Prospect Report: Nail Yakupov

 Player Bio:

Player Name: Nail Yakupov

Date of Birth: October.6th,1993

Place of Birth: Nizhnekamsk, Russia

Height: 5’11 Weight: 189lbs

Shoots: Left

Position: Right Wing

Team:  Sarnia Sting (OHL)

Puck Central Draft Ranking: Number 1

NHL Potential: First line Winger/NHL Superstar

NHL Comparison: Pavel Bure

The Scoop:

    Nail Yakupov  is the favorite to go first overall in this year upcoming NHL Entry-Draft. He started the season as the favorite, and despite fellow Russian, Mikhail Grigorenko, knocking at his door, he’s managed to maintain top status. He was drafted 2nd overall in the 2010 CHL Import Draft, by the Sarnia Sting. He took the OHL by storm in his rookie season by scoring 49 goals, and 101 points in 65 games, enough to lead the entire CHL in rookie scoring. To top off his impressive rookie season, he took home OHL Rookie of the Year, and CHL Rookie of the Year. Expectations were very high for Yakupov heading into his sophomore season, and draft year. For the most part he did not disappoint. He started the year hot but when he got injured during the World Juniors Championship game his season sort of staggered a bit. He would go on to suffer a couple minor injuries, which would result in missed games, and effected his play. However this hasn’t hurt his draft ranking any, but  it has made some question his durability. He still managed to score 31 goals and 69 points in 42 games this season, and he also dished out 9 assists in 6 games played at the World Junior Championships.

     Some scouts have said that Nail Yakupov is the best prospect since Sidney Crosby in 2005. He has a lethal shot,explosive skating, and slick hands, not to mention he can play a physical, North American style game. He’s highly competitive and will do anything to win, although he gets caught doing too much at times. From what I’ve seen of Yakupov, he’s capable of taking over a game by himself, and can easily control the pace of the game. He gives it his all every shift, and is usually a difference maker. He loves the sport of hockey, and that’s all he wants to do. In an interview he said that when he comes to the rink he shuts everything out, and just focuses on hockey, this is something that all the greats have the ability to do. On top of his skill he has a great personality, which makes him well liked by teammates. Also since coming from Russia a few years ago his english has improved immensely, which is a nice asset to any team wanting to draft him.

 Yakupov is an exciting player and which ever team drafts him, which will surely be at 1st Overall, will have a potential franchise player. He’s skilled enough to make an immediate impact in the NHL, and in a few short years will likely be competing for scoring titles, and major awards. He has publicly said he loves Canada and would love to play on the Edmonton Oilers (They own the 1st Overall pick right now) so I don’t think there will ever be an issue of him not wanting to play in the NHL or leaving the NHL for the KHL, so I don’t think he should be pegged with the “Russian Factor”. Expectations are high for this player but there’s no doubt in my mind, or many others, that he won’t have any trouble living up to them.

Strong Points:

• Deadly Shot

• Explosive Skater

• Game Changer

• Great Hands
• Plays Physical
• Great Vision
• Ridiculous Celly’s

• Very Strong

• Very Competitive

Weak Points:

• Not Strong Defensively

• Tries To Do Too Much

• Doesn’t Use His Teammates Enough

• Too Reckless , Which Leads To Injuries

• Isn’t Very Big

Interesting Facts:

• He’s Muslim

• His favorite player growing up was Pavel Bure

• His agent is Russian legend,Igor Larionov

• He lives with friend/teammate, Alex Galchenyuk, who is also a Top Prospect

Prospect Report: Ryan Murray

Player Bio:

Player Name: Ryan Murray

Date of Birth: September 27th,1993

Place of Birth: White City, Saskatchewan

Height: 6’1 Weight: 201lbs

Shoots: Left

Position: Defense

Team:  Everett Silvertips (WHL)

Puck Central Draft Ranking: Number 2

NHL Potential: Top 2 defenseman

NHL Comparison: Scott Niedermayer

The Scoop:

     Ryan Murray has been the favorite to be the first defenseman taken in this years draft for awhile. He was the 9th overall selection, of the Everett Silvertips in the 2008 WHL Bantam Draft . He played 5 games in the 2008-2009 playoffs, and recorded one assist. His WHL career officially started in the 2009-2010 season, where he racked up 5 goals, and 22 assists in 52 games, which is impressive for a 15 year old defenseman in the WHL. Everything really took off for Murray during the 2010-2011 season,though. He was named captain of the Silvertips at just age 17. He completed 70 games and recorded 6 goals,40 assists and 45 penalty minutes. He almost made Team Canada’s World Junior team, and captained Team Canada at the U-18′s as a 17 year old, where he put up 3 goals and 10 points, in 7 games. Expectations were high for Murray heading into this season (His draft year) and he was up for the challenge. He suffered an injury early in the season which had some worried that he might not be able to play on Team Canada at the World Junior Championships but he recovered in time and helped Canada take home Bronze. He was every a  very good defenseman at the tournament and played a big role on the team. He finished the 2011-2012 season with 9 goals and 31 points in 46 games.

  Although most had Ryan Murray the top rated defenseman in this draft, not everyone did. Mathew Dumba was also favored by many to be the first D-man taken in this draft but Murray separated himself from the rest, much like Yakupov did. Murray is the whole package in a defenseman. He has great shot, that’s both accurate and hard. He has smooth skating and great control with the puck, much like NHL greats Scott Niedermayer and Nik Lidstrom. He isn’t flashy so he normally will make smart, short, accurate passes to break out. He isn’t an overly offensive player, which means his transition to the NHL will likely have him being more of a stay at home defender. Again like Niedermayer and Lidstrom he has good size but isn’t overly physical, instead play more of a positional, and technical style of defense. One of Murray’s greatest assets is that he doesn’t get rattled. As I’m sure most hockey fans saw, at the World Junior semi-final game he was the victim of some bad luck. He didn’t let it rattled him and the second half of the game he was relied upon heavily. His poise with the puck, and without it is incredible considering his age and will be will be well liked by NHL GM’s. He also has great leadership qualities which will likely get him a “C” sooner than later in the NHL.

     Ryan Murray is arguably the most NHL ready of all the prospects, and will most likely be in the NHL right away. He’s a great all-round player, who can step into an NHL team right away and make a difference. There’s no guarentee’s that Columbus is going to use their 2nd overall pick to take him, but if I had to put money on it, I would say Murray is going 2nd overall. He’s a future captain in the NHL and will be the backbone of some teams blueline for many years.

Strong Points:

• Great Poise With And Without The Puck

• Strong Skater

• Handles The Puck Well

• Accurate Passer

• Hard To Beat One-On-One

• Doesn’t Get Rattled

• Great Leader

• Nice Size

Weak Points:

• Not Very Physical

• Not An Overly Offensive Player

• Potential Might Be Limited

Interesting Facts:

• He played on Team Canada’s U-18 team as a 16 year old

• He was the Captain of Team Canada at the U-18′s as a 17 year old

Prospect Report: Mikhail Grigorenko

Player Bio:

Player Name: Mikhail Grigorenko

Date of Birth: May 16th,1994

Place of Birth:  Khabarovsk,Russia

Height: 6’3 Weight: 200lbs

Shoots: Left

Position: Center

Team:  Quebec Remparts (QMJHL)

Puck Central Draft Ranking: Number 3

NHL Potential: Number 1 center/All-Star

NHL Comparison: Evgeni Malkin

The Scoop:

          For much of the first half of the season Mikhail Grigorenko held the number 1 spot on a lot of scouts rankings. He would eventually settle for second but for an import player playing his first year in a brand new country, number 2 is very impressive. On the note of impressive, Mikhail Grigorenko has a very impressive rookie season with the Quebec Remparts, scoring 40 goals and 85 points in just 59 games. He had an alright World Junior Championship, scoring 2 goals and 5 points in 6 games, on route to capturing a silver medal for his country, Russia. All though he didn’t completely dominate, it was still an impressive showing, especially since he played most of it hurt. he had 10 points in 11 playoff games, which many deemed a “disappointment” but it has recently come out that he’s been suffering from Mono since before the playoffs.

