After a slow start to the season I guess it was nice to settle in with some of the new faces on our team and get some chemistry going. Our power play seems to be clicking at the right time and I think that really helped me, scoring-wise. Unfortunately, we did get some injuries and had some guys miss a few games. That got us out of our groove a little bit, but we're all healthy again and looking to build off our power play. It was a solid February, and personally I felt a lot more like myself. I'll try and build off that down the stretch since the OHL playoffs begin at the end of the month.
Our main goal is to win the West Division and remain ahead of the Windsor Spitfires. We have three more games against Windsor, so we'll look at those games as four-point nights. Those battles with Windsor are always tough and I'll have those dates circled on the calendar for sure. I'm good friends with one of their top players, Logan Brown, and we always have good battles.
I know NHL Central Scouting is scheduled to get together later this month for their final meeting to determine the final list of the top North American skaters in the 2016 NHL Draft. I don't think so much about the rankings. It's always going to vary and everyone has their opinions. I'm just going to try and perform my best and I think if I perform the way I want to, I don't think there will be any issues.
I'm looking to lead my team to a championship this year and I think if we're playing late in the year all the way into May, that will be great exposure with all those televised games. I'll just have to worry about playing my game and focus on getting wins, and all that other stuff will take care of itself.
I never had the chance to play in the OHL playoffs last year after that [upper-body] injury and it was tough watching from the stands, so I'm really looking forward to playoff hockey. Our crowd was unbelievable last year. The atmosphere was fantastic every night and there's a great buzz this year as well. Everybody in town is really excited for us and we've been getting great crowds all season. I think the atmosphere in the playoffs is going to be even more ramped up than what it was last year and we all can't wait for that.
I can't say enough about how unbelievable Travis Konecny and Pavel Zacha have been playing this year. They were recently put on a line together and it's almost as if the puck is on a string between the two of them. At practice, I'm in awe with the things they're able to do. It's pretty awesome and fun to watch. Two good players for sure.
Thanks for reading.
