Player prompt

Some people think that the pre-season is the most important part of the offseason, while others just think it's relatively unimportant in the grand scheme of things. For Cheeks Klapanen, it's a trial phase to lightly test out some of the improvements he's tried to make in the offseason. As a two-way defenseman with some offensive inclinations, generating offense while being responsible defensively is of the utmost importance. Last season, the skills flashed, but now in a top 4 defense role, there has to be some consistency in his game. From a half point per game, the goal is to get closer towards a point per game and directly contribute more towards wins.

So in the preseason the focus is really just on getting the fundamentals right, getting back up to speed gradually for the regular season, and trying to implement some of the off-season teachings and improvements over time to build up the right game day habits. Things don't just change overnight, and games versus real opponents are the best type of practice.