     Many scouts consider Grigorenko to be very close to Yakupov in rankings, and consider the two players to be ranked 1(a) and 1(b). However there are other scouts (ie Craig Button) that have Grigorenko ranked much, much lower then that. Like many Russians, scouts question his consistency  from game to game and his drive. With that said, he plays for Patrick Roy and Roy demands the most out of his players and has spoke highly of Grigorenko’s work ethic, so perhaps it was the mono that had Grigorenko playing inconsistent at times. Despite these few issues, Grigorenko is still a highly ranked prospect with loads of potential. He’s big and has tons of skill, which is where a lot of the Malkin comparisons come into play. He has a lethal shot, and an elite set of hands to match. Like many great players, his vision on the ice is next to none. He doesn’t play a physical game but when other players start to play physical with him, that’s when he really begins to shine. He plays a solid two-way game, which is why he was a plus 35 this season.

     He’s not likely to go first overall anymore, but he’ll definitely get a good look by the Columbus Blue Jackets at number 2 and if he doesn’t go there he’ll surely go 3rd overall to the Montreal  Canadians. Even if I’m wrong he’ll most likely be a top 5 pick and will play in the NHL right away. He’s a big, skilled, two-way center, with potential to be a number 1 center very soon. Big, number 1 centers are hard to come by in the NHL so I think any team would be happy to have him. He racked up numerous awards in his first, and likely last QMJHL season, so I think it’s fair to say Mikhail Grigorenko’s future is very bright.

Strong Points:

• Great Shot and Release

• Has Good Vision

• Elite Level Hands

• Accurate Passer

• Plays Better When Being Physically Challenged

• Ability To Play Hurt

• Good Character

• Nice Size

Weak Points:

• Doesn’t Play a Physical Game

• Some Question Work Ethic

• Consistency Issues

Interesting Facts:

• He came to Quebec knowing no english, and can now conduct full interviews without a translator

• He was named QMJHL Rookie of the Year (2011-2012)

• He was named to the QMJHL “All-Rookie” team

• He was named to the QMJHL “First All-Star” Team

• He won the “Mike Bossy” Trophy as the QMJHL top draft prospect

• He was selected first 8th overall in the 2011 KHL Draft

Q&A with Garret Sparks,Toronto Maple Leafs Prospect

PuckCentral: Overall, how do you feel the season went for the team and you personally?

Garret Sparks: I feel we over achieved as a team, which is what you always strive to do. On a personal level I thought I played well but could've been better at times. It was a good season but next season will hopefully build on that and be even better.

PC: You obviously made a big jump from playing 19 games to 59. Was it a challenge at all to play so many more games?

GS: It was a challenge but it was something that I was ready for going into the season. I worked all summer to put myself in a position to succeed and this summer is going to be more of the same as I hope to reach, if not pass that number of games played again next year.

PC: You were drafted really late last year, was it nerve racking at all having to wait?

GS: It wasn't really nerve racking just because I didn't really expect to go. For me I just felt fortunate getting drafted.

PC: Does being picked so late give you any extra drive to succeed?

GS: I've had the same drive to succeed since I first started this dream. Being drafted is just another step along the way. I would say it makes me work harder, realizing that my dream is getting closer and closer, but where I was taken doesn't have any influence on my work ethic.

PC: I know the season just ended but what are some of your goals heading into the offseason and next season?

GS: I just want to continue to get better. Next year is a big year for our team and a big year for me personally. I just want to come in and be in the best shape of my life and play every game I can. My main goal is just to return in the best shape of my life.

