Today, I think I learned more than I have all season. It was the first practice with our head coach back on the ice, who was vacationing in Hawaii. Pretty much after every drill I did, I was pulled to the side and told something that I need to improve upon. I need to have an active stick, work on transferring my weight when I pass, and lift my shot about a foot off the ice. I know I have a lot to work on, and now I'm convinced I'm in the right spot to improve. I was excited for the head coach to get back, and I can tell that both coaches here care about me, believe in me, and are very excited to work with me.
After practice, the coaches talked to me and said they are encouraged by my coachability. Everything they asked me to do, I did, and they told me in an hour I became a different defenseman, one who actually looks like he knows what he's doing on the ice. If I can learn and improve that much in one practice, I can't wait to see what I can do with more time with this coach. The thing I like most about being here is that the coaches talk to me regularly. I'm not just skating around cluelessly, wondering if I'm doing something right or not even knowing if I'm doing something wrong. I like how the coaches come up and talk to me one-on-one about things I can improve when I do something wrong, but I also like how they tell me positively.
Today, I did kind of run out of gas at the end of practice; I think, though, after a few practices, I will get my hockey legs back. I'm in good shape, but it's been a few weeks since I've practiced at such a high level, and I'm not even sure if the practices in Bismarck or New Mexico were this high-paced. I'm excited to be here, and I'm excited to learn and get better.
Wow, that's really awesome Connor. Great to hear!
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