The Huskies face off against the Ontario Hockey League champion Guelph Storm on Saturday at the Canadian Hockey League championship tournament in Halifax. While the taste of the QMJHL victory still lingers, the team knows they face a tough road ahead to win the ultimate prize.
"I expect it to be the toughest game so far because it's the end of the season and everyone's not going to have a lot of strength," said Lauko. "We will be exhausted, but I hope we will manage it out."
The tournament host Halifax Mooseheads, who were dispatched by Lauko's team in the QMJHL finals, will square off against Western Hockey League champs Prince Albert Raiders on Friday.
This is the 19-year-old's first season playing in the Q. He was drafted in the third round (77th overall) by the Bruins in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. He played in two preseason games for the B's in September, scoring a goal in each game. Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney inked him to a three-year, entry-level contract on September 28 before assigning him to his new team.
The Prague, Czech Republic, native has enjoyed his first season playing in North America, but a new country also means adjustments to be made.
"It's really, really different than I'm used to playing," said Lauko. "It was all about the tactics and some strategies made before the game, so not a lot of skating. So when I came here, I found out it's pretty, pretty fast hockey, like a lot of pace, a lot of forechecking and everything like that, so I think still after one season I [haven't really] gotten used to that. It's much better than it was."