).
A team meeting ensued, and that is when the 28-year-old Currie received word of his appointment as team captain for this season.
“I didn’t have any inclination that they were going to announce it then or that I was going to be named captain,” said Currie. “It was a bit of a surprise.
“To be named captain of any organization or team is a high honour. It’s such a nice organization. With Wilkes-Barre with such a great history, it’s pretty cool to be named captain with some of the previous captains that they’ve had.”
That list includes Tom Kostopoulos, who played 646 regular-season and playoff games in the National Hockey League and served as captain of the AHL Penguins for seven seasons.
Shared the news
Currie first shared the news with those closest to him. His girlfriend, Cierra Tompkins, who is with Currie in Wilkes-Barre, was the first person he told. He also called his parents, Stephen and Joanne, who live in Sherwood.
“I wanted them to hear it from me before it hit social media,” Currie told The Guardian in a phone interview Saturday afternoon. “Then they told my grandparents (Robert and Joan Linkletter and David and Myrna Currie), and it kind of went through the family.”
It’s safe to say Currie has made an immediate impression with the Penguins’ organization. It’s not too often a player in his first year with a new organization is appointed the captain’s responsibilities.
“(Currie) has shown from his attitude, his work ethic in practice and in games the qualities that we’re looking for (in) someone to lead this team through this season,” said Wilkes/Barre-Scranton head coach J.D. Forrest in a media release.
“He hasn’t stopped working since he stepped his foot through the door.”
P.E.I. Connection
• Josh Currie is not the first Prince Edward Islander to serve as captain of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
• Charlottetown native Jason MacDonald wore the captain’s C for the 2001-02 American Hockey League season. MacDonald was an alternate captain with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton for the 2000-01 campaign.
• MacDonald played 187 regular-season games over three seasons with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton from 2000-01 to 2002-03. He had 29 goals and 36 assists for 65 points. He had four points, including one goal, in 18 playoff games.
Leadership groups
Currie is no stranger to leadership groups. He was an assistant captain with the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors the last two seasons, and he served as captain of the P.E.I. Rocket for his final two seasons – 2011-12 and 2012-13 – of his four-year career in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
Bakersfield is the top affiliate of the Edmonton Oilers. Currie appeared in 21 games with the Oilers during the 2018-19 National Hockey League season, recording two goals and three assists for five points.
Currie said his leadership style is the same as when he played with the Rocket (now the Charlottetown Islanders). He described himself as a player who will lead by example.
“I don’t give too many big hurrah speeches before games, but if there are times that things need to be said or a voice needs to be heard, then I am not afraid to speak up," said Currie. “I’m going to let my play dictate the type of leader I am going to be with my work ethic, on and off the ice, and show the younger guys what it takes to succeed at this level and to be a pro every day.
“I want to carry myself with high character and a hard work ethic, on and off the ice.”
Great experience
Currie, who started his junior career as a 15-year-old with the Summerside Western Capitals of the Maritime Junior Hockey League (MHL) in the 2008-09 campaign, attended Pittsburgh’s main training camp recently.
Overall, he said it was a great experience and a great time. He added this year’s training camp was “more condensed" than previous years due to the COVID-19 protocols.
“There is such a great history with that franchise, and it is such a prominent franchise in the league," said Currie. "It was pretty cool just to have the experience and be on the ice with guys like (Evgeni) Malkin, (Sidney) Crosby, (Kris) Letang and just to be around the coaching staff.”
Currie said he had a positive and upbeat meeting with Pittsburgh team officials at the end of training camp. He said they told him they liked what they saw from him during camp.
“I definitely left there feeling good with what I showed, and there was nothing more I could have asked for,” said Currie. “Now that I am down (in Wilkes-Barre), they told me to be the best player that I can and continue to do what’s got me to where I am today and do not change.
“That what I intend to do, take it one day at a time and let the chips fall where they may.”
Did You Know?
• The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins play out of Wilkes-Barre Township, PA., which is over 1,400 kilometres from Prince Edward Island.
• First-year Penguins forward Josh Currie of Sherwood has been in the Wilkes-Barre area for three weeks. So far, he likes what he sees.
• Currie said it’s a beautiful area and a great community with hard-working people: “From what I’ve seen, there are a lot of old brick buildings and lots of history, which I think is pretty cool to walk around and drive around to see. The people are very nice, and it’s not too big. It’s spread out, and so far, from what I’ve got to see and experience, it’s been great.”
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