As a small town boy, and a first generation talent in the hockey world; I need to work hard and train hard to prove myself.  For this reason, my primary goals are training focused! To accomplish this I will need to take every opportunity to train hard improving my fitness and skating. This will help me become accustomed to the pace of the league and be able to contribute more to my team getting in on a rush or being back and in position to help stop the opponents transitions. 

With the help of the coaching staff here in Detroit, I would like to also improve my defensive reads and face-offs to be consistently dependable in defensive situations and on the penalty kill.  Getting regular time on the penalty kill has and always will be a long term focus of mine even after my rookie season so getting a good start in my rookie season is a must to my future success!