One on One - with the Texas Brahmas' Tyler SkworchinskiThe dynamic center talks about his rookie season and re-signing for the 2008-09 campaign
Tyler Skworchinski joined the Texas Brahmas last November after being released from the Stockton Thunder (ECHL) and had an impressive rookie season by any measure.
During the regular season, Skworchinski tallied 47 points (24 G, 23 A) with 43 penalty minutes in 55 games played. He scored 17 points (8 G, 9 A) in his last 12 games. He played in 13 playoff games, scoring 9 points (2 G, 7 A). On special teams, Skworchinski had five powerplay goals, ten powerplay assists, two short-handed goals and a team-leading three short-handed assists. He also led the Brahmas in shooting percentage.
In March, the 25-year-old from Marathon, Ontario was named to the 2007-08 CHL All-rookie team.
I spoke to Tyler recently about his rookie season with the Brahmas and his outlook on the coming season.
Q: Where did you begin playing hockey?
A: I grew up playing midget AAA actually, away from home. I went to a team in New Liskeard in Northern Ontario; they play in the Great North Midget League.
Q: How did you end up at Michigan Tech?
A: I played Junior in Manitoba my last two years, and the assistant coach of the Huskies came up to watch and ended up seeing me play. I guess he kind of liked what he saw and I flew down for a visit and I liked what I saw and I ended up at MTU.
Q: After graduating with a degree in business administration, was it your intention to go pro?
A: It was. Growing up as a kid, playing hockey, your dream is to go and play professional hockey, whatever level it is. I wanted to play at least one year, just to say that I did it and if it worked out and I played longer, great, that’s a bonus. One year was something that I definitely wanted to do just to say that I had done it and to reach that goal of mine. It went from one year to two years now.
Q: How was it that you came to be recruited by the Brahmas?
A: The Brahmas’ scout, Steve Papple, contacted me during the summer before last season. I talked to him and I talked to a few other teams and I ended up signing with Stockton in the East Coast League. I went there to start the season and that didn’t work out; I ended up getting released four games in. I didn’t really have too many options at that point and I was weighing what I wanted to do, whether I wanted to keep playing, look for another team or if I wanted to shut it down and uh, get a real job (laughing). Dan (Wildfong) called me and said they still wanted me down there and I ended up going down to Texas two days later.
Q: The season had already started when you signed with the Brahmas, correct?
A: Yeah, I came in, I think after the team had already played nine games. I came in on a Thursday night, I believe, and I practiced on Friday and then played that night.
Q: That’s kind of a tough situation, coming in to play on a team after the season has already started. Were you able to bond pretty quickly with the other players?
A: Oh yeah, everyone was great coming in. Like you said, it’s kind of a tough situation. All of the guys had been together for over a month and had gotten to know each other and had time to play together. You know, coming in and not knowing anyone, everyone was really great. They helped me out with whatever it took to get me on the same page as everyone else and I was fortunate to have the teammates that I did to help smooth that transition.
Q: Who was your roommate?
A: I roomed with Mark Cody until he was released and then I roomed with Doug Krantz when he came in after his college career was over.
Q: What was your first impression of Coaches Wildfong and MacPherson?
A: Coming in, the first time you see Dan, you’re kind of intimidated. Here’s a guy, you know, with the kind of resume he has as a player and you know, you kind of look at him – he’s an intimidating guy. I didn’t really know what to expect and a lot of the guys said he’s a great guy, very friendly, things like that, but he was an intense coach, he expected you to work hard. Coming in, in a situation like that, you know you want to make sure that you make a good impression, you know, they’d never seen me play before. They were very good, they took the extra time to show me the system, show me things that I needed to do to be on the same page. I can’t say anything bad about those two, they’ve been nothing but great to me. They helped me a lot as soon as I got down there.
Q: What was your impression of NYTEX and the fans?
A: I was very impressed by the fans; you can’t ask for better support. It was loud every night. For me the NYTEX Centre is a perfect fit. I grew up playing in smaller rinks with 2,000-3,000 fans. They’re right on top of you. That place is great. I was very comfortable playing there. It was always easy to get up for those games.
Q: On the road, you played in a lot of bigger arenas. As a player, do you prefer the larger or the smaller venue?
