WORCESTER—It is unfortunate, but true, that the best defenseman award in any hockey league goes to the one with the most points. It is simple — goals scored are easier to tabulate than goals prevented.
What is in a number, anyway?
The Railers’ all-time leader in the revered plus-minus category is defenseman Myles McGurty at plus-19. He scored four goals in 131 games.
Not every defenseman in the ECHL plays against the Railers during the long season, so it is hard to make evaluations beyond their schedule, but a case can be made that Worcester’s defense pairing of Griffin Luce and Connor Welsh is among the league’s best.
They both score and prevent goals. Welsh is already among the city’s most profilic defense scorers, AHL and ECHL. Luce has a less spectacular, but no less important, style.
“It’s nice to have someone over there with Welsh who is ready to hit a one-timer any point,” coach Nick Tuzzolino said of Luce. “He’s a big defender and that kind of allows Connor to move and freewheel a litle, even to my displeasure at some time, and at same time you need that sort of player to complement a Connor Welsh.”
With about one-quarter of the regular season left to play, Luce has already set career highs in goals and points at 5-10-15. He and Welsh are tied for the Railers’ best plus-minus mark at plus-8.
“I take pride in my role as a shutdown guy, a power play or penalty kill guy,” Luce said. “That’s kind of been my game. I’ve always had that in me and found that if I was going to get to the next level, that’s what I had to be.
“This year, playing with a guy like Welsh, playing with him and what he does with the puck and playing for (Tuzzolino) who encourages me to get in the rush and shoot pucks more, I think this is the most points I’ve had in my career.”
Luce is a member of upstate New York hockey royalty.
His grandfather is Don Luce, one of the most popular players in Buffalo Sabres history. His dad is Scott Luce, an ex-pro hockey goaltender. That just about covers the ice. Don was a center, Scott a goalie and Griffin is on the blue line.
Both Don and Scott Luce have made hockey their lives. They transitioned from playing to careers in player development. Tuzzolino is from Buffalo and has worked closely with Don Luce for years.
“He is a phone call away from being my assistant coach here right now, Tuzzolino said. “He’s sharp, has a great hockey mind. A lot of players from that era of Sabres are still around, and he’s one of the biggest names.”
Not only has Griffin Luce been effective, he has also been durable. He has played in 54 of Worcester’s 55 games to date, but there’s a catch. Luce has played in 55 games total this season. That includes one with the AHL Hartford Wolf Pack.
Luce has spent a lot of time in the American Hockey League during his five year pro career. That includes stints with his hometown Rochester Americans, Springfield, Milwaukee and Hartford. With all the ice time Luce is getting and the increased offense that has come with it, he seems to be on track to get another look at that level.
“When we talked this summer about him coming here,” Tuzzolino said, “we were talking about him become a more well-rounded player.”
The Railers have 17 games left in the regular season, all against good teams. That stretch begins this weekend with a 3-in-3 set at Trois-Rivieres, the North Division’s best team. All 17 games are against North Division opponents, 11 versus teams above them in the standings.
“I think that’s beneficial for us,” Luce said. “We’re playing in meaningful games against good teams. We want to have that playoff mentality going into the home stretch.”
Luce has a birthday during that home stretch. He turns 27 on Monday, right after the weekend in Trois-Rivieres. A good result in Quebec would make things even more festive.
