Well, what is this? What has this experience
been like getting a first impression of the new organization
? Yeah, I mean, I think obviously it's
kind of been my first couple of weeks here.
Um, you know, a new team, fresh
face for myself. Um, a lot of fresh
faces with management players, stuff like that, but
not at the end of the day, I'm,
I'm really happy to be here. Um, you
know, it's a new start for myself and things
like that and, um, I'm looking to really
get my foot in the door here and, um
, I really feel it's a place that I could
kick start my career, how you felt about,
about these two games here. And do you feel
like you've been able to show that your identity and
the type of player that you can be 100%?
I think the last two games. Um, you
know what, I've kind of worked into my,
into my role, um, a little more and
more throughout the games. Um, you know,
obviously we, we had a great game yesterday.
Um, you know, today we're a little unfortunate
. Um, but at the end of the day
, you know, I think that I'm starting to
, to show the coaches and the staff. Um
, what kind of player I am. Um,
I'm, I'm a physical player, you know,
I get to the inside of the ice dirty areas
. Um I can make plays, score goals,
so I think I have a lot of tools in
my bag and, um, I'm looking to show
that over the next couple of weeks here. I
know that you had been traded. Did it come
as a surprise or did you know that maybe that
could happen? Um No, honestly, it was
a, it was a surprise. Um I was
actually heading down to Toronto just for a weekend and
, um, you know, I got the call
from, uh, Jason and he kind of told
me that I'd been traded. Um, you know
, my agent didn't really know, um, team
in Bakersfield didn't really know. So it's kind of
a surprise for everybody. But, um, you
know what, at the end of the day,
um I'm really happy to be here and I think
this is, um, the place I really want
to be, this might be a good opportunity for
you, um, for myself, I think,
you know, if they're a younger team, um
, you know, they're looking to find, find
players that can kind of fill in roles, fill
in spots. And, um, you know,
in Edmonton is a little bit tougher. Um,
they're a team that's looking to win the Stanley Cup
as of now. Um, but for here in
Buffalo, I think that, um, if I
can really show my game and that I can really
open some eyes here and, um, give them
no choice but to, to call me up and
things like that. You've been playing some center.
Do you see yourself more as a center or a
winger? And do you have a preference? Um
, you know what I think? Um, it
, this is, it was a little bit of
a surprise being, uh, placed at center,
but at the end of the day, I kind
of going back. I, um, I'm a
player with a lot of tools I can play left
wing, right wing and, um, over the
last two games, I've been able to play center
really well and, um, the coaches have trusted
me in that position and, um, you know
, I've been winning faceoffs kind of being under the
puck supporting, um, in the D zone.
And, um, I think as of right now
I'm going to stay there and, um, hopefully
work myself up the lineup. Where did I play
? Um, I played in Windsor? Um,
oh, I played, I played wing my whole
career pretty much, you know, the white.
Um, I was kind of back and forth depending
on the side of the draw, on the right
side, I'd take draws and then on the left
side, Harrison on Boston would take the draws,
but you know what I think um I'm an adaptable
player and um, I'm gonna go with what they
, where they put me at, former captain in
the OHL, obviously a lot of uh young OHL
guys are here this weekend. I saw you talking
Ethan, meet him a little bit. Um How
are you kind of trying to give those guys,
uh, you know, some pointers and, and
those younger guys that are still camp invites and trying
to, you know, make a name for themselves
down in the OHL Yeah. So for myself,
you know, coming in, um Edmonton my first
uh rookie camp, you know, there's a lot
of nerves going, going throughout your, uh your
body and things like that and, um, you
know, you're always gripping your stick a little bit
tighter. But, um for myself now it's my
third rookie camp. So I'm kind of just leading
the way, kind of um giving them little pointers
like you were saying, kind of just giving um
moral support throughout the way and um just being there
as a, as a player on and off the
ice to for some of them to talk to and
things like that. So when times get hard,
you know, they can look to somebody and be
like, hey, um you know, I've been
through this position and um just work through it.