Q: First off,
congratulations on an excellent weekend and being named CCM Forward of the
Week. Can you talk a little bit about your play last weekend and how you feel
moving forward?
A: Yeah, thank
you! I’ve been trying to play a lot simpler and we’ve been trying to play a
harder game as a team as we felt we started off a little soft. We’re getting
there though, driving to the net, getting into those greasy areas, and I was
rewarded for that this past weekend. It’s too bad we couldn’t get both wins as
we felt we could have. But we will bring that into our game tomorrow against
Cedar [Rapids], and hopefully we get the outcome we want.
Q: You’ve already
scored more goals this season than you did in all 52 games last year. Have you
made any changes or does anything feel different this season?
A: To be honest, not really. I’ve just been trying to
get to the net more. Like I touched on before, you can only do so much as a
perimeter player and you really have to go into those areas and get the goals.
I am just sticking to what I am and playing hard. Nothing special.
Q: Of everything
that has happened in the past week, your first career hat-trick, earning
Forward of the Week honors and committing to the University of Nebraska Omaha,
what has stood out the most to you as your biggest accomplishment?
A: Probably
committing to college. For all of us, when we enter juniors, you’re looking for
that school and where you are going to play. And when you finally make the
commitment, you get that much more comfortable. I know everyone else on the
team that commits starts playing better. It’s obvious that you get more
comfortable, knowing where you are going to play, and things start falling into
place. It had put a little weight on my shoulders and now that that’s taken
care of, I can just focus on playing. It was nice, definitely a big
accomplishment.
Q: How has being
a member of the Steel helped your development and are there any major differences between here and Green Bay?
A: I came from a
team last year where I didn’t play too much and didn’t really get an
opportunity. I came here and was lucky enough to play and have fun. Every day
we are trying to get better and incorporate that hard work with a lot of fun.
The coaches here have done a great job, and also all of the guys here, we’re
just a big family and constantly help each other out. It is definitely a different feel here than it was in Green
Bay. Everyone is together here. We stay together after practice and do extra
skill practice every day. It’s just small stuff like that and the attention to
detail that makes the Steel different from my past teams and it has helped my
development a lot.
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| Photo Credit: MJB Images |
Q: You were named
an assistant captain for the 2014-15 season. What does that mean to you and
have you changed in any way?
A: I’m just
trying to stay the same person. The letter is nice, but in the end, we are all
leaders. We have so many veteran guys back this year, which has helped our
team. I’m just trying to be the same guy, relax and lead by example on the ice
by playing hard. I make sure that anyone can come talk to me if anything comes
up, but I’m just the same old Freddy.
Q: How was the
scavenger hunt this week?
A: Yeah, we just
went downtown and did all that. It was a fun experience. Downtown is huge so it
was quite a haul. It’s too bad now that the weather is going downhill and
winter is coming around. It was nice though to see all the sculptures, I guess
that’s what you would call them. Chicago definitely has a nice downtown area.
Q: Coming from
Colorado, what do you like most about living and playing near Chicago?
A: I really like
the feel. Even though we aren’t specifically in downtown Chicago, it’s so close
and it’s great that we can go enjoy that when we want. It’s a nice set up and
the city is spectacular.
Q: NHL teams have
drafted both you and your brother (Freddy was drafted by the Blackhawks in 2014
and Gustav was drafted by the Wild in 2013). Has it always been a goal to play
professional hockey in the U.S.?
A: Yeah,
obviously everyone’s goal is to be a pro but right now we are just trying to
play for as long as we can. That’s what we are all working for and we were both
lucky enough to get drafted. There is still a long way to go but hopefully one
day we will get there - well, he is basically already there - but I still have
a long way to go.
Q: Do you have
any pregame routines or rituals that help you get focused for games?
A: Not really. I
know some guys do the craziest things, but I just tape up my sticks and play a
little soccer with the guys. I don’t really do anything special, just relax and
get ready for the game. Everyone focuses up after the on-ice warm up, but I
just try to keep it cool. I feel like I play better when I don’t have a lot on
my mind. I like to just have fun and work out there.
Q: Lastly, can
you talk about Cedar Rapids and how you have been preparing for the game
tomorrow evening?
A: We are trying to just play a simpler game and play harder, like we did this last week. We have to get rid of the turnovers and get pucks in the areas that we like. We’re just going to play our game. We feel like with the skill we have this year, mixed in with the work ethic that we ended with last year, we will be a force in our conference. We will really try to bring that tomorrow and keep that going for the rest of the year.
A: We are trying to just play a simpler game and play harder, like we did this last week. We have to get rid of the turnovers and get pucks in the areas that we like. We’re just going to play our game. We feel like with the skill we have this year, mixed in with the work ethic that we ended with last year, we will be a force in our conference. We will really try to bring that tomorrow and keep that going for the rest of the year.
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| Photo Credit: MJB Images |
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