PC: I get the vibe that being in great shape is very important to you? Would you say thats true?

GS: It's the one thing that I really need to do to take my game to the next level. It's been my main focuses for years now.

PC: I've interviewed a lot of goalies lately but this is a question I haven't asked yet. You play in a league that's highly regarded for its skill and talent. Who are some of the toughest players to stop or play against?

GS: That's a good question. It isn't like I pay attention to who's shooting, but you play teams enough and you know when guys are out there. Tobias Reider and Michael Catenacci on Kitchener as well as Stefan Noesen, J.T Miller, and Mitchell Heard on Plymouth are all great players and good guys. Gregg McKegg may have given me the toughest time out of anyone in this league though.

PC: Well luckily for you he'll most likely be your teammate in the future rather then opponent ha-ha. Growing up what was your favourite team?

GS: Well as much as I'd like to say the Blackhawks, they weren't very good for many years. My team was the Dallas Stars. Loved the jerseys and guys like Eddie Belfour, Mike Modano, Derian Hatcher and the rest were great. Dallas beating Buffalo is the first Stanley Cup I remember.

PC: Dallas, that's interesting! Who was your favourite player growing up?

GS: My favourite player had to be Mike Modano. But my favourite goalies were Nikoli Khabibulin and Marty Turco.

PC: What aspect of your game do you take the most pride in?

GS: I wouldn't say I care about one thing I do more than the other, I look to keep the game as simple as possible. Focus and patience are two things that are very important to me.

PC: This one i meant to ask earlier but forgot. What was it like being drafted to a team like the Maple Leafs?

GS: It has been great. I originally just wanted to get drafted, but after that happened and I got to go to the rookie camps and such, I realized how fortunate I was to be drafted to a team like the Leafs. The resources, facilities and coaches are 2nd to none in the league and they really care about and look after the guys they bring in. It's been a great experience so far and I'm extremely happy with where I ended up.

PC: Sounds like a great organization. Alright, so last question. We ask this to everyone. Who do you try to model your game after or do you just to and be "Garret Sparks"?

GS: Well there's a lot of great goalies out there and I don't think it's beneficial to model your game solely on another person, but I take a lot of what I like from everyone and I try to incorporate it into what I already know works for me. My game is ultimately my game though and it's constantly changing and evolving. I don't like to be defined by one thing I do or have one weakness or strength. In the end all I can ask of myself is to compete to no end and try to keep the puck out of the net.

This Q&A was conducted via Twitter Direct Message.

I'd like to thank Garret Sparks for taking the time to do this with us. You can follow him on twitter at : @GSparks40 and please give us a follow at: @PuckCentralHQ

Contact us at:

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Email: puck.central@gmail.com

Q&A With Tyler Bunz

PuckCentral: Your WHL career has ended, so how do you think it went for you? Especially this last season. Would you say overall it was a success?
Tyler Bunz: My experience during my career in the WHL was amazing. The people I met, the coaches I played for, the teammates I played with were all great people and if it weren't for them I don't think my time in the WHL would have been as much fun as it was. My first year and a half were very inconsistent on the ice, but after the Christmas break during my 17 year old season I felt myself become more confident and start playing more consistent. The Medicine Hat Tiger organization was nothing but good to me, and gave me every opportunity to succeed. From being drafted at 14 years old as the first goaltender in Medicine Hat Tiger history to be drafted in the first round, they put all their trust into me to lead the team to wins. If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't be where I'm at today. I believe my career was a success. From being drafted into the NHL, attending the Canadian World Junior camp, signing a pro contract and setting records in the franchise, I feel happy with the way my junior career went.



