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JSS331 · 01-28-2020, 12:35 PM

Last season was a whirlwind as I was not drafted but rather signed to a contract to play out the last half or so of the junior calendar with the Falcons. I found my way as a defenseman and improved greatly from the start to the finish. I managed to score a few goals, chip in on a few assists, and keep my plus minus rating respectable despite playing against superior players with more experience. As I finish the offseason and reflect on my goals for this upcoming season, there is a lot of be excited about.

First, the lead up to the draft was nerve wracking. Not know which franchise wants to take a chance on a young Irish defender and where I will ultimately end up playing once called up to the SHL. In the end I was lucky to be drafted by the Texas Renegades who have been more than welcoming. I spent some time with the club in the offseason getting some additional training and told what to work on this season in the minors. I mostly need to get my goal scoring ability, defensive positioning, and skating to a level that can compete at the next level. If I am going to make an impact, they desperately need me to step up my game in those areas. They also want to see me improve on some other areas such as passing and endurance but that will come with time. They said they will be keeping a close eye on my progress in Detroit this year to make sure I am sticking to the plan.

Now that I am back in Detroit and ready for the season to start, the excitement of playing some competitive hockey again is building. I made some major improvements in my game over the offseason and cannot wait to be one of the more senior players on the ice for a change. This should give me an advantage and I expect to play top pairing minutes and get extensive work on special teams as the top pairing for the power play and the penalty kill. Already in two games that is paying off as I managed to score my first of what I hope is many goals this season.

While we as a team made the playoffs last year, we did not win a series which leaves us only room to grow this year. Our hope is that we take the next step to compete for the league championship. We lost a few key pieces to the SHL but we have a solid core of talent still here in Detroit and the feel around the locker room is that we have a team that can compete this year. So far we've started out with some tough games, losing our first in a shootout to take our first point but then getting blown out in the second where we took way too many penalties. We again went one and one in our next two games and currently sit at one win and two losses plus one over time loss. We will hope for better results as we move forward.

It is early in the season but it already looks like the Carolina Kraken will be the team to beat this year. Already off to a five and zero start, they currently lead the league just a few days into it. Their plus twelve goal differential is by far the best so far. St Louis is not far behind with no regulation losses, three wins and one loss in over time. Vancouver is struggling right now with only an over time loss to their credit from a point perspective and is a league worst minus nine in goal differential.

Far from crowning a champion this early, there is a lot of hockey left to be played but we cannot let our selves fall to far behind Carolina and need to focus on winning every game we can. If we can end up in a solid seed for the playoffs it will help us greatly in getting to the championship. Time will tell if we can find our rhythm and get there but with Kahbib and Cal still leading our forwards and a revamped defense, we should have a very good shot at competing.