Catching up with… Jake Evans

MONTREAL -- It won't be long before Jake Evans returns to the city.

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The Toronto native is coming back next weekend to continue preparing for camp at the Bell Sports Complex.
Evans spent the summer in his hometown with a training group led by Bryan Marshall, who serves as the Director of Applied Sports Science for the Vancouver Canucks.
Some of the 26-year-old's workout partners include newly acquired forward Sean Monahan, Nazem Kadri (Flames), Connor Brown (Capitals), Scott Laughton (Flyers), and Jamie Drysdale (Ducks).
Here are a few highlights from our conversation with Jake:
Evans on training with Monahan:
I've been in his workout group for the past three summers. We see each other at the gym every day for at least a couple of hours, and we skate together quite a bit, too. Sean is a great guy. He's just fun to be around, and he's a really good player with a lot of experience in the League. He's always doing as much as he can in the gym and working his butt off. When you're chatting with him, you notice right away that he's constantly adding something new to his routine, like he has two or three more things planned every day. It could be extra rehab or an extra workout. He's always doing stuff to get better, which is pretty cool to see. I remember at our first training session after the trade, we just laughed when we walked up to each other because we couldn't really believe that it happened. I'm used to not seeing him for like six or seven months at a time, and now we'll be together all season. I know he's really excited to head to Montreal and enjoy the city. It's nice to have a close friend join the team, too.

Evans on approaching his workout program after a productive offensive campaign:
I don't know if goals change, but you always just try and improve on everything you've worked on in past years. The only thing that changes is just getting experience in the League and more games under your belt. You start to realize what you really need to work on and what will work in the NHL and what won't work. That really translates into your summer skates. You're not trying certain things because you know they probably aren't going to give you results. At the same time, you might want to work on certain key things that you see other guys do successfully in games. I've been emphasizing small things on the ice, like just shooting the puck quicker and harder, and then just getting better at making smaller plays that I feel will work well in the NHL.

Evans on attempting to bulk up by focusing on his nutrition:
I've really been trying to gain some more weight and get a little bit bigger, so I eat a ton. That's just been my goal. My whole summer has been about working out, skating, and then planning meals. I've tried to gain weight in the past, but it wasn't as strict or anything. I was talking to our nutrition consultant, Renée Racine, and for me the only way to put on pounds is basically eating every three hours. I've just been trying to eat as much as I possibly can. It's all healthy stuff, obviously. I've just been cooking whatever I've been feeling. My girlfriend, Emily, has been helping a lot. We chat about it and we'll plan for the week. I'll go grab groceries and we'll just whip something up. I wouldn't say it's five-star cuisine, but it's still good. Our go-to is stir fry. She's a vegetarian, so it's tofu for her and chicken for me. We'll just switch it up every once in a while with sauces to keep things fresh, but we're getting pretty good at that dish.

Evans on visiting Brendan Gallagher in British Columbia earlier this summer:
I was in BC with Emily for a wedding, so I stopped in and stayed with him in Tsawwassen. I got to live the life of Gally for a day, which was good to see. While I was there, I went and worked out with him and his dad, Ian, at their gym, and then we went to Gally's favorite breakfast spot, hung out for a bit, and watched a Blue Jays game. We just chilled out and caught up. The training was fun. Ian is very serious and good at what he does. He likes to throw some jokes around. I went for dinner with him once before, so I got to know him. That made it a little lighter when we were at the gym. He likes to mess around with me, so you can see where Gally gets that from. I think the chirps that he gives you makes you want to work harder. They both like to chirp everyone and get everyone riled up.

Evans on the joys of being a dog dad:
We got our dog, Winnie, last July, but this was my first time living with her with a lot more downtime. I was kind of on full-time dog duty this summer, which was pretty fun. Emily will be working in our place upstairs, and I just sit with Winnie all day. She'll try and get my attention almost every hour. I really enjoy taking her out for walks. She's a rescue. We don't really know, but we think she's a shepherd husky mix. Honestly, just coming home every day, she gets so excited to see you. It's awesome. When you get home from a tough game, she's just waiting for you at the door and jumping all over you. She doesn't care what the score was, she just wants to have fun and cuddle and play. That always helps.