Adrian Dater
See that look on Shane Bowers’ face above? That’s the look of a guy who is tired of being too nice anymore. It’s the look of a guy who is ready to push back in the unsympathetic, survival-of-the-fittest world of the National Hockey League.
Shane Bowers, first-round pick of the Ottawa Senators in 2017, has yet to play a game in the NHL. He’s 22 years old. Still a young guy. But for a guy who was a first-round pick? That’s a while now. If he doesn’t make an NHL roster soon, he is at high risk of being labeled something between “bust” and “late-bloomer.”
Officially listed at 6-foot-2, 186 pounds on his NHL.com bio, Bowers, I’m told, is more like 200-205 now. The Avs told Bowers that he needed to bulk up some over the summer, and he has. The former pencil neck looks more like a fire hydrant. The casual smile has been replaced by more of a mean mug.
This, to underscore things, is a big training camp for Shane Bowers with the Colorado Avalanche. His career is verging on “put up or shut up” territory. And yet, that’s a bit unfair too. His 2019-20 season with the Colorado Eagles was cut short by the pandemic, as was the 2020-21 season – along with some time missed with an injury.
His development was hindered by a thing out of his control. This summer was about taking more control of his life and career again, which explains the added muscle and added determination to get out of the minor-league bushes and into the big time, once and for all. But, is there a realistic spot for Bowers on this talented and deep Avs roster?
Training camp will sort a lot of that question out.
Bowers, though, is ready.
“Strength, lower body, lot of jumps,” Bowers said of a big part of his off-season training. “My training this year, I was able to get a lot stronger.”
Bowers, from Halifax, Nova Scotia, skated a lot with fellow Maritimers Nathan MacKinnon, Sidney Crosby and Brad Marchand back home. He also spent time training in Chicago. But will all that work in the gym pay off where it matters more – on the ice?
We’ll see, starting with tonight’s Burgundy-White scrimmage.
Bowers was at Avs training camp last season, but had some bad luck. He was diagnosed with Covid-19, but it turned out to be a false-positive. That essentially forfeited any chance to make the Avs roster. So, here we are again. No false-positives this time. Full health. But it all comes down to performance on the ice. He hopes the added muscle will make it easier for him to compete at the highest level.
And, it wasn’t just in the gym where weight was added.
“For me, a big part of it was eating, to put on weight and maintain that weight,” Bowers said. “Training, with the eating, was the biggest part of it.”