A: I really enjoy playing at the NYTEX Centre. I’d rather play there than at a bigger rink that’s half full. At the NYTEX, it’s always a good atmosphere. It’s always loud. You know, there are always fans there on top of you during the game. In college, we had the smallest rink and that was with 5,000 seats. I played in Wisconsin and Minnesota where there were 12,000 to 15,000 fans. You know, I’d have to say I’d rather play in front of 15,000 fans but I would definitely rather play at the NYTEX, sold out with 2,000 fans than at a 5,000 seat arena that’s half full.
Q: At NYTEX, the fans get really wild. For example, when the Brahmas score a goal, you have a group of guys that pull of their jerseys and swing them over their heads. As a player, do you feed off of that support from the fans?
A: Oh, absolutely. There’s no doubt about it. I don’t think you’ll find a player that doesn’t feed off the energy of the fans. You know, when were’ doing well and you maybe score a goal or two and the fans are just crazy wild you just keep that momentum because of them. Or if things aren’t going well and the fans are in it, they give you that extra energy, that extra motivation to pick up the game a little bit and try to get a win.
Q: It’s a lot of fun for the fans to get rowdy and razz the visiting teams…
A: Yeah, they have some pretty creative cheers and I think it’s great when the fans can do that. I think the fans are very good in that they don’t go over the line but they’re right on the line. They do a lot of things that get on the other team’s nerves, but they don’t do anything that’s offensive or in bad taste. It definitely adds to the atmosphere, that’s for sure.
Q: There’s been a great rivalry between the Brahmas and the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs for a number of years; of course this was Dan and Forbes’ old team. They have a great fan base that buses in and they sit in one section and make a lot of noise. Is that kind of fun to see as well?
A: When I came in, I heard a lot about Bossier. Other than Dan and Forbes, there were other players like Blair (Manning), (Craig) Minard and (Scott) Sheppard; they all played there and they talked a lot about it. When I got to see it, the back and forth between the fans, you know their section would chant and the whole rest of the rink would chant for the Brahmas…It was pretty awesome to see actually. It was kind of like they were having a game and we were having a game.
Q: Coming in as a rookie, you had an outstanding year. In college, you did very well but I think you really had a break out season with the Brahmas. How do you feel about your play and what do you think your main assets are?
A: I’m very happy with the way the year went. At the start, it was a bit of a transition, I didn’t score too much at the start but that came with adjusting to the league, adjusting to pro hockey and adjusting to a new team. You know, I felt good, it just seemed like I wasn’t getting too many points. But luckily was able to get put with Anders (Strome) and Jordan (Cameron) and I definitely benefited greatly from playing with those two guys; they’re great players and they definitely helped me out. I’m a pretty competitive guy, I don’t like to lose and I feel I work pretty hard. I’m not afraid to do whatever it takes whether it’s penalty killing or face-offs; I like to get some points if possible. I kind of pride myself on doing the little things right. I like to use my speed as an advantage. I think I have pretty good speed that I developed during my four years at school. I think overall, my competitiveness and my work ethic is over-and-above anything else.
Q: Speaking of Anders and Jordan, you know Anders signed to play over in Denmark and Jordan is going to be over in Germany. Some key players won’t be playing for the Brahmas this year. You’re going to have some new players this season and this time, you will have the benefit of going through training camp with these guys. How do you feel about coming in with a new squad this season?
A: It’s very exciting. It’s tough to replace guys like Anders and Jordan; they’re such great players. It’s tough to fill the hole that they left, but guys like myself, (Mark) Carragher and (Greg) McConnell I think have to take that next step and help fill the hole that they left. I think Dan and Forbes have done a great job bringing in the guys that they’ve brought in to improve on last years’ team with the hope of winning a championship. There’s a lot of turnover in professional hockey with any team. I think for myself, having the training camp this year is going to be helpful with getting some chemistry with the new players.
Q: How do you feel about the Brahma’s performance last season and were you surprised you made it as far as you did?
A: We definitely weren’t surprised. We knew all along we had a good team, a competitive team that could play with anyone in the league; that was proven throughout the year. We hit a tough stretch there around Christmastime where we could’ve gone either way. We ended up pushing through and had a really strong second half. I think when it comes down to the playoffs, at any league, at any level; anything can happen…it’s a new season. We were basically playing playoff hockey almost the whole second half; it was just a dogfight to get into the playoffs with our conference. We kind of benefited from that. We rode the momentum into the playoffs and I think the only surprise was that we ended up sweeping Bossier. We weren’t surprised that we won but we might’ve been a little surprised that it happened so quickly.
Q: What was your feeling about the series against Colorado?
