Sure, Colin Theisen saw the good that came with him returning “home” earlier this season after the Tucson Roadrunners assigned him to the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye.
But make no mistake: he’s glad to be back in the Old Pueblo.
The Roadrunners sent the Monroe, Michigan, native to Toledo back in October as the Southern Arizona’ American Hockey League club shifted its roster around; Toledo is about a 27-minute drive from Monroe.
“It was close to family and friends, which kinda helped out with that decision,” Theisen said. “Obviously you don’t want to go down any time, but best case scenario for that situation.
“But, yeah, it’s good to be back (in Tucson),” he said.
In 10 games for the Walleye, Theisen had nine points, with the Roadrunners calling him back up to the AHL on Nov. 24.
“Honestly I thought he responded tremendously,” Tucson head coach Steve Potvin. “That is the hardest thing to do is to not feel you’re a part of it or maybe you start to feel like you’re not as valued and that’s not the case at all with ‘Tice.’
Roadrunners’ forward Colin Theisen (63) races ahead of Coachella Valley’s Shane Wright (51) while chasing down the puck during the second period of Tucson’s matchup with the Firebirds on Oct. 21 at Tucson Arena.
“I think he understands that there is value there and he understands that this is a difficult league. There are good players and sometimes we have to make decisions that are the business and the game is gonna ask of us.”
Theisen’s response to being called back to Tucson has shown, too. He was instrumental in the Roadrunners’ somewhat successful two-game set on the road at the Colorado Eagles. He scored a goal Friday night, then was the catalyst of the final goal Saturday. Theisen tried to get a wraparound attempt on net, only to have teammate Josh Doan deflect it in for the game-winner with just 22 seconds to play.
“I thought he was great,” Potvin said. “He’s been waiting for an opportunity to play. And you know what, and as hard as it is, he shows up every day trying to get the best out of himself and it shows when you do that and you respond with a couple points and key points in key moments, critical moments.
“You can see what type of person he is, what type of character he has.”
Theisen and the Roadrunners (13-7-1-1) host the Abbotsford Canucks (13-7-2-0) on Friday and Saturday, both at 7 p.m. The Canucks are the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks.
After the Atlanta Gladiators served as the ECHL affiliate of the AHL Roadrunners and NHL’s Arizona Coyotes last season, they switched to Nashville Predators/Milwaukee Admirals for 2023-24. That left the Roadrunners without one an ECHL affilliate.
So while Theisen went to Toledo back in October, Tucson sent right wings Micah Miller and Reece Vitelli to Atlanta.
“I think it was good for him,” Potvin said, “to be close to home and to be close to family. I think that’s always positive and I think that always kind of gives you a little bit more of a boost.”
Theisen played 16 games for Tucson in 2022 after he played for Notre Dame and ASU. He racked up 11 points that year. Last season he played in only 31 games for Tucson, picking up 15 points, as he split time with Atlanta.
This year’s stint in the ECHL was in a familiar place though.
“My family and I, with a lot of friends, we used to go to all of their games I actually know like half their team — a lot of buddies on the team — which made the transition a little bit easier,” Theisen said.
When he returned to Tucson Theisen had to wait, though. His first action for the Roadrunners since October came against Colorado. Obviously he was ready for it.
“It’s very hard,” Theisen said about sitting out for an extended period of time. “You just gotta stay positive everyday, work on your game.
When things aren’t going your way it’s easy to get negative and pout, stuff like that,” he added. “But the more positive you are and the more you try to work on your game and get better the better off you’re going to be when you get in there.”
Slapshots
Saturday’s game is the Roadrunners’ annual Teddy Bear Toss game, where fans are asked to bring in stuffed animals to throw on the ice after Tucson scores their first goal.
The bears will be donated local children with Aviva Children’s Services.
Last week Tucson had to wait for Colorado’s toss.
“It’s absolutely annoying when you’re on the road and you love it when you’re at home,” Potvin said. “You’re celebrating a goal and I think in that type of circumstance, we scored the first goal of the game and we felt like we had really good momentum and then for us we didn’t like it because they scored and then there was a 25 minute lapse.
“All we could think about was the last goal that they scored, so it kinda threw us off our game a little bit.”
The Eagles would jump ahead 3-1 before Tucson came back to win 4-3 following the Doan goal.
“We just played one in Colorado so we know what it’s like to get scored on for that but it’s great to give back to our community and help kids out in need and our fans really appreciate that and we appreciate them for it,” Theisen said.
Last December Tucson forward Travis Barron scored the teddy bear goal, though the Roadrunners lost 3-2 to the Ontario Reign.
“It’s cool,” Barron said. “It’s one of those nights that everyone circles on their calendar is where the place is loud, it’s for a great cause, it’s just a good vibe and a lot of fun being a part of.”
The Roadrunners will wear Teddy Bear Toss Warm Up Jerseys and they will auction those off to benefit their community efforts. Holiday mini sticks and locker room name plates are also available.
VIDEO: Tucson Roadrunners forward Josh Doan (with assist from forward Colin Theisen on the wraparound attempt) scores the late game-winner with 22 seconds left in the third period to secure a 4-3 road win over the Colorado Eagles on Dec 9, 2023. (Video courtesy Tucson Roadrunners/AHL)
VIDEO: Tucson Roadrunners forward forward Colin Theisen scores on a plast during the Colorado Eagles' 4-2 win over the visiting Roadrunners on Dec. 8, 2023, in Loveland, Colorado. (Video courtesy Tucson Roadrunners/AHL)