PC: How has your experience in Medicine Hat help you grow as a player and a person?
TB: It challenged me to grow up faster then most kids do at a young age. Moving from home at age 16 to chase my dream of being an NHL goalie was not easy at first. You obviously miss your family and friends, but its the sacrifices you have to make. My billet family made it real easy to adjust. Bill and Sandy Standish are great people, and made my time in Medicine Hat more enjoyable as I had a caring couple take me into their home. Over the years you do mature as a player and person, and it not only made me feel good, but my family noticed as well as too how much I matured.

PC:Your professional career has started, how's that been so far, and what's been the biggest difference between the pro's and Junior?
TB: The speed of the game is the biggest difference. Not only are the games faster, but practices as well. The guys are a lot older then in junior and can skate and shoot faster then what I've seen for the past 4 years. But being in Oklahoma City for the past week and a bit, it's been a great experience. The weather, culture and people here are great. The guys on the team are awesome guys and have made me feel very welcome over my stay. They won their first playoff series in franchise history last night, so it was pretty cool to be there and be apart of it.



PC: Obviously it must have been tough to be cut from Team Canada and you handled it with a lot of class ,do you feel it has made you a better,or stronger player?
TB: Yes definitely. In my mind there was two ways I could of handled it. 1) Take it the hard way, give up and pout about it or 2) take it as a learning experience, grow from it and know there's things to be worked on in my game. I did choice 2. The only person I can blame for not making the team is me. I didn't perform as well as I should of in tryouts and I was the first to admit that. So I knew there was things to work on in my game and I went back to Medicine Hat that day, played that night and played one of my better games. It wasn't easy, but I wasn't going to dwell on being cut. My team needed me to be at my best and lead them to a win. The next few months I put being cut to the back of my mind and just played hockey. I love this game, I wouldn't jeopardize becoming less interested in the game because of one setback. It made me compete and play harder.

PC: You were drafted by the Edmonton Oilers,how special was it being drafted to a team in your home province of Alberta?
TB: It was amazing. To this day I can't describe the feeling I still have. I grew up watching them my whole life and being from St. Albert it was truly a dream come true.

PC: You're most likely a few years away from the NHL, but do you feel confident in the Edmonton organization? There's a lot of good goalies in the organization, but you're arguably one of the best.
TB: I just take it one day at a time. Every time I'm on the ice I try to improve. What happens in my career is up to me, so I can only focus on improving my game and hopefully impress the right people in the Oiler organization.

PC: What part of your game do you take the most pride in?

TB: Playing the puck. I love to be engaged in the game and every little play I make helps you stay focused. So by me going out and playing the puck and making smart plays, it not only makes the game easier for my defense men, but also keeps me focused and in the moment during the game. I finished with 13 points, I believe, in my 4 years and I take a lot of pride in that.

PC: We ask this to everyone. Is there anyone you try to model your game after or do you just try and be "Tyler Bunz"?

TB: Both, it's good to have someone to model your game after. But ultimately it's you who is in net. I look at Marc Andre Fleury a lot during video, as we both play somewhat similar styles of play. Also, with watching Brayden Holtby in playoffs with the Capitals, I've noticed we play alike as well. But when it comes down to it, I'm the one in control of myself so I take what I've been taught and try to apply it game situations as best I can, and hopefully good results come from it.

If you're on twitter give Tyler a follow at: @TylerBunz. Please give us a follow at: @PuckCentralHQ

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CHL Playoff Finals Breakdown

CHL Playoff Finals Breakdown

WHL:

In the WHL the Portland Winter Hawks will be taking on the Edmonton Oil Kings. This should be a high profile matchup and plenty of skill to go both ways. The Oil Kings have been dominant this year but the Winter Hawks have the skill and drive to push them and ultimately win this match up. The Oil Kings will be relying heavily on the likes of Curtis Lazar, Griffin Reinhart, Mark Pysyk, Michael St. Croix and Martin Gernat to help them succeed. Lazar has had the best playoffs out of any Oil King so far (16 points in 13 and will be key if they want to beat the Winter Hawks. Reinhart,Pysyk and Gernat will need to shut down Ty Rattie, Brad Ross, Sven Bartschi and Marcel Noebels if they want to have success in this series. The Winter Hawks also have some firepower from the back end in Joe Morrow and Derrick Pouliot and will need to be kept under control by the Oil Kings if they want to have success. With the talent the two of these teams posses it could and probably very well will come down to whichever team gets the better goaltending in this series. Laurent Brossoit has been absolutely lights out to this point in the playoffs with 13 wins, a 1.65 GAA and a .944 SV%. The Winterhawks haven’t quite gotten the same kind of goaltending out of Mac Carruth this season, but if they can get to Brossoit early and Carruth can make the saves when needed the Winter Hawks could take this series and be headed to the Memorial Cup.

Prediction: Edmonton Oil Kings in Six Games.

OHL:

The OHL Finals is a matchup of the 2 best teams in the regular season. Each team comes into the series having not really been tested in their 3^rd round matchup, the London Knights having faced the Kitchener Rangers made easy work of them and beat them in 4 straight and the Niagara Ice Dogs dispatched the Ottawa 67’s in 5 games. Each team has plenty of goal scorers and big point producers to go around, London possessing Seth Griffin, Olli Maatta, Austin Watson, Vladislav Namestnikov, Max Domi, Greg McKegg, Jared Knight and Jared Tinordi. The Ice Dogs not to be outdone boast a lineup of Freddie and Dougie Hamilton, Ryan Strome, Tom Kuhnhackl, Brett Ritchie, Jamie Oleksiak, Andrew Agozzino and Mark Visentin in net. The key to winning this series will be containing the big guys on either team. Dougie Hamilton and Jamie Oleksiak will be very difficult for the Knights offence to penetrate and may take a game or two to figure out. The Ice Dogs should have a much easier time getting past Maatta and Tinordi but it won’t be a cake walk for either side. Much like the WHL series the teams are loaded with position players and the series could hinge on the success of either goaltender. Michael Houser had a very good year and has continued that play here in the postseason, Visentin however out played him in the regular season and has outplayed him to this point in the post season. However he has a tendency to be shaky in big games and I expect much of the same as this series wears on.

 Prediction: London Knights in Six games.

QMJHL:

The defending Memorial Cup champion Saint John Sea Dogs are looking to win their 2^nd straight QMJHL Championship and the teams 2^nd straight Memorial Cup. The Sea Dogs have been the team to beat all year and it certainly will not be any different in this series. The Sea Dogs did face their toughest test of last round against Chicoutimi Sagueneens which they still won in 5 games but were forced to overtime in 3 of those 5. Their opponent the Rimouski Oceanic are a surprise team here in the Finals. No one really expected them to get to this point knocking off Val-D’Or, Blainville-Boisbriand and Halifax to earn a berth. The Oceanic may have caught a break however with Jonathan Huberdeau serving a 2 game suspension they have a chance to get out to a start they may not of otherwise had and make this series much closer then what it was originally supposed to be. Charlie Coyle, Zack Phillips, Tomas Jurco, Nathan Beaulieu, Jonathan Huberdeau and Stanislav Galiev matchup very well against the likes of Jakub Culek, Petr Straka and Jerome Gauthier-Leduc and will most likely overwhelm them and completely dominate this series. This years playoffs have been full of surprises and the Oceanic might catch the perfect wave and ride it all the way to the Memorial Cup, but expect much of what we have seen so far the Sea Dogs dominating their opponent and the other team never really standing a chance.

Prediction: Saint John Sea Dogs in Five Games.

Q&A With Jack Campbell of the Dallas Stars/Texas Stars

                       
PuckCentral: I'll start by asking how you think the season has went for you personally and for the team? You guys were in a tight playoff race so it must have been exciting?
Jack Campbell: My season in the OHL was definitely more consistent this year than last season.  I feel my game has gotten better every single day. Whether it is my on ice skills or mental toughness the OHL has definitely challenged me to be my best every single day. The playoff race was a lot of fun, despite the disappointment of not reaching the playoffs, as a team we played as hard as we could but we just didn't catch enough breaks and the consistency wasn't where it needed to be in order to be an elite team.