A: That series, you know, coming in there against the defending champs…I think we played them once or twice during the season, and they had a really good team. They had a lot of good players and we knew that one was going to be a real battle. We heard about their record at home and that it’s a tough place to play, which we experienced. The first two games, they beat us pretty handily. We didn’t have our strongest two games and it is a tough place to play. I though we did very well as a team to re-group from that to come back and battle back to that seventh game. We gave them a three goal lead and just weren’t able to come back.
One or two goals away from the finals, I think that’s something guys this year will have in the back of their minds, that they were that close. It looks like there are a lot of guys returning from that team, so I think that’s going to be some motivation, to get back and improve upon that. I think it’s good that happened in the first year, to form a base for the kind of success that this organization wants to have…the kind of standard, the quality standard that they’ve set. We set the bar so high; it makes you want to work harder to exceed that.
Q: Maybe beat down by the Brahmas, they went on to face Arizona, and were swept in four games. Did that surprise you?
A: Maybe a little surprised that it was a sweep. Not having played them last season, it’s hard for me to say anything without having seen them play. You look at the stats and they guys that Arizona had, the numbers that they put up, it’s not hard to see how good of a team they had. I’m not surprised that they won, but the fact that they swept was a surprise, just knowing how difficult it is to play in Colorado. I don’t know if it had anything to do with us taking them to seven. Once you get into the finals, all bets are off about what it took to get there and I think you’re just so motivated and excited to be in the finals with a chance at a championship, the fact that you just played a seven-game series isn’t really that relevant.
Q: During the regular season, was there a particular team that was the toughest to play?
A: That’s a tough question. I always thought Bossier was pretty tough to play, they have a lot of skill, quick forwards, and they just work relentlessly so I thought they were pretty difficult to play. You’d think after playing them 13 times, or whatever we did, you’d find a way to beat them in the regular season. It just seemed that, the more we played them, the tighter the games got. I think because of their work ethic and their skill level, I think they’re a pretty difficult team to play.
Q: You’ll be playing them about the same number of games this season but you have a new rival now that you are in a different division and that’s the Laredo Bucks. Over the history of play between the two teams, the Bucks have dominated the Brahmas, but last season, the Brahmas met the call and did well. Do you have any thoughts on playing the Bucks this season?
A: It’ll be nice to see a different team more often and to get some more rivalries going. We went down there for one game and we ended up winning down there. They have a great team and a lot of great players. I think for me, the toughest part was going down there at the end of February and it was 95 degrees out (laughing). It was really hot and you don’t expect that. It was a little different from what I was used to. In February, we used to have several feet of snow and freezing temperatures. So that was a bit of an adjustment. But they have a good team and they’ve had a pretty good track record from what I understand with championships and winning that conference. I think it’s going to be a tough test and I think it’s one that we’re going to meet.
Q: I spoke to your former teammate, Pete Rouleau the other day. He’s excited about coming down and joining the team. Pete’s a small but dynamic forward who really hasn’t had a chance to do anything in the pros yet. Can you talk a little about how he came to the team’s attention?
A: We’d actually tried to get him down here before the playoffs after his season ended and he ended up going to the East Coast League instead. It didn’t end up working out. Dan had asked me about him and I could only give high praise for him. He’s a great player. He led the team in scoring my last year and led the team in scoring last season. He's just a great offensive player, real fast. For a small guy, he’s not afraid to get in there and mix it up. I wouldn’t recommend a guy that I didn’t think would be very successful at this level. I think that people are going to very happy with what they get from him. I talk to him quite often, I went to his wedding last summer, and I know him quite well. He was deciding on what he wanted to do. I thought for a while that he was going to go to Europe; I guess he decided not to do that. He wanted to go to the East Coast League with the team he ended the year with (Pensacola Ice Pilots, who folded in June)…and when that didn’t happen, he called me and asked about the team a little bit more. Dan was on me quite a bit. Dan really wanted him and wanted me to call him a few times. I think coming to a team, your first year pro, it’s nice to have someone that you’re familiar with and comfortable with to help that transition. Hopefully I’m able to do that with him. I’m pretty happy and excited to be back on the same team with him.
Q: I’ve spoke to a number of Brahmas fans in the off-season. Everyone was very impressed with your play and definitely looking forward to seeing you out again this season. Do you have anything in general that you want to say to the Brahmas fans?
