Family comes first for Royals' Mitchell

Reading Royals forward and captain Garrett Mitchell has always wanted his family to experience his career with him, and he has made choices that he believes will positively affect them for their life during and after his hockey career.

Everything is answered as ‘we’ or ‘us’ when speaking to Mitchell. His family is at the heart of conversation when discussing his career choices. The nine-year veteran has put his wife and two daughters first and saw an opportunity with the Royals as a chance to keep them close while he continues to live out his dream and set up a life after hockey for them.

“The older and further along in my career that I go, family plays a huge role and it comes down to making choices for the future,” Mitchell said. “My girls are four and two years old and it’s one of the biggest reasons I wanted to be in the US this season.”

Mitchell’s family balances out the highs and lows of the game for him. Whether it’s coming home after a loss or a lengthy road trip, they have played an integral part in his career.

“A lot of guys have dogs in the game of hockey,” Mitchell said. “You come home and the dog’s wagging its tail. When I come home, it could be earlier in the morning and my girls are awake, in the bedroom ready to go. You could be coming home after a good or bad day at the rink and they have no idea, their excited to see you. It evens you out.”

His focus on his family and doing what is best for them drove the 28-year-old to venture to Europe last season and ultimately return to the states this year. He sees this season as a new beginning for them and a second chance at playing professional hockey.

Mitchell spent the first seven years of his professional career with the American Hockey League’s Hershey Bears. He played in 400 regular-season games with the Bears, and was the team’s captain in his final three seasons in Hershey.. When he learned he wasn’t going to be signed for the 2018-19 season, Mitchell began looking at his options. He had played with the idea of going over to Europe, but Hershey’s decision came late in the game when looking overseas.

He signed a tryout deal with the Royals, even though he was still actively looking for a slot on a European team for the 2018-19 season. Royals head coach Kirk MacDonald had reached out to Mitchell, inviting him to skate with the team and keep in shape while he was figuring out his next move. The two had an open conversation about Europe and when it was time for MacDonald to finalize his roster, Mitchell was honest with him about wanting to play a season abroad. 

“I went through camp and when he had to submit his opening day roster, I had told him I was still very much pursuing going over to Europe, and he was fine with that,” Mitchell said. “I think he was hoping at the time that maybe down the road, to where we are now, that if he had left that door open for me, it would be something I would want to come back to.”

For Mitchell, there was no better time to pursue Europe. He appreciated MacDonald’s understanding and wanted his family to be able to experience a new culture while they were still young and able to travel without worrying about school. His former teammates enjoyed playing in Germany and Sweden and Mitchell hoped to play for one of those top leagues.

“When we started looking so late in the game, everything was full,” Mitchell said. “We were waiting and finally Zvolen HKMin Slovakia really wanted us to come over. I signed on a Monday and that Saturday morning, my family and I were packed up and ready to go.

“It was a quick, ‘Hey let’s go and do it. We’ll play it by ear,’” Mitchell said.“It was only going to be for a couple of months so we decided to pull the trigger, go over and see how things were going to go there.”

The young family, although excited to bring their one-year-old and three-year-old daughters over to Slovakia, were unsure of what they would have access to over there to care for them. They didn’t know what type of formula and food would be available and wanted to be prepared. The Mitchells packed 13 bags, but to be fair, two were car seats, one was a stroller, one his hockey bag and one his bag of sticks. He joked that his wife would get upset when he’d tell people how much they brought to Europe because it sounded like they were traveling with their whole house.

“I had sent a picture to the general manager before we left and they brought a massive 15-passenger van for us,” Mitchell laughed. “It ended up being fine but it’s one of those things, when you get over to Europe, you realize everything is minimalized.”

There was never the question of Mitchell traveling to Europe by himself. For him and his wife, it was about exposing their children to a new culture and bring about to experience it as a family.

“We knew that wherever I was going to sign and end up going, everyone was going to come,” Mitchell said. “We were excited to get the kids in a different culture. My oldest actually went to a type of daycare. At the end of the five months there, she was counting in Slovakian, saying hi and bye. For us, we thought what’s a better way to do it than to bring the kids and let them experience a different lifestyle.”

Mitchell had success in Slovakia, but knew he wanted to continue the remainder of his career in North America. His relationship with MacDonald allowed him to sign with the Royals for the start of the 2019-20 season. Reading’s close proximity to their home in Hershey is ideal since the Mitchell’s wouldn’t have to uproot their family.

“We wanted to be back in the US and being here in Reading has given me the opportunity to continue playing,” Mitchell said. “We’re going through the process of getting our green cards to live in the states and really want to spend life after hockey here and be set up for what comes next.

Mitchell came into the season without much expectation except he wanted another chance at playing. He knew his veteran presence would be valuable to a young Royals team. He fully expected to come in, play and contribute while joining a new organization, with the hopes of call-ups, like any other player. He didn’t expect to become captain, but early in the preseason, Mitchell showed his “family-first” mentality, although this time it was “team-first” with his willingness to stick up for his teammates on the ice.

Mitchell was selected for the role of captain, marking the fourth season in his career that he was chosenfor the honored position for a professional team.

“I’ve never been one to worry about whether I’m going to be a captain or wear a letter,” Mitchell said. “I’m somebody that leads by example on the ice and by the way I play. I always say, if I can work hard, so can the next guy so for Kirk [MacDonald] to put that trust in me with as many young guys that we have coming in and out, it’s a huge honor.”

For a young team, strong leadership can make all the difference. Whether it’s with the transition to the professional level on or off the ice, veterans can offer guidance and show what needs to be done to compete at a high level.  Mitchell understands how important of a role it is and hopes his experience helps his teammates.

“Maybe it’s my personality, but I’ve always wanted to try and help guys out,” Mitchell said.“I had a great leadership group my first year in Hershey with guys that I was able to look up to, ask questions and better understand the game. If I can give that back to the guys who I am now in charge of, for a lack of better words, it’s pretty neat.”

At the ECHL level, Mitchell says he has been challenged as a leader of an ever-changing roster.The growing level of skill and competitiveness in the league can lead several guys on a team to be loaned to an AHL team at any given time, for any length of time. The Royals captain sees it as a unique opportunity to help players while they are on the team.

“It’s pretty crazy the influx of players in and out of the lineup even through half the season played,” Mitchell said. “We’ve got guys that might be here for a week or two and then they move on. That has been a little challenging but at the same time, we’ve had a great group of guys so far this year. It’s a fun thing to take care of a bunch of young guys and show them the ropes.”

While the season started out as a way to keep his family close, Mitchell has gained a new family in his team. He’s taking it all in strides, trying to lead his teammates to victory while helping the younger players adjust off-ice. He knows his team’s success will lead to his own success. Mitchell has been call-up once so far this season, to the AHL’s Laval Rocket where he appeared in two games.

“My goal is no different than anyone else’s, and that’s to further my hockey career,” Mitchell said. “If I’m able to do that, that’s a bonus for me and my family. I had a great opportunity to go to Laval. My family has been super supportive. It’s tough on them when I do go for two weeks and leave everybody behind but at the same time, it’s been a great experience for us.”

Another call-up could be around the corner, but Mitchell will take it one day at a time. He knows the Royals have a fighting chance to make a run during the second half of the year, and hopes their success leads to open doors for him and his team.

“I want to try and make the next level again,” Mitchell said.“Am I going to make it back to the NHL? I don’t know but at the same time my goal is to come in every game, play and hopefully get the chance to work myself back into a position that I can help both myself and team out.”