How Jacob Trouba has grown into Rangers’ leadership role

For Jacob Trouba, stepping into a leadership role on the Rangers was an organic transition that was years in the making as he matured throughout his hockey career.

It wasn’t until midway through last season, Trouba’s second with the Rangers, that his teammates began singling him out as a prominent voice in the locker room. They identified him as the player they looked to after a bad period and someone who consistently led by example. It didn’t take long for Trouba to join Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad, two of the longest-tenured Rangers, as the players who spoke on behalf of the team after the losses that were the most difficult to put into words.

An alternate captain for the Rangers the past two seasons, Trouba has evolved into a hybrid leader. The 27-year-old has taken qualities from each of the players who helped shape him throughout his career, in addition to his experiences, and implemented it into his own style.

“I learned a lot of it is [setting an] example and how, what you do every day, people watch,” Trouba told The Post. “How you treat yourself, how you treat other people, people watch. On the ice, I would say, I think I’ve always worked hard and battled and led in that aspect.

“I wasn’t the most outgoing kid, it was never easy for me to speak out, especially in new places. I’m the type of person who needs to get comfortable around people before I’m comfortable being myself. It’s something I’ve tried to work on a lot in my life.

“I think picking your times to be vocal, building relationships with people, caring about people, caring about your teammates on a deeper level than hockey, that’s where you build leadership, that’s where you build trust. And when it’s time when you ask someone to do something, then you have that trust and they trust you.”

During his first six NHL seasons with the Jets, the organization that drafted him ninth overall in 2012, Trouba looked up to Andrew Ladd, Mark Stuart, Chris Thorburn and Blake Wheeler. Ladd was Winnipeg’s captain when Trouba was a rookie in 2013-14. Trouba said he needed to be steered in the right direction, and Ladd did just that.

Stuart, who last played in the NHL in 2017 and now works as an assistant coach at Colorado College, was Trouba’s defense partner and locker buddy.

“He just taught me a lot about being a pro,” Trouba said of Stuart. “I was a very immature kid, I can admit that.”

Thorburn, who retired in June 2020, showed Trouba the importance of having a good attitude and treating people the right way — teammates, staff and trainers alike. Wheeler, who had played six seasons in the NHL before Trouba arrived in Winnipeg, developed a strong relationship with the Michigan native away from the ice. Seeing Wheeler interact with his wife and kids at home had a lasting impact on Trouba.

The Jets traded Trouba to the Rangers in June 2019 in exchange for Neal Pionk and Winnipeg’s own first-round pick in that year’s draft. It took some time for Trouba to find his footing, but by the end of his first season with the Rangers, he had seemingly settled in.

When Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury announced that naming a captain ahead of this season was a priority, Trouba was near the top of the list, along with Kreider and Zibanejad. Instead, head coach Gerard Gallant named those three as alternates, in addition to Artemi Panarin, Ryan Strome and Barclay Goodrow.

While it was strange to backtrack on such an assertion, Trouba said the Rangers have moved on and are comfortable with their group of leaders.

“Ultimately, it doesn’t change anything whether you have a ‘C’, an ‘A’ or nothing on your chest,” Trouba said. “You’re going to be who you are, and that’s the reason you’re a leader is because of who you are. It’s not because someone told you [that] you are.”

Gallant said he’s not surprised Trouba has taken an initiative in the Rangers’ room. What has stood out to the new head coach the most, however, is how Trouba gives 100 percent of himself every game.

Trouba, who has three assists in 13 games so far this season, is ranked within the top-50 NHL defensemen in ice time per game (22:19) heading into the game at Columbus on Saturday.

“Guys respect him,” Panarin said. “[That’s] really important because he’s a good guy. Everybody feels that he’s an honest guy.”

Added Kreider: “He’s a calming presence, very genuine, doesn’t try to be something he’s not. He’s very consistent in terms of his approach to the way he shows up, the way he treats people. He’s soft spoken, but when something needs to be said, he’s very good at taking advantage of those situations. He comes across like he’s a lot older than he actually is. Sometimes I forget that he’s a few years younger than am because he’s very mature and very wise.”

Even though he has already commanded respect in the Rangers’ locker room and has an “A” stitched onto his jersey, Trouba wants to continue to learn how to be a better leader. As much as coaches and management help guide a team, Trouba believes it’s up to the players to set the standard for a winning attitude and show the next generation how to play the right way.

“I think I realized how important it was in my life and my career,” he said. “I understand it’s now my time to kind of give that back.”