A: I appreciate all the nice things they’ve done and all of the support they’ve given me and to the team. They’ve definitely made it easy for me to come in and be successful with the type of treatment and the support that I got, so thank you for all the support you’ve given and continue to give and we look to build on last season and reward them for all the hard work and support that they’ve given us. Photo Credit: Robert Keith
During the regular season, Skworchinski tallied 47 points (24 G, 23 A) with 43 penalty minutes in 55 games played. He scored 17 points (8 G, 9 A) in his last 12 games. He played in 13 playoff games, scoring 9 points (2 G, 7 A). On special teams, Skworchinski had five powerplay goals, ten powerplay assists, two short-handed goals and a team-leading three short-handed assists. He also led the Brahmas in shooting percentage.
In March, the 25-year-old from Marathon, Ontario was named to the 2007-08 CHL All-rookie team.
I spoke to Tyler recently about his rookie season with the Brahmas and his outlook on the coming season.
Q: Where did you begin playing hockey?
A: I grew up playing midget AAA actually, away from home. I went to a team in New Liskeard in Northern Ontario; they play in the Great North Midget League.
Q: How did you end up at Michigan Tech?
A: I played Junior in Manitoba my last two years, and the assistant coach of the Huskies came up to watch and ended up seeing me play. I guess he kind of liked what he saw and I flew down for a visit and I liked what I saw and I ended up at MTU.
Q: After graduating with a degree in business administration, was it your intention to go pro?
A: It was. Growing up as a kid, playing hockey, your dream is to go and play professional hockey, whatever level it is. I wanted to play at least one year, just to say that I did it and if it worked out and I played longer, great, that’s a bonus. One year was something that I definitely wanted to do just to say that I had done it and to reach that goal of mine. It went from one year to two years now.
Q: How was it that you came to be recruited by the Brahmas?
A: The Brahmas’ scout, Steve Papple, contacted me during the summer before last season. I talked to him and I talked to a few other teams and I ended up signing with Stockton in the East Coast League. I went there to start the season and that didn’t work out; I ended up getting released four games in. I didn’t really have too many options at that point and I was weighing what I wanted to do, whether I wanted to keep playing, look for another team or if I wanted to shut it down and uh, get a real job (laughing). Dan (Wildfong) called me and said they still wanted me down there and I ended up going down to Texas two days later.
Q: The season had already started when you signed with the Brahmas, correct?
A: Yeah, I came in, I think after the team had already played nine games. I came in on a Thursday night, I believe, and I practiced on Friday and then played that night.
Q: That’s kind of a tough situation, coming in to play on a team after the season has already started. Were you able to bond pretty quickly with the other players?
A: Oh yeah, everyone was great coming in. Like you said, it’s kind of a tough situation. All of the guys had been together for over a month and had gotten to know each other and had time to play together. You know, coming in and not knowing anyone, everyone was really great. They helped me out with whatever it took to get me on the same page as everyone else and I was fortunate to have the teammates that I did to help smooth that transition.
Q: Who was your roommate?
A: I roomed with Mark Cody until he was released and then I roomed with Doug Krantz when he came in after his college career was over.
Q: What was your first impression of Coaches Wildfong and MacPherson?
A: Coming in, the first time you see Dan, you’re kind of intimidated. Here’s a guy, you know, with the kind of resume he has as a player and you know, you kind of look at him – he’s an intimidating guy. I didn’t really know what to expect and a lot of the guys said he’s a great guy, very friendly, things like that, but he was an intense coach, he expected you to work hard. Coming in, in a situation like that, you know you want to make sure that you make a good impression, you know, they’d never seen me play before. They were very good, they took the extra time to show me the system, show me things that I needed to do to be on the same page. I can’t say anything bad about those two, they’ve been nothing but great to me. They helped me a lot as soon as I got down there.
Q: What was your impression of NYTEX and the fans?
A: I was very impressed by the fans; you can’t ask for better support. It was loud every night. For me the NYTEX Centre is a perfect fit. I grew up playing in smaller rinks with 2,000-3,000 fans. They’re right on top of you. That place is great. I was very comfortable playing there. It was always easy to get up for those games.
Q: On the road, you played in a lot of bigger arenas. As a player, do you prefer the larger or the smaller venue?
A: I really enjoy playing at the NYTEX Centre. I’d rather play there than at a bigger rink that’s half full. At the NYTEX, it’s always a good atmosphere. It’s always loud. You know, there are always fans there on top of you during the game. In college, we had the smallest rink and that was with 5,000 seats. I played in Wisconsin and Minnesota where there were 12,000 to 15,000 fans. You know, I’d have to say I’d rather play in front of 15,000 fans but I would definitely rather play at the NYTEX, sold out with 2,000 fans than at a 5,000 seat arena that’s half full.
