He grew up watching Rick Nash, now he's playing in the same house that #61 helped build.
Kole Sherwood, a Columbus native (New Albany, more specifically) made his home debut for the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday night in a 5-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning; recording six hits, two shots on goal and a +1 rating in the process.
Sherwood made his official NHL debut on Saturday night against the Blackhawks in Chicago, but surely returning home for Monday night's game had a different feel.
Sherwood didn't seem to be carrying too many nerves in his first two NHL starts: going into corners, throwing hits and not being afraid to drive to the net with the puck.
In fact, In the first period against the Lightning, Sherwood found himself alone in the slot and rifled a low shot that was gloved by Tampa Bay's Andrei Vasilevskiy. What a moment that could have been for the 22-year-old.
"Got a good one on (net), said Sherwood after Monday's game. "But he's (Vasilevskiy) a good goalie, so, made a good save there."
Sherwood fielded several questions about the game itself, but when he finally did get to talk about his first professional game on Nationwide Arena's ice, he was somewhat at a loss for words, understandably so:
"I still don't know, really, how to take my eyes on it, but it's been a whirlwind - I'm just looking forward to the next opportunity."
Unfortunately for Sherwood, that next opportunity may be a little further away than originally anticipated. Along with the announcement on Tuesday morning that forward Brandon Dubinsky was being activated off Injured Reserve, it was announced that Sherwood was being assigned to the AHL.
This shouldn't be a discouragement to Sherwood, though - the Blue Jackets are looking to make a playoff push, and unless your name is Connor McDavid or Auston Matthews, keeping a roster spot during your rookie season, after two games, in February, is pretty unlikely.
Through those two games in total, Sherwood has recorded ten hits, two shots on goal, a blocked shot and +1 rating, all while averaging almost ten minutes of ice time.
As the young forward continues to develop, don't be surprised to see his name in the mix at next training camp, fighting for a final roster spot for the Blue Jackets.
