Nick Drazenovic knows his cup of coffee in the NHL has gone cold.
Professional hockey at the highest level is a young man's game and at 29, the former Prince George Cougar realizes his dream of becoming an everyday big-league player drawing million-dollar contracts is over.
But that does not mean he's ready to pack it in as a pro, not when you have the talent as a two-way centre that Drazenovic still possesses. He knows there is a team in Europe that would benefit from having a veteran playmaker with above-average skating skills and a smart mind for the game and he's one phone call away from hopping on a plane to begin the next phase of his hockey career as the breadwinner for his wife and their new son.
Drazenovic became a father on Nov. 3 when his wife Billie gave birth to their baby boy, Mikko.
"It's a Finnish name, actually," said Drazenovic, whose family roots are in Croatia. "My grandpa (Mate) used to call me Mikko - it's slang for Nicholas."
Drazenovic had a European offer on the table in the summer but he didn't want to commit himself until after the baby was born. Now he's got at least two teams in Europe after his services. He had an offer to stay in North America to play pro in the ECHL but now that he has a family to take care of, Drazenovic says he would be better off going overseas because European teams provide players a place to live and a vehicle to drive. Teams in Europe also play fewer games and the distances involved in travel to road games are significantly shorter than those of the ECHL, which means less time away from home.
Drazenovic made his mark as a pro the past nine seasons in the American Hockey League. He played in 503 regular-season games with four teams, collecting 123 goals and 325 points. He's also seen action in 29 AHL playoff games, with four goals and 11 postseason points to his credit.
"It's funny, year to year your outlook on life and hockey changes," said Drazenovic. "Your first years, you're just happy to be a pro and you're doing everything to just be a pro, but as you get older you realize it's a job and you've got to supply for your family. It's a tough job and there are many good players - that's the problem. If you don't produce you don't play. If you don't play you don't get a contract and you get weeded out really quick, and that's the struggle I'm going through right now.
"The drive is still there, but you have to be realistic about it."
Two summers ago, Drazenovic signed with the San Antonio Rampage, Colorado's top farm team, but a neck injury forced him to have bone fusion surgery and last season he was limited to just 35 games and had just two goals and 10 points, by far his worst season since leaving the Cougars. He suffered the injury in January 2015 after getting blindsided in a game while playing for the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins.
"I played with (the injury) for a month and it was terrible, and I tried to let it heal for three months and so I went under the knife in June and nine months later I played in San Antonio," he said. "I only played 35 games and I'm just trying to catch up."
For the past couple months, Drazenovic has been skating with the Prince George Spruce Kings, trying to keep his skills sharp and his fitness level high. He and his agent are close to a deal and he expects to have a contract in place within the next couple weeks.
"Teams don't wait around for players, they just go ahead and get their guys and unfortunately I have to hope for an injury or for someone to be underperforming," he said. "Europe started the season in early August and with the baby coming I couldn't leave at that time."
Drazenovic was picked in the sixth round of the 2005 NHL draft, 171st overall by the St. Louis Blues. He played in 12 NHL games - three with St. Louis in 2010-11, eight with Columbus in 2012-13 and one with Pittsburgh in 2013-14. He doesn't think he'll ever get back to the NHL.
"I've said it a couple times to my wife and it's weird to have something you've been chasing since you can remember and kind of realize it's a very slim-to-none chance it could ever happen again," he said. "There's no point in lying about it or being unrealistic, that's the fact of the matter.
"I was unfortunate when I blew out my hip in the peak of my career (late in 2013) and came back and had a herniated disc in my neck and had surgery that summer. It was just a string of injuries."
Drazenovic's AHL career included four seasons with the Blues' top farm team, the Peoria Rivermen. He also played two seasons with the Springfield Falcons and two with Wilkes-Barre Scranton.
"It's tough but it's fun - it's what you've always dreamed of," said Drazenovic. "Obviously there's side effects with injuries and emotional ups and downs, but I've had fun. I mean, 500 games, I'm proud of that. You meet some good people throughout the years. I met my wife (in Peoria) and I had six close teammates win the (Stanley) Cup last year with Pittsburgh. You just make lifelong friends and some good connections."
Drazenovic, whose cousin Dale Marquette played pro in the Chicago Blackhawks organization, was a homegrown Cougar - born and raised in the city where he first joined hockey at age 7. He made an impact right away in the WHL in his 15-year-old season, scoring four goals and four assists in 15 games with the Cats. He ended up with 77 goals and 214 points in 281 regular-season games and totaled nine goals and 19 points in 24 WHL playoff games.
All of his playoff points came in the Cougars' 2007 playoff run, in which they made it to the third round, eventually losing to the Vancouver Giants in a five-game Western Conference championship series. Since then, the Cougars have never gotten past the first round of playoffs.
Drazenovic left the Cougars in 2007 at age 19 and turned pro with Peoria right after the Cats were knocked out of the playoffs. Thinking back on his junior career, he realizes he had a charmed life back then.
"I was at the Cougars' game the night after their home-opener (this season) and just the smell of the place and the crowd - I miss being in that barn wearing that jersey," he said. "It was just such a memorable time. Everyone was so good to me and treated me so well, even when I had an off-night and didn't play well.
"I was super-impressed when I watched (this year's Cougars). It looks like they're finely-tuned and well-coached and that's nice to see."
