Catching up with… Michael Pezzetta

MONTREAL - Habs prospect Michael Pezzetta is coming off a whirlwind year, his fourth in the OHL. Drafted in the sixth round (160th overall) in 2016, the Toronto native was named captain of the Sudbury Wolves this season, was traded to the Sarnia Sting midway through after shattering his previous career-high in goals, and signed his first NHL contract with the Canadiens in March. We caught up with the 6-foot-1, 213-pound forward after he returned home from a month of training at the Bell Sports Complex in Brossard following development camp.

Was there anything you had done differently training-wise last summer that might've led to your success this past season?Michael Pezzetta:For pretty much my whole life, I've always worked hard in the summer. I love training. Last summer, my brother and I made a cement shooting pad in the backyard, it was 9'x9'. We set it down and we were able to shoot pucks and stickhandle every day on there. That really helped fine-tune my skills. And then I got on with a skating coach, Lisa Clark, who is an ex-figure skater. She really helped maximize the power in my stride. I think I came into the season feeling confident, and I just kind of rode that confidence into the year.
How did it feel to be named captain of the Wolves? MP: It was a pretty good feeling. I had worn the assistant captain's "A" since my second year in the league. To make that next step was nice and something I took pride in. Anytime you can wear the "C" for an organization, it's a pretty good feeling.
Tell us about signing your first contract. How did you feel, and what was going through your head?MP: It was a pretty amazing feeling. My agent called me [and said the Canadiens were offering a contract]. Just hearing those words… it's exciting. You try not to think about it as much as you can throughout the year, but it does weigh on you. You're doing all this work to hopefully one day get a contract and make that next step. When I got the call and I heard I was going to be able to sign my first pro contract, it was a great feeling.
I was at my billet's house when I signed my contract, and I went into the rink in Sarnia and let everyone know there. My family and friends were at the game in Kitchener the night before when I knew I was going to sign. It was nice to share that with them.
How do you feel about your development camp this year?MP: I thought I had a very good development camp. In terms of the off-ice testing, I thought I did extremely well. I know I was the top guy in a lot of the categories. On-ice, I thought I brought a good game. I made sure I was in shape and ready to go for that.
What was it like working out in Brossard?MP: It was awesome. The facilities are top-notch. The training and the plan they had us on - we were in the gym five days a week, and on the ice four days a week - it was good. It's always nice to experience different things. It was nice to just see a different perspective. There were a few exercises that I had never seen or done before.

What are you working on this summer?MP: It's pretty much always the same deal. In the gym, you're always trying to work on getting stronger and faster. On the ice, it's just working on your skills and your skating so that come the start of the season, you're ready to go and you're confident in what you did in the summer.
What did you discover about Montreal while you were here?MP: I had never really driven here; it's a lot different for driving compared to Toronto with no turning right on red lights and everybody merging on the highway. I've been here a few times, it's a pretty awesome city. We got to experience an Alouettes game and an Impact game, which were both fun atmospheres to be a part of. We went to some concerts. We got a feel for what the city's like; it's pretty exciting. It has to be one of the best places to play; I'm pretty excited about that.