'Mentoring role': Lawson Crouse leading Coyotes in eighth NHL season

Next Level: Lawson Crouse Wearing an ‘A’ on his jersey, Lawson Crouse has stepped into a leadership role for the Arizona Coyotes.

Wearing an ‘A’ on his jersey, Lawson Crouse has stepped into a leadership role for the Arizona Coyotes as he approaches the 500-career game mark this NHL season.

“The experiences that I that I have gone through has helped kind of mold the player that I am today,” said Crouse, 26, in his eighth NHL season.

The Mt. Brydges, Ont. native credits former teammates like Shane Doan in helping him handle the ups and downs of professional hockey. That includes being sent to the minors after his rookie season.

During his time in the NHL, he’s naturally settled into a mentoring role.

With no captain on the Coyotes, Crouse is one of three players sharing the assistant captain job.

“The biggest thing that I probably learned over my career is not to sweat over the small things,” said Crouse.

“Early on in my career, I was losing sleep over a single bad play. It took me a couple a couple years to figure it out”.

Throughout his life, people have looked up to him. Partially because he’s a towering 6’4” inches tall, but also because he’s a natural leader.

“He's actually just a kind soul,” said Kristen Crouse, Lawson’s mom.

“I know I'm his mom, and I'm saying that but he is a really kind-hearted person and he thinks about others. He wants to make other people better.”

He may be a kind soul off the ice, but on it, he’ll go to battle for his teammates. Dubbed ‘The Sheriff’ by the organization and fans, he’ll drop the gloves when necessary.

“It's getting better now, but when he used to get into fights, I would always wish I had a little microphone to his helmet and say ‘STOP, mom doesn't want you to fight,’” Kristen told CTV News.

Lawson got his start playing hockey in Mt. Brydges, then he moved to play for the Elgin-Middlesex Chiefs.

He would be drafted by the Kingston Frontenacs of the OHL, and during his junior hockey years he won a World Junior gold medal in 2015 for Canada.

“Anytime you throw the Canadian Jersey over it's a huge privilege,” said Lawson. “Growing up I was always watching World Juniors. Christmas time that was my favorite time of year. Waking up early when the tournament was overseas, setting the alarm early and watching and that's kind of what made winning World Juniors in Toronto-Montreal so special because of all those memories that I had as a kid.”This past summer was also memorable — He won a gold medal overseas at the World Championship, and then got married to his fiancé.

He loves playing in Arizona where the weather is great, but his mother isn’t a big fan of the home games in the Mountain Time zone.

“It's kind of tough because Arizona is so far behind in the time,” said Kristen.

“Their games most times don’t start until nine o'clock and sometimes I just can't stay up that late to watch it.”

She does cheer them on from afar, and has her fingers crossed that his team will take the next step this season.

“Maybe the team will make playoffs this year,” she said. “He just got married this summer, and so he and his wife [Claire] have bought a house in Arizona so we'll be able to see it when we get down there in February. I think his goal is just to continue to work hard be a team player and win the Stanley Cup someday.”

To accomplish that, the Coyotes will have to lean on players like Crouse to help them reach the post-season for the first time in four years.

“Our ultimate goal is to obviously be in a playoff spot come the end of the season,” said Crouse.