Pokulok taking game to next level

Sasha Pokulok will let you see glimpses of it. He gives snapshots of his potential on the ice that leave you nearly speechless.

There was the time last season when the South Carolina Stingrays defenseman stepped around two Charlotte forwards at the blue line and roofed a shot over the shoulder of Checkers goalie Chris Holt for a power-play goal.

There was Game 1 against Augusta in the opening round of the 2008 Kelly Cup playoffs when Pokulok went end-to-end, skating through all five Lynx players and eventually getting behind the Augusta net. With a Lynx defense-man draped all over him, Pokulok shrugged him off and found Sean Collins at the Stingrays' blue line with a tape-to-tape pass for an easy goal.

It is Pokulok's offensive skill, his skating ability, and his 6-5, 230-pound frame that made the former Cornell star a first-round pick in the 2005 NHL draft by the Washington Capitals.

But while his skills are indisputable, the expectations that come with being a first-round draft pick have carried a heavy burden for the soft-spoken Pokulok. Labeled a bust by some hockey experts just two years into his professional career, Pokulok's development has been too slow for some Capitals fans.

"When you're a first-rounder, you are normally getting fast-tracked for the NHL," Stingrays coach Jared Bednar said. "The expectations are really high for a first-rounder, but that's to be expected because of the amount of money that the organization has invested in you. And, to me, it's really unfair to put those expectations on the kid himself.

"Everyone develops at a different rate. Two years from now, if Sasha is playing in the NHL and he goes on to have a 10-year career, then he was drafted exactly where he should have been drafted."

The comments on some Internet chat rooms and blogs have been so negative that Pokulok avoids them altogether.

"My aunt and uncle get on them from time-to-time and call me up," Pokulok said. "I tell them I don't want to know what they're saying. I don't care about what they say about me. I can only worry about working hard and improving each day I'm on the ice."

It's that kind of attitude that has Bednar convinced that Pokulok will land in the NHL one day soon.

"You look for certain things from a young player," Bednar said. "Does he have a good work ethic and is he improving? I can honestly answer 'yes' to both. Sasha works hard, he wants to get better, and he's getting better. He's so much better this year than he was last year. He's a totally different player and a totally different person.

"There's no question he has the ability to play at the next level and in the NHL. I played with first-round guys in American League that didn't have anywhere near the talent that Sasha has right now."

But there are reasons why Pokulok is with the Stingrays right now and not in Hershey, the Stingrays' American Hockey League affiliate, or in Washington.

"The biggest thing is that Sasha needs to be more consistent," Bednar said. "That's his biggest problem. You can see the potential and he'll show it to you during a shift, or during a period or for a game or two. But then the next shift, or the next period or the next game it's not there. Once Sasha figures that out he won't be in this league very long or the American League."

Pokulok's rookie season with the Hershey was a disaster.

After leaving Cornell following his sophomore season, Pokulok suffered a concussion in his first game with Hershey. He was forced to sit out for nearly four months before finally getting assigned to the Stingrays late in the season. He played in 16 games with the Stingrays, but then suffered his second concussion of the season in March.

"It was the most frustrating year of my life," Pokulok said. "It was depressing because normally there's a time line on when you can get hurt. You know when you're going to be back on the ice. With a concussion, you just sit there until you get better. You have to do the opposite of what you want to do. Some days you feel good, and then the next day you feel terrible."

Missing almost his entire rookie season is a major reason why Pokulok ended up with the Stingrays again this spring.

"He missed all that time with a concussion and that was a huge setback in his development," Bednar said. "Right now, he's probably where he should have been last year. If you think about it, Sasha would be a senior coming out of college this year. There's no doubt in my mind that if Sasha was in college, he would be dominating at that level."

Finally able to start working out in July, Pokulok played in 44 games with Hershey this season and felt like he was making progress. But with two weeks left in the regular season, Pokulok was assigned to the Stingrays so he could be eligible for the Kelly Cup playoffs.

"It's a whole different level up in the American League," Pokulok said. "I only played one game last year, and I got a little bit more of a taste this year, so I felt like I was improving. Right before I left they told me to prove I didn't belong in the ECHL. That's what I'm trying to do. I want to get better and move on to the highest level."

While most first-round picks usually sulk in the ECHL, Pokulok has used the ice time to hone his skills.

In 16 regular season and playoff games, Pokulok has been arguably the Stingrays' best defenseman. He has four assists in 11 playoff games and his plus-2 rating is among the best on the team.

"He was our best player on the ice for the first two games of the series with Augusta," Bednar said. "He showed a physical side of his game that we didn't see last year."

When other Stingrays were struggling to stop Augusta's Aaron Slattengren, Bednar put Pokulok on the ice to shut down the Lynx sniper.

"Sasha was great on Slattengren all series," Bednar said. "Some of our other defensemen and our forwards had trouble with Slattengren, but Sasha had no trouble stopping him and throwing him around out there. Not many guys in this league are going to be able to drive to the net with Sasha leaning on them.

"What's good about Sasha is that he just doesn't muscle guys off the puck and then chuck it away. He's smart. He gets the puck and he can skate out of situations and make plays up the ice."

Pokulok did the same thing against Gwinnett's Guillamue Desbiens in the next series, shutting down the Gladiators' power forward in the third period of the decisive Game 5.

"He's kind of been our go-to guy down the stretch," Bednar said. "I've got confidence that Sasha is going to get the job done."

It is Bednar's trust in Pokulok's ability that has given him more confidence in his own game.

"For me, when a coach has confidence in me, it brings my play up a level," Pokulok said. "I think that's one of the reasons why I've enjoyed playing here so much. I'm getting on the ice a lot, I'm getting to play in crucial situations. I think that will help me at the next level."

Reach Andrew Miller at apmiller@postandcourier.com and check out the new Stingrays blog at, charleston.net/blogs/stingrays/