He looks at the centre ice position as somewhat of a third defenceman. It’s the way he has always approached playing the position, and he believes he grew a ton in every aspect of his game this past season, thanks to the support of the coaching staff in Abbotsford, accompanied by the support from the development staff.
“The staff out there helped a ton. I think having the Sedins around and coming out to help you with little skills that you don’t necessarily think are super important is awesome,” said Mueller. “If you’ve got those two guys teaching you something, that skill is clearly important. Manny, as our coach, too, having him be able to help me with faceoffs and give me little pointers on how to beat certain guys, helped a lot.”
Along with the growth in his game, Mueller learned a lot away from the ice as well. The youngster has always enjoyed cooking – his go-to is a steak in the cast-iron – but living on his own and learning to be a pro is where he thinks he grew the most.
“Just learning how to really take care of myself and make sure I’m ready to go for every game, feeling good, eating right, sleeping enough, all that stuff. I feel like that was one of the bigger steps I took this year,” said Mueller.
Setting goals is important to Mueller, but he also does not want to look too far down the road. He sets short-term goals that he can focus on with a day-to-day mindset, and that helps him navigate the ups and downs that come with a season.
Mueller now sets his sights on an essential offseason of training and is looking to show well at this fall’s training camp in Penticton. He has gone through the rigours of a professional season and wants to build on all the success he has had in his rookie year.
