Scarborough teenager Michael Bunting – a three-time athlete of the year recipient at Scarborough’s Blessed Cardinal Newman Catholic School – is getting used to taking his game to a whole new level. Literally.
The swift rise of his hockey stock culminated in an exciting start to this summer – selected 117th overall in the fourth round of the National Hockey League draft in late June by the Arizona Coyotes, and then subsequently attending their rookie training camp in early July.
"Rookie camp was an experience I won’t forget," he said in an email interview with The Mirror. "Just being at an NHL camp was a great experience in itself. I learned a lot and we had meetings every day about different things we will face in the NHL.
"They showed me what it will take to make it and what I can do for myself to be able to make it to the next level."
The first day was a practice followed by two days of scrimmages – all in front of about 500 hockey-starved fans.
"I felt when I left the camp I got a better view on what it is like to be playing at the next level and I can’t wait to go back for camp in September."
He’s definitely used to moving up a level.
Overlooked in the Ontario Hockey League draft for two years he finally made a very successful debut last season for the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (who drafted him in the ninth round – 160th overall – in the 2013 OHL priority draft). He made his OHL debut, having already graduated from Blessed Cardinal Newman.
The previous season (2012/13), also marked a much-belated debut at the triple-A level (the highest level of boys’ youth club hockey) with the Don Mills Flyers midget team.
Prior to that, he was content to play double-A hockey in Scarborough – three years for the Scarborough Young Bruins and prior to that three years with the Scarborough-based Toronto East Enders.
Each new level required an adjustment, as he explains:
"The biggest adjustment from AA to AAA was definitely the speed the players moved, the puck’s a lot quicker and the game was at a higher pace.
"The biggest adjustment from AAA to OHL was the skill set and strength. I wasn’t playing against kids anymore, every one was developed and everyone was trying to make the NHL so the pace was a lot faster and the skill was a lot better."
He listed a couple of reasons for staying at the ‘AA’ level for so many years.
"I didn’t move up from AA because I was playing with a tight core of friends and had good coaches and I enjoyed playing there.
"Also there was a financial issue for my family to move up from AA to AAA. AAA was at least a couple grand extra a year."
His late debut in the OHL did allow him to comlete a full – and successful – high school career in his home community, where he played baseball, badminton, tennis and volleyball, in addition to hockey, of course.
"My favourite highlight for high school sports would have to be in Grade 12 when we won city’s for hockey and went to OFSAA (Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations)," he said.
Growing up in the Pharmacy/St. Clair area of Scarborough, he also played other sports in the community when he was younger, a half decade of both soccer and softball at Clairlea and Topham Park, respectively.
His favourite team growing up, not surprisingly, was the Toronto Maple Leafs; his favourite player Joe Sakic.
Asked to name a player who he feels can best serve as a template for him, he said, "I model my game after Brad Marchand. I feel that when I’m getting under the opposing team’s skin I’m playing my best. Also Brad is able to put up really good numbers so I feel if I can do both of those things I can be very successful at the next level."
Bunting definitely put up good numbers in his OHL debut last season, despite missing 20 games to injury, contributing 42 points (15 goals and 27 assists) in 48 regular season games; and 6 points (5g, 1a) in 9 post season games.