"You Have All Three"

Today, I had a really good practice. We did a drill where the defensemen have to break out against pressure and read the forecheck of the forwards. My defense partner and I did it almost perfectly. That was the highlight of my practice, and I think I played well otherwise too. But Coach came up to me after practice and asked how he thinks I'm doing. I told him I thought I'm doing really well, still improving, and I told him how I thought I did on that drill. He agreed with me, and then he said something about how reading the forecheck like that is second nature to great defensemen like Nik Lidstrom; he makes the smart play and the right play every time. Then, I told Coach how I've been focusing on being more physical because it's something I have to focus on. He told me that every coach is looking for a big kid, who has an edge, and a brain. And he said I have all three. I'm really excited about the progress I've made since coming here, and it's been an amazing experience to learn the game like I have, in such a short time. I know I still have a lot to learn, but I'm not floundering like I was in the beginning of this year. I'm flourishing. I'm getting better every day, and it's so exciting to me.