Notes from Rookie Camp

As a special feature, Adam from the Booster Club was kind enough to send me his interviews with some of our prospects from the mini-camp at Ice works. So here are his notes (with a few comments from me!)

There will be more to come, but again.... Softball duty for one more day and then it's nothing but hockey for me! Woo hoo!!!

So enjoy some first hand accounts from the Man At the Rink, Adam:

Spoke to Blake Kessel on Tuesday at camp:I asked him if there was anything he wanted to say to the fans out there.Blake: " Thanks for coming out to support us. It's to see the everyone is supporting the team."Blake said he was surprised and happy with the high turnout. He wants everyone to keep coming out to support the other young guys because it's important for them to see the fan base is supportive of them. (*Especially considering how often Long Island gets such a bump rap as such a small fan base.)
Josh Bailey also from Tuesday.He said he's having a great time, and it was good to get the first practice in yesterday.
He said the fans have been awesome and likes to help everyone out with pictures and autographs. He said the support has been great and is excited to be a part of the organization. He was also very impressed with the turnout and hopes it continues. (*We really do have to show these kids how avid we are about out hockey!)He has not seen much of the area yet, but is hoping to see as much as possible this week. (Oh, I’m sure there are a few young ladies that would LOVE to show them around.)He said its great to be able to work with Trottier and seeing all the history and has much respect for it.He also said he is going to be on a line with Okposo during the games and is rooming with him as well. He added it's nice that Kyle is only a year older than he and that they have a good relationship already.Of course he is hoping to make the team this season, but he doesn't seem to have unrealistic expectations.

Some observances I had of Josh Bailey - He was very modest, but accepted the compliment ("You MUST be a great player as well, because coaches put great players together with other great players." said by someone next to me at the camp) when it was put out there. If having a good head on your shoulders translates well to hockey sense, Bailey really should have tons of it. He is really going to be a huge favorite with the fans as they get to meet him.He also seemed very concerned about the fan reaction he heard about during the draft, but it seemed to relieve him to find out that the fans were happy to have him in our system. (Welcome to NY kid. We’d boo Santa Claus if we had to, but then be happy with him when we open our presents. It’s just who we are.)

Ken Morrow from Weds. He said it is great to be able to get out there and meet the kids and teach and mentor them. He said it was his first time meeting them and the kids are really listening and absorbing all they can this week with him and Trotts.

Mark Katic:
He said it helps that it’s his second year at camp because he can concentrate more easily on working on his on ice form rather than calming his nerves and getting acquainted. I asked him to describe the beep test they did on Tuesday. He said they had to run from one line to the other before a stereo sounded a beep. It would get faster every time, and if you missed one you had to do make-up time. (Mascara anyone?) I asked if was a competition type of thing, but he said it was mostly for evaluation more than likely stamina related. He is expecting to go back to Sarnia next season. He thinks it will be a difficult season for them losing Stamkos among others including possibly DiBenedetto.

Katic has a small tattoo of a Latin phrase on his left arm; it means "fighters best goals" relating to when facing adversity, fighters have the ability to overcome. (Nice tat! We may need you!)Asked what he liked about Long Island, he responded “the diversity of food and culture in the area.” He also likes the closeness of “The City” to Long Island, but that it still retains much of the small community feel. He claims there's a ton things to do, but someone at the table tried to shoot that down. (Again… we’ve got lots of people willing to show these boys around!)

Finally someone asked him about the Mark Katic Fan Club. He laughed when we mentioned it and said it all started when he and Stamkos were sitting around watching TV one night. Stamkos felt it would be something fun to do and did it. Mark said Stamkos are known for doing things like that, just being goofy.

Matt Martin:
He said it felt good to out there on the ice. He had high praises for Comeau and Okposo and said they were very helpful with everyone out there. Asked if he was able to play his game. He said not too much since the camp is designed to be more about conditioning than anything else. As an aside, there was a lot more hitting on Wed then previous days.Asked about his role on the Stamkos line, and specifically about a fight he received a suspension for “..it was after the game when someone was taking a shot or two at Stamkos.” He stepped in and initiated to help defend Steve. You could tell he was a little peeved about it, but seemed to take it in stride now.

I asked him about how his coaches felt about his fighting this season. He said being moved up to the first line, the coaches gave him less leeway with the fighting because his role now was more skill-oriented, but that he never passed up an opportunity to defend his teammates and sometimes provide energy.I asked him too about the Mark Katic Fan Club and he laughed, but did admit to being a member.

Justin DiBenedetto:
Which completes the drafted Sarnia players. He also stressed that having players he knew at camp helped him to focus better. He found the first scrimmage to be a high paced workout after the slow summer off.He is not sure what he will be doing next season since he is eligible to leave Juniors, but could return if he wants. It will be a day to day decision.Like everyone before him, he was impressed with the turn out at Ice Works and found the fan base to be very supportive. He has not been mobbed as much as other players but does sign some autographs and takes some pictures.He talked about learning from Trottier and Morrow and is thrilled to be able to learn from them.

Joel Rechlicz:
First I asked him why he thinks the enforcers seem to be not only the most liked by the fans, but the nicest people with fans. He said some of it comes from the tough road they travel to get to each level in the new hockey environment. A lot of it comes from the “code” and having respect for the other players off the ice. Knowing what happens on the ice tends to stay on the ice. This further translates to having respect for the fans. Some of it comes from the fact that the fighting is an energizer to both the crowd and the team. He also stated that the ice is like a sanctuary. To which I replied, does that mean fighting is like therapy? He laughed at that and shook his head yes.His first fight was with Jon Mirasty (Columbus Blue Jackets system) that he claims he lost; I certainly was not going to debate. After the fight, he said he earned a lot of respect from Mirasty.

Joel stated that is was quite an honor to be out there with Morrow and Trotts. We joked around a little about all the banners on the ceiling and that the franchise has some sort of history. Little did he know. ;)All of the guys were great to us and very happy to share their thoughts and give fans some insight into their personalities. If nothing else, we can always claim the Isles have some of the highest character guys in the league.

More from camp maybe tomorrow!