Q: At NYTEX, the fans get really wild. For example, when the Brahmas score a goal, you have a group of guys that pull of their jerseys and swing them over their heads. As a player, do you feed off of that support from the fans?
A: Oh, absolutely. There’s no doubt about it. I don’t think you’ll find a player that doesn’t feed off the energy of the fans. You know, when were’ doing well and you maybe score a goal or two and the fans are just crazy wild you just keep that momentum because of them. Or if things aren’t going well and the fans are in it, they give you that extra energy, that extra motivation to pick up the game a little bit and try to get a win.
Q: It’s a lot of fun for the fans to get rowdy and razz the visiting teams…
A: Yeah, they have some pretty creative cheers and I think it’s great when the fans can do that. I think the fans are very good in that they don’t go over the line but they’re right on the line. They do a lot of things that get on the other team’s nerves, but they don’t do anything that’s offensive or in bad taste. It definitely adds to the atmosphere, that’s for sure.
Q: There’s been a great rivalry between the Brahmas and the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs for a number of years; of course this was Dan and Forbes’ old team. They have a great fan base that buses in and they sit in one section and make a lot of noise. Is that kind of fun to see as well?
A: When I came in, I heard a lot about Bossier. Other than Dan and Forbes, there were other players like Blair (Manning), (Craig) Minard and (Scott) Sheppard; they all played there and they talked a lot about it. When I got to see it, the back and forth between the fans, you know their section would chant and the whole rest of the rink would chant for the Brahmas…It was pretty awesome to see actually. It was kind of like they were having a game and we were having a game.
Q: Coming in as a rookie, you had an outstanding year. In college, you did very well but I think you really had a break out season with the Brahmas. How do you feel about your play and what do you think your main assets are?
A: I’m very happy with the way the year went. At the start, it was a bit of a transition, I didn’t score too much at the start but that came with adjusting to the league, adjusting to pro hockey and adjusting to a new team. You know, I felt good, it just seemed like I wasn’t getting too many points. But luckily was able to get put with Anders (Strome) and Jordan (Cameron) and I definitely benefited greatly from playing with those two guys; they’re great players and they definitely helped me out. I’m a pretty competitive guy, I don’t like to lose and I feel I work pretty hard. I’m not afraid to do whatever it takes whether it’s penalty killing or face-offs; I like to get some points if possible. I kind of pride myself on doing the little things right. I like to use my speed as an advantage. I think I have pretty good speed that I developed during my four years at school. I think overall, my competitiveness and my work ethic is over-and-above anything else.
Q: Speaking of Anders and Jordan, you know Anders signed to play over in Denmark and Jordan is going to be over in Germany. Some key players won’t be playing for the Brahmas this year. You’re going to have some new players this season and this time, you will have the benefit of going through training camp with these guys. How do you feel about coming in with a new squad this season?
A: It’s very exciting. It’s tough to replace guys like Anders and Jordan; they’re such great players. It’s tough to fill the hole that they left, but guys like myself, (Mark) Carragher and (Greg) McConnell I think have to take that next step and help fill the hole that they left. I think Dan and Forbes have done a great job bringing in the guys that they’ve brought in to improve on last years’ team with the hope of winning a championship. There’s a lot of turnover in professional hockey with any team. I think for myself, having the training camp this year is going to be helpful with getting some chemistry with the new players.
Q: How do you feel about the Brahma’s performance last season and were you surprised you made it as far as you did?
A: We definitely weren’t surprised. We knew all along we had a good team, a competitive team that could play with anyone in the league; that was proven throughout the year. We hit a tough stretch there around Christmastime where we could’ve gone either way. We ended up pushing through and had a really strong second half. I think when it comes down to the playoffs, at any league, at any level; anything can happen…it’s a new season. We were basically playing playoff hockey almost the whole second half; it was just a dogfight to get into the playoffs with our conference. We kind of benefited from that. We rode the momentum into the playoffs and I think the only surprise was that we ended up sweeping Bossier. We weren’t surprised that we won but we might’ve been a little surprised that it happened so quickly.
Q: What was your feeling about the series against Colorado?