PC: With the playoff race so tight do you feel any added pressure to perform or was it just business as usual for you?

JC: For me I always put more pressure on myself than anyone could possible put on me. So I truly enjoy the spotlight in leading my team every single night. I love the pressure games where your season could be on the line...that's simply what I play the game for.  Just going out every single day and competing as hard as I can to help my team come out on top is what I love most about playing hockey.

PC: I just want to take a quick step back and ask you what winning the gold medal at the WJC in 2010 has done for you and your development? You basically came out of nowhere and in the eyes of many, won that tournament for the USA.

JC: I've been so fortunate to have so many great hockey memories thus far in my young career, and that gold medal in Saskatoon in front of the entire country of Canada was so thrilling, its something I will remember vividly the rest of my life. The guys on that team were so talented but we also had such great character from the coaches all the way to the players. Thats what allowed us to be as successful as we were.

                          

PC: What did it mean to you to win the Top Goaltender in the 2011 WJC?
JC: As far as the 2011 WJC is concerned, it was definitely a disappointing finish as I had my heart set on winning the gold medal. But personally, being named the top goalie was such an honor and it truly showed what a great team I had in front of me. Our defenceman were so talented it made my job so easy.

PC: The last World Junior tournament was obviously disappointing for you and the Team because of the high expectations, what do you think the downfall was? And there must have been plenty of positives to take from it, what would a couple of them be in your opinion?

JC: This years WJC was heartbreaking. Truthfully, people dont understand just how difficult the WJC tournament really is. It isn't so much about the talent each team possess as much as it is about how well each team gels in the short amount of time they have with each other. We just didn't have that chemistry we had in Saskatoon, and as a result other teams were able to exploit that.



PC: You were drafted by the Dallas Stars fairly high at 11th overall in 2010, did they express a lot of interest in you prior to the draft, or was it a complete surprise for you when you were drafted?

JC: Prior to the draft there were several teams with high picks that showed lots of interest, Dallas being one of them.  Therefore, when my name was called it wasn't so much a surprise I went that high as it was a surprise Dallas chose me over my good buddy Cam Fowler. I feel so honored Dallas chose me as they could have easily chose Cam, but it shows they have a long term plan for me in their organization and I am excited to do whatever I can to exceed their expectations.

PC: What made you decided to come over to the OHL?
JC: My decision to choose Windsor over the University of Michigan was solely based on what I believed would better prepare me for the pros. The NCAA game is extremely skilled and there is no doubt a lot of positives about it. However, for me I wanted to challenge myself to playing 45 plus games a season, an NHL style playoff format, and play against other high quality players around my age.  I learned so much in my two seasons in the OHL, I feel so confident in my game now after seeing what I needed to work on in the OHL.


PC: I have to ask... Are you at all aware that you were drafted to HC Dinamo Minsk in the 7th round,70th overall in KHL? And do you ever see yourself playing there? (I sure hope you don't haha)
JC: I am aware of being drafted into the KHL but my goal since I was 7 years old was to win a Stanley Cup, and that will never change. I want to be Dallas's franchise goaltender and I am willing to put all the work in so I have that chance when the time is right.

PC: So this last question is one that we ask everyone. Who do you try to model your game after, or do you just try and be "Jack Campbell"?
JC: I definitely play my own style game just like any NHL goalie you see now days. But a few of my favorites to learn from are Marc-Andre Fleury, Pekka Rinne, and Kari Lehtonen. I am always looking for ways to improve and there is no better way to do that than watching the best in the game.

                    

Big thanks to Jack for taking the time to do this interview with us. If you're not already give him a follow on twitter: @Jack1Campbell.

Also if give us a follow at: @PuckCentralHQ

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