Last Updated on Sunday, 27 May 2012 18:31
By Andrew Vitalis
It seems like Danny Irmen’s entire hockey career has been filled with big-time decisions. Big-time decisions by a big-time player.
Irmen remembers when he was entering his sophomore season of high school hockey, living in Fargo, N.D.
“I remember my dad lost his job. At the same time, I was at a hockey camp and there were a bunch of guys from the AHL there. One player from the Ottawa Senators sat me down and told me I needed to get out of Fargo,” remembered Irmen. “My dad lost his job at that exact time. I went home and told my parents and the next thing I knew, my dad said he could get a job in Grand Forks (N.D.), so we went there.”
The significance of that decision allowed Irmen to transfer to Grand Forks Red River High School for his sophomore season. The move also paired him with former Gopher and friend Grant Potulny. It was a much better hockey environment for the budding star.
From there, pieces fell like dominoes and the opportunities continued to come. Less than one year later, Irmen found himself making yet another difficult decision when the USHL came calling. Looking back on it, Irmen considers it a no-brainer.
“I played my junior and senior years in the USHL. It was tougher on my mom than it was on me. I was able to go to Lincolnwith some friends, guys that I played with in high school so that helped the transition,” mentioned Irmen. “I think (looking back) I was meant to do all of that, things just worked out perfect for me.”
Perfect is a term sometimes overused, but in this case, accurate. Don’t believe me? After two extremely successful seasons in the USHL, Irmen skated all the way to Minneapolis, accepting a scholarship from the Gophers. It was a dream come true for the life-long maroon and gold fanatic.
“It was a dream come true,” laughed Irmen. “Growing up in Fargo, we got MSC and I remember watching all of the Gopher games with my dad. When I was in fifth grade, I got a Gopher jersey with my name on it.”
It certainly didn’t take long for all Gopher fans, as well as everyone else associated with the WCHA, to learn his name. Irmen exploded onto the ice by scoring 22 points in 44 games during the 2003-04 season. In addition, in 2003, his Minnesota ties became even stronger when the Minnesota Wild drafted Irmen in the third round (78th overall).
“That was a pretty neat day, getting drafted by Minnesota,” remembered Irmen. “Playing with the Gophers, knowing the tradition, I knew that the Wild had the same tradition. To be drafted was a dream come true, but to be drafted by Minnesotamade it that much more special.”
Over the next two seasons, he played like a top draft pick. As a sophomore, Irmen scored 24 goals and averaged one point per game. Then as a junior, he posted 38 points in 30 games, including a collegiate career best 22 assists. It was easy for everyone to see, including the scouts, that Irmen was ready for the next level.
What followed was another difficult decision for the former Gopher and current Houston Aero; stay or go? With a handful of right decisions already behind him, Irmen went with his heart and decided to pass on his senior season with the ‘U’ and begin his professional campaign with the Wild organization.
Irmen got his first glimpse of the next level at the end of the 2005-06 season by playing four games with Houston, scoring two points. Six months later, he found himself playing in a Minnesota Wild uniform, participating in their preseason camp. For a guy who describes himself as an “easygoing” guy, Irmen remembers the exact moment when it all sunk in.
“It was different for me coming from college, it was my first NHL camp. I really wasn’t nervous until I was in the locker room. I looked across the room and you see (Marian) Gaborik, (Pavol) Demitra, guys like that,” commented Irmen. “You get to go out there and play against those guys. All you can do is play your game. You try not to get starstruck but I think I did a little bit, especially that first year.”
Maybe so, but his numbers didn’t reflect that. After being assigned to the Houston Aeros out of training camp, Irmen didn’t skip a beat during his first full season as a pro. He played in a whopping 80 games, scoring 17 goals and adding 20 assists. The next season, Irmen appeared in 77 games. In addition to his appearance on the score sheet, the former Gopher began to adjust on the fly. As he puts it, he decided to become more physical, filling a valuable role that every team desperately needs.
“You really don’t know what to expect coming out of college. You just have to go down there and play and see what you learn. It was different for me; I began to play a different role, especially my second year. I was more of a third or fourth line checking guy. I decided to try and fill that role, play well, be more of an X’s and O’s type of guy. That’s the way most guys get to theNHL,” stated Irmen. “It’s not that you don’t score goals or get points, it’s just a different mindset. You have to be more defensive minded. Being that way, you’re going to be one of the guys that’s on the ice during the last minute when things are tight.”
Dependable comes to mind. No question, Irmen’s dependability has scored him points with the organization. This past summer, he signed another contract with Houston. It was another decision that came easy to the 24 year-old.
“I’m really happy with Houston. They have been upfront with me the whole time and I’ve been really happy with how they have treated me to this point,” said Irmen. “Obviously, I don’t want to be a career AHL guy. My whole life, the ultimate goal has been to play in the NHL, that’s what you dream about when you’re playing street hockey as a kid. All you can do is hope you get a chance and make the best of it when it comes whether it’s here or someplace else.”
When it happens, a Minnesota uniform would be fitting. After all, if it’s not broke, why fix it?
