“It was good. You know, obviously I enjoyed my time in Buffalo, it’s where I’m from. I’ve been there four or five years but it was nice getting traded and getting a legitimate opportunity with Philly and being able to be up there and play games and show myself, get more playing time in Lehigh and earn my way up to the Flyers. I went up and down a bunch of times, but at the end of the day, it was a good experience overall.” 

“I think I’m a player who brings speed…a lot of speed to every game. I’ve put up pretty good numbers in the American League, so hopefully, I can score, be a threat on the ice every shift and for me personally, just try to bring a little more physicality than usual this year. But like I said, a player that’s hard on pucks, quick on pucks and brings a lot of speed. 

I like to get in hard on the forecheck and separate the D from the puck. Once that happens, for me to be able to skate it out of the corner and make plays that way…I wouldn’t say that I’m a playmaker, but at the same time, I’m a shoot-first guy who plays with a lot of speed and likes to push the D back and get pucks on the net.”

“In the American League, I’ve had a lot of power play time. I played it a little bit less in Rochester last year, but when I went to Lehigh I was playing on the power play there. So I do have that experience, yes.

I’ve played the net front and I’ve played kind of the middle/slot. Kind of being able to be an outlet for guys and make plays that way and also kind of crashing the net and looking for rebounds.”

“It’s not something that I did in my first year too much, but I kind of recognized that if I want to make the jump to the National Hockey League that I needed to be good on the PK and make sure that’s another layer that I can add to my game. You know, when they’re looking at guys, making sure that I’m one they can count on on the PK as well.”

“I think with the crowd there that it has always been a tough building to play in. Obviously, for me, my goal is to play for the Vancouver Canucks this year, but if I go to Utica, my goal while I’m there will obviously be to help the Comets. At the same time, I’m going to be doing everything that I can to get back up here. 

I’m 24-years-old at this point and I’ve had success in the AHL. I think that my speed, my size, and my shot can transfer up here. It’s just making sure that I get my foot in the door, whatever role that may be here, that’s my goal moving forward.”

“I like to think, over the years, it’s obvious I have the size. I’ve just been kind of working on my skating and trying to beat, really anybody to a puck. So with the size and being able to skate, I have that advantage and I like to use it as much as I can. 

I’ve developed through Minnesota’s organization and they helped my D-zone coverage and I’ve really developed my two-way game. So, you know, you can look for a first-impression of size and being able to see plays develop and trying to take advantage of it.”

“Yeah, absolutely! Honestly, I’ve been a go-to-guy in the minors for probably the last three or four years. To be honest, going through my fourth organization now, I’ve just been trying to, you know, battle the depth chart and climb it. Last year, I started in Stockton on the third-line and you just try to work your way up and play your game. I’ve played power play, penalty kill, overtime…I’ve always tried to be that go-to-guy, you know, I love the challenge.

A lot of people like to think I’m a net front guy, but I can kind of play all areas. With my experience, I’ve played the middle, the half wall…I love playing low. Even last year, I played point a little bit. I played a couple of games in the QB spot at the top. It all depends on what other guys you’ve got. 

If you’ve got a guy like Boucher who’s a sniper, you want to try to feed him too. So it’s all aligned around who you’re trying to get the puck to. We’ll see, I’m excited, wherever it is that I play. 

Culler is there and seems like a great coach. I had him there at scrimmage and he’s pretty patient and expects the most out of everybody, so I love that. I’m looking forward to the challenge.”

“Well, I had a couple of offers and I was very grateful for them, but you know, Vancouver was a team that was young. They are kind of in a little bit of a rebuilding stage and that’s something where if you look at my resume, every team that I’ve gone to has been a first-place team. I started out and worked my way up to Minnesota and we became a first-place team. I was traded to Washington, started my year there and they were a first-place team. I got stuck in the minors a little bit and then last year with Calgary, I saw the same thing that Vancouver has this year. They were young, fast, and skilled with speed and I feel like it suits my game well. 

I wouldn’t be surprised if Vancouver starts out as a first-place team. That would just build my resume more. I’ve been seven years as a pro and every team has been a first-place team. I see that potential here and I want to be part of something…like a rebuild and a growth. I’m not going to change my game, I’m going to bring what I can and if there’s a role for it, perfect.”

“I’ve played in Utica. I had a call with Travis, (Green) around free agency time. He mentioned that he remembered seeing me with Iowa when we played against Utica. I loved it! I mean, it’s a darker rink for an away team. You can feel the energy of the crowd and to be on the home side of that would obviously be exciting. I’m really looking forward to it. 

My number one thing with training all summer was just to get to be the best that I can to my ability and to play playoff hockey. I haven’t played any playoff hockey as a pro and that’s my number one goal and I think there’s potential for that in Vancouver and in Utica.”

“It was actually a really good experience. It was one of the better atmospheres to play in. You know, the fans were loud and it was actually really fun to play in Utica.”

“I don’t know, they haven’t really talked to me about it. So, you know, my name was in the middle and I know that I can fit in. I’ve played there before…maybe six years ago in junior a little bit. I mean, I’m a smart guy, I can adapt. I’m usually on the wing, but it doesn’t really matter to me.”

“I would say that I’m an offensive guy, obviously. I like to be on the power play. I mean, I would say that I’m a little bit more of a passer than a shooter, but I can score as well. Last year, I had a couple of goals, but I would say that I’m a playmaker. I like to have the puck a lot and create some offensive plays.”

“I played a little bit in my second year in Belleville, but I didn’t play any last year in San Jose. Last year I was only power play, but I mean, as I said, I’m a smart player, my, (hockey) IQ is pretty high so I can adapt to whatever role I’m given.”

“Yeah, I mean, I’m from Montreal, so I know about that weather a lot. You know, obviously last year in San Jose was really nice. The weather was really nice the whole year, you could play golf all season long, so you know, it’s a different vibe, but I’m really looking forward to it and I’m excited to be here now.”

“Yeah, I mean, that’s one of the positives for sure. It’s expensive to live in San Jose, especially when you’re in the American Hockey League, but some say it’s worth it because, you know, the lifestyle is really nice. I’m happy that my bank account will be a little higher at the end of the year. That’s a positive, but it really doesn’t matter to me as long as I’m having fun on the ice.”

“I mean, last year when we were travelling, we were flying all the time. When I played in Binghamton and Belleville, we were bussing all the time, which I felt made me more tired. Playing three games in three nights in the East and not in the West was a big difference as well. It’s different for everyone, but I felt that flying all year helped me recover a little better, but it’s part of the game, you just have to adjust, wherever you play.”