On his style of play:  I think my strength is my speed.  I'm a smaller guy so I have to use my speed and be creative.  I like to be the guy with the nice move or just beat them wide with my speed.

On using his size as motivation:  You hear that (I'm too small) a lot.  Growing up, I've never been a big guy.  I've always been small.  So I've kind of used that as motivation.  Every time I hear it, I get a little angry and a little motivated.  So it's good to hear sometimes.

On patterning his game after Daniel Briere and Martin St. Louis:  I like St. Louis and Daniel Briere, too.  They're smart guys -- quick, feisty and passionate.  They're good guys to look up to. 

On getting his start in hockey:  I started skating around age three.  My dad was a shift worker, so every time he was home during the day, we'd go public skating.  I started actually playing hockey at age four. I loved it and kept playing growing up. 

On loving the game at a young age:  I think growing up at an early age, like three, four, five, I always watched the NHL and wanted to play in the NHL.  Just to see how fun it looked and to play hockey for an occupation, it is a pretty good way to live.  I think I always wanted to play in the NHL, even as a little kid.

On his most memorable hockey gift:  I think one of my birthdays I was like maybe seven, I went upstairs, and on my bed was the first graphite hockey stick I had.  They're kind of old now; they're Wayne Gretzky aluminum sticks.  You don't use them.  But they were pretty cool to get when I was that young.

On the biggest influence on his career:  My dad -- he's always been there.  He likes the game so much.  He's been helpful and he's motivated me and been confident in me.  He's just always been there.  He knows the game pretty well.  And, yeah, he just enjoys it.  He's the first guy to put me in it.

On his favorite shootout move:  I like coming down and faking the shot with a leg kick, pulling it to my backhand and quickly pulling it back to my forehand and kind of going top shelf.

On his favorite goal celebration:  My favorite celebration is going down on my knee and then pumping it. 

On his most memorable hockey moments:  There are two.  I think winning gold over in Slovakia for the Under-18 Team Canada was pretty cool; and last year winning the WHL Championship in Game 7 in double overtime.  It was incredible. 

On playing in the 2007 Memorial Cup:  It was intense.  It's such a big stage.  Every game is so important.  I think us and Vancouver had a great rivalry.  It was really tough to lose that (final) game.  Our goal from the beginning of the season was to win the Memorial Cup and to have it slip in one game was pretty devastating, but it was a good experience.

On his thoughts about the Draft:  I want to go in the first round.  It's a goal of mine to go in the first round.  I have to have a really good second half (of the season).  Obviously, a good game (at the Top Prospects Game) would help.  It's exciting.  I've watched a lot of my friends go in the first round last year.  So I kind of want to do the same thing this year.  I'll set a goal for myself, and hopefully I can do it.

On his favorite pump-up song: My favorite pump-up song is "Because of You" by Nickelback.

On the one movie he would choose to be in:  If I could be in one movie I would be in The Bourne series. 

On the one thing he couldn't live without:  One thing I couldn't live without would be my iPod.

On his favorite activity away from the rink:  My favorite thing to do away from the rink is go to a movie.