St. John's, NF - Following the Game Six victory in the SMJHL Finals, the Newfoundland Berserkers partied long into the night and the days to follow.  Typically a subdued Cale Amundsen could simply be heard screaming obscenities out of pure joy.  A first time experience in embracing the Four Star Cup is always an overwhelming emotion for many, but even more so for the Calgary prospect.  Finally able to clean out the locker in preparation for his flight to Austria for the upcoming IIHF and WJC tournaments, the media was able to catch up with him...

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Thanks ahead of time for the questions!

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09-09-2020, 10:24 PMPatty Wrote: You've accomplished a lot in the J.  What are you goals for the rest of your time in Newfoundland?

I know I can do better.  What is crazy in this league is how quickly team foundations can shift.  I felt alot of weight on my shoulders in S53 as a rookie.  You sit there and you want to go out and prove your value... your worth... your roster spot.  Then S54 came along and you almost expect to do better, but when the statistics don't show it it becomes a difficult pill to swallow.  So you look for tweaks and adjustments.  I think our team as a whole needed that Game 7 loss last season to give us the urgency for the Game 7 this season.  It prepared us... You have to want it more than the others on the ice and I think I was able to leave it all out there in that Conference Championship game when we needed it.

Next season is going to be a bit more of a challenge as I think we may lose a couple of guys.  I'm already feeling the pressure to get back on the ice and prepare.  The guys are increasingly supportive, but my number one goal is for us as a team to go out on top... No award, record or personal achievement can out do winning a championship. 

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@Mike Izzy

1) Media outlets have been calling you ‘the prodigy’ ... how do you feel about that alias nickname gaining traction?

Honestly, I'm going to let the media do their thing... fans chatter... and players banter.  I can't get lost in all of that, while preparing for the goal ahead.  I've been extremely lucky to not only have one amazing locker room, but then to be drafted by a second.  The support and players around me allow me to do what I do... Extremely grateful.

2) Besides winning the 4-star cup.. Your 4-0-1 with 3 shutouts in the 5 five games of your SHL career...one of the greatest starts in recent history, .. talk to us about juggling your role in Newfoundland while coming up throughout the season with the Dragons.

Man, if you would have told me I would have had three shutouts in my first five games I wouldn't have believed you.  It has definitely been a challenge to a certain degree.  I think the travel after the games in the SHL was difficult to acclimate to when typically needing to mentally prepare the moment I'm off the plane.  Life itself doesn't stop when going between the two and I've grown more accustom to it, so I hope to manage a little better this season.

3) Admundsen and Marner are both super star caliber prospects, both Calgary Dragon players and now both share a juniors championship.. talk to us about your journey as team mates.

Been an absolute blast sharing the ice with Marns.  What a night draft night was... Being able to share in it with a teammate with a current teammate not only made it that more enjoyable, but also made it much easier to adapt with our SHL club.  What a season that guy had... Practice is always extremely competitive and it pushes me on the ice.  Having one of the best scorers in the league facing me every practice absolutely prepares me for the competition.

4) How has your strong relationship with Kata Vilde, working along side him, learning from him...affect the game of Cale Amundsen?
The experience has been great.  I know coming into last season, he was a bit frustrated coming off of what he felt like was a down season.  He busts his ass off every season to position himself to succeed and he worked on what he did to make it happen this season.  Statistically he killed it this season and was extremely happy for him.  Adversity always can be a good teaching point for any of us at every age.

5) With long time goalie Johannes Leitner retired, your now the starting netminder for team Austria. What’s your mindset going into this first test on international waters? and what are your goals and expectations within that?

Oh man... Talk about jumping in the deep end.  I mean ideally it is going to be a fail and pray mentality.  It is one thing going in as the backup, guys don't really face you... It is another going in as the goalie that people are practicing for.  They know your spots... and believe me... I have many angles to work on right now.  Simply, I want to just keep the team in the game... I want us to be competitive.  If we make it out of the round robin stage I will consider that a success.

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@Mack

What would you tell a young woman entering her first year of college who fears meeting new people?

Understand that there are many other people in the same position.  Be open to new friendships and don't hold on to past ones if they don't make time or an effort for you.  Be willing to go to new places and participate in new activities, but only do what you are comfortable and ready for.  Don't cave to peer pressure, but recognize whether it is something you would like to do out of your norm or something you simply aren't interested in at all.  Don't be afraid to say no.  Lastly, don't be afraid to experience your next step and create memories... they will come in positives and negatives.  Learn from them all.

Do you garden? If so what do you grow and do you have any tips and tricks you can share?
Depends on what kind here... flowers and plants... negative, I'm horrendous.  Crops... aka corn, hell yes.  Kata has to get his ingredients from someone around here

If you fall head over heels in love with someone really early in a relationship and you think they feel the same way, when is the right time to say "I love you".

There isn't a good answer to this as literally every scenario is unique.  Being cognisent of cues from your partner or open communication about expectations is important.  It will give you hints as to what your partner is ready for.  Unfortunately these aren't the only determining factors... As we get older there is much more to consider.  Failed past relationships... children... desires... job... literally the list goes on.  The moment will present itself and if you don't think it is... Take a moment to talk to you partner and explain to them how you feel.  Allow them the ability to not be at your level of commitment yet and that is okay.  All you can do is reiterate your support... your care... and your patience.

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@JNH

If your stylist has your favourite team's shirt, how would you go about getting it back?

Well... If this wasn't a Dragons shirt I would probably just let her be.  The pictures she sends in it while holding a parm just is too much.  But now that I'm thinking about this, I wonder... If she actually has a parm and is wearing that shirt, where is Esa?  That dog has gotta be close by.  Nevermind I don't want it back.

What're your expectations for your final season in NL?

To get this team back to the Finals.  My number one goal is going to be going back to back.  Forget accolades, 9/10ths of the league hates us anyways so it never matters.  I definitely am going to look on improving on my personal statistics as that will ultimately help our win column.  Ideally if I can hit 100 wins in the SMJHL that will complete one of my goals that I've been really working towards.  Lastly, just overall have fun with the boys this season. 

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@Rabidsponge21

Do you care to make any other bets?
Never... Granted I did make a smooth $15m on Casino this last season.  So thank you to New England, San Fran and Calgary   As for our bet... It was the best 10 seconds of my life.

What Maine defenseman looked like a stud out there besides losing ultimately.
Do you even have to ask?  All I have to say is that MAS is going to be scary in the bigs.  I'm pretty damn grateful to share another career timeline.  Texas having a young cornerstone like MAS to build around is going to be huge for long term success of the team.  I absolutely look forward to our inter-conference rivalry for many many seasons to come.

Whats the next step? Juniors for a 4th season or going up?

I will be returning to the SMJHL for a 4th and final season this year.  With Kata still going strong, my only need is for back up games.  It will be nice to get a bit more acclimated before making the official jump as the competition is deep at the next level. 

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What is the biggest area of improve do you think Cale needs to work on to take his game to the next level?

Consistency. Big games are great, but at times I've found myself playing down to the level of our competition. If you have the ability to steal games then you need to make sure to dominate when expected to. We had a great playoffs, but when you factor in my play for the regular season there is ample room for improvement for the upcoming season. That will carry over to playing for Calgary in the future. If you want to be counted on game after game then you need to show up every night, not just when you are needed most.

If you could create a one line (3 forwards, 2 defensemen) SMJHL super star team who would be on it an why?

Trick question! Whatever line is in front of me. Seriously, playing for Newfoundland has been amazing. Depending on one another and watching my teammates execute... I would take every line as is over anyone else in the league.