A: That series, you know, coming in there against the defending champs…I think we played them once or twice during the season, and they had a really good team. They had a lot of good players and we knew that one was going to be a real battle. We heard about their record at home and that it’s a tough place to play, which we experienced. The first two games, they beat us pretty handily. We didn’t have our strongest two games and it is a tough place to play. I though we did very well as a team to re-group from that to come back and battle back to that seventh game. We gave them a three goal lead and just weren’t able to come back.
One or two goals away from the finals, I think that’s something guys this year will have in the back of their minds, that they were that close. It looks like there are a lot of guys returning from that team, so I think that’s going to be some motivation, to get back and improve upon that. I think it’s good that happened in the first year, to form a base for the kind of success that this organization wants to have…the kind of standard, the quality standard that they’ve set. We set the bar so high; it makes you want to work harder to exceed that.
Q: Maybe beat down by the Brahmas, they went on to face Arizona, and were swept in four games. Did that surprise you?
A: Maybe a little surprised that it was a sweep. Not having played them last season, it’s hard for me to say anything without having seen them play. You look at the stats and they guys that Arizona had, the numbers that they put up, it’s not hard to see how good of a team they had. I’m not surprised that they won, but the fact that they swept was a surprise, just knowing how difficult it is to play in Colorado. I don’t know if it had anything to do with us taking them to seven. Once you get into the finals, all bets are off about what it took to get there and I think you’re just so motivated and excited to be in the finals with a chance at a championship, the fact that you just played a seven-game series isn’t really that relevant.
Q: During the regular season, was there a particular team that was the toughest to play?
A: That’s a tough question. I always thought Bossier was pretty tough to play, they have a lot of skill, quick forwards, and they just work relentlessly so I thought they were pretty difficult to play. You’d think after playing them 13 times, or whatever we did, you’d find a way to beat them in the regular season. It just seemed that, the more we played them, the tighter the games got. I think because of their work ethic and their skill level, I think they’re a pretty difficult team to play.
Q: You’ll be playing them about the same number of games this season but you have a new rival now that you are in a different division and that’s the Laredo Bucks. Over the history of play between the two teams, the Bucks have dominated the Brahmas, but last season, the Brahmas met the call and did well. Do you have any thoughts on playing the Bucks this season?
A: It’ll be nice to see a different team more often and to get some more rivalries going. We went down there for one game and we ended up winning down there. They have a great team and a lot of great players. I think for me, the toughest part was going down there at the end of February and it was 95 degrees out (laughing). It was really hot and you don’t expect that. It was a little different from what I was used to. In February, we used to have several feet of snow and freezing temperatures. So that was a bit of an adjustment. But they have a good team and they’ve had a pretty good track record from what I understand with championships and winning that conference. I think it’s going to be a tough test and I think it’s one that we’re going to meet.
Q: I spoke to your former teammate, Pete Rouleau the other day. He’s excited about coming down and joining the team. Pete’s a small but dynamic forward who really hasn’t had a chance to do anything in the pros yet. Can you talk a little about how he came to the team’s attention?
A: We’d actually tried to get him down here before the playoffs after his season ended and he ended up going to the East Coast League instead. It didn’t end up working out. Dan had asked me about him and I could only give high praise for him. He’s a great player. He led the team in scoring my last year and led the team in scoring last season. He's just a great offensive player, real fast. For a small guy, he’s not afraid to get in there and mix it up. I wouldn’t recommend a guy that I didn’t think would be very successful at this level. I think that people are going to very happy with what they get from him. I talk to him quite often, I went to his wedding last summer, and I know him quite well. He was deciding on what he wanted to do. I thought for a while that he was going to go to Europe; I guess he decided not to do that. He wanted to go to the East Coast League with the team he ended the year with (Pensacola Ice Pilots, who folded in June)…and when that didn’t happen, he called me and asked about the team a little bit more. Dan was on me quite a bit. Dan really wanted him and wanted me to call him a few times. I think coming to a team, your first year pro, it’s nice to have someone that you’re familiar with and comfortable with to help that transition. Hopefully I’m able to do that with him. I’m pretty happy and excited to be back on the same team with him.
Q: I’ve spoke to a number of Brahmas fans in the off-season. Everyone was very impressed with your play and definitely looking forward to seeing you out again this season. Do you have anything in general that you want to say to the Brahmas fans?
A: I appreciate all the nice things they’ve done and all of the support they’ve given me and to the team. They’ve definitely made it easy for me to come in and be successful with the type of treatment and the support that I got, so thank you for all the support you’ve given and continue to give and we look to build on last season and reward them for all the hard work and support that they’ve given us. Photo Credit: Robert Keith
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