On Friday’s episode of Canucks Conversation, David Quadrelli and Harman Dayal were joined by prospect Josh Bloom, who has had an eventful couple of weeks.
Fresh off scoring the game-winning goal in the Saginaw Spirit’s first-ever Memorial Cup win 5 days ago, Bloom is still processing it all.
“It’s been an amazing week,” he said. “Everything has been unbelievable since that night. It’s still settling in, but it feels good to be a champion.”
Bloom had a trying season, bouncing between multiple teams and getting his feet wet in the pros. He began the season with the Abbotsford Canucks and played in 14 games before being sent down to the Kalamazoo Wings of the ECHL and eventually back to the Saginaw Spirit of the OHL.
“It was definitely a long season, but I learned so much everywhere I went,” said Bloom. “From Abbotsford to Kalamazoo back to Saginaw, and getting to incorporate those pro habits and things I learned through my time there in the pros and bring it back to junior, work on my game and be better one day at a time. The biggest thing for me this year was how much I got to learn and how much I know going into this summer.”
Throughout the trials and tribulations, Josh was able to find the silver lining and remain optimistic. He focused on the lessons learned in every situation and is looking to transfer those lessons into his pro game.
“Wall work, little habits like that, understanding where you need to be on D-zone assignments, how heavy you have to play at the next level—that heaviness was something I was missing in my game, so I’m slowly starting to incorporate that in junior and looking to bring it into the pros next year. The margin of error in the AHL is very small; if you make a mistake, it’ll end up in the back of your net. It’s your ability to limit those mistakes and understand when you can make plays and when the right time to lay a puck is. I’m going to go through a ton of video this summer with my skills coach, work on different habits along the walls, and understand when my moment is to make that play and when it’s to lay a puck and be on the defensive side of it.”
When it comes to current pros he looks to model his game after, Bloom seems to have a clear vision of how his game can develop.
“I look at guys like Taylor Hall, who plays with a ton of speed, and Evgeni Malkin, who has that size and is able to use it,” he said. “My biggest strength is my speed and making plays at a high pace. I can bring more of a physical nature, and I think I have the frame to do it; I just need to incorporate that into pro. Everything in my game starts with my feet and moving them night in, night out. Anticipating has a lot to do with hockey wherever you play. Guys that can anticipate plays give themselves good looks and options. For my game, it’s anticipating where the puck is going to be and using my feet to get there; it’s a big stride I have to take in my game for next season. Understanding when the puck is going to D to D, it’s my time to go, get my feet moving, and get to that puck. I was a little relaxed when I started in pro, but it’s slowly coming along, and I’m looking to build off that.”
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