Drew O’Connor joins Canucks Insider Podcast host Chris Faber to discuss working on his consistency this season, playing his first full season with the Canucks, and what he learned in his six-week cookie class this past summer.
After being traded from the Pittsburgh Penguins last season, O’Connor finished the 2024-25 season with 84 games played and has the 43rd-longest active ironman streak in the NHL. He spoke about what he has done to accomplish the feat.
“Some of it is obviously good fortune of not being injured, but I think a lot of that comes with preparation and how you approach the offseason,” said O’Connor.
“I think I did a good job in the offseason of building that base and making sure that my body is feeling really good coming into the year. So yeah, fortunately, it’s been a good run.”
O’Connor has picked up seven goals in his last 16 games and has been finding a scoring touch recently. He spoke about what that does to his confidence, moving forward.
“I’ve been able to get a few points now, and goals are starting to go in, so you kind of try to ride that momentum as long as you can,” said O’Connor.
“I think confidence comes with that. Like I said, it’s difficult when it’s not going in, and you can try to do all the right things, but when it does start, you can build that confidence and keep building it.”
He spoke about winning the World Championships in Sweden this past summer, and how he s
“It was awesome. I think winning obviously makes it worth it. It can be a bit of a long tournament. It kind of drags on a little bit. But awesome to win. It’s something I’ll remember forever. It’s actually funny, I sat next to Deano [Kevin Dean] on the flight over there, so we got to know each other. Obviously, he wasn’t hired at the time, but it was great to get to know him a little bit, and then I was pumped when he got hired here.”
Other topics in the podcast include O’Connor talking about how he fires up his teammates during pregame, working with different linemates, and much more.
Watch the latest episode here:
