Q: On the chances of playing in the NHL next year
For sure this summer I’ve got to work hard. My main goal is to make the NHL next year. Once I get to camp I’ll be prepared. It’s up to the GM and staff to decide. I can’t really control that.
Q: Had the Flyers been in touch with you?
“Yeah, actually I met them for the first time last night. It was a pretty good meeting. They seemed to have a lot of interest, but anything can happen in the draft. But now that the draft is over, I’m really glad to be a part of the Philadelphia Flyers.
Q: Who did you meet with?
“Pretty much the whole staff was there.”
Q: Did you have a team in mind?
“No, not really. I didn’t really have any favorite team or anything. I didn’t really know what to expect. So just going to Philadelphia, I’m really happy.”
Q: Who did you root for growing up?
“I grew up following the Montreal Canadiens, but I wasn’t really a die-hard fan or anything.”
Q: I understand your father played hockey?
“Yeah. He played about 15 years of pro hockey, but mostly in the minors. Being around him was good for me.”
Q: What position did your dad play?
He was a left wing and centerman.
Q: So you got all the talent in the family?
“I don’t know… I was drafted before him so I was just bugging him about that.”
Q: I heard that you might have been a number one pick overall but you had some issue with fitness. Is that true, you had some mono?
“Yeah. I had mono at the end of last summer. It maybe slowed me down a bit through the season. But now, wherever I was drafted, I was going to be happy, and Philadelphia is a great place.”
Q: They couldn’t stop comparing you on TSN to Jordan Staal. Do you think that’s a fair comparison?
"Yeah. It’s a pretty good honor to be compared to him, but for sure, we’re similar in some ways.”
Q: Is there an area of your game you feel you need to improve?
"Well, especially making the most of my skating, my first two steps. I’ve been working on it since I was young, and there’s still a lot of improvement left to do. But I’m working on it, and overall, that’s about it.
Q: The Flyers recently traded for Brayden Schenn. Is there a relationship between the two of you?
“We played together at World Juniors. It was a good experience just being around him and everything. But outside of that, we’d never met before.”
Q: What is your height and weight?
“About 6-3½, about 200 pounds.”
Q: What is it about the NHL game you think you would be best at?
“Probably my hockey sense, my two-way game is pretty solid. I’m pretty reliable defensively, and offensively I’m pretty good at protecting and controlling the puck.”
Q: What was your opinion of what happened with the Flyers yesterday?
“I was actually pretty surprised, didn’t really expect it. After thinking about it, I knew I could be drafted there, and now that I’m drafted that’s pretty special.”
Q: Do you think there is more room for you now than there was yesterday?
“Yeah, maybe. I haven’t really thought about it. It’s going to be up to me with my work ethic, keep working hard through the summer, and once I get to camp it’s going to be up to me to prove myself.”
No comments:
Post a Comment