With the disappointing ending to the season that the St. Louis Scarecrows had, I talked with my coaches about where to focus my off-season training. I spent the majority of my rookie season working on my speed and defense, which hindered my offensive capabilities. I was given time on the penalty kill because of this and worked hard to make sure I performed well there. However, the coaches asked me to add more offense to my capabilities to round me out as a player.
During the off-season, I hired a new trainer to help me round out my abilities. We realized I could continue to use my speed and agility to help out offensively if I practiced the right skills. To accomplish this, we worked on my ability to break from defenders and a strong first pass. After seeing that I was performing adequately, we then incorporated shooting exercises. The goal was to help transform me into a mobile defenseman who was comfortable with the puck and what to do with it. The hope, is that these training will allow me to push for more ice-time as well as be a secondary scoring option on the power-play. This season will determine if that training paid off.