Heatley hands down advice |
|
If any of the Westside Warriors needed proof that you can make it from the Junior A ranks to the top tier of the NHL, all they had to do was look around the ice at practice last week. Although trying his best to blend in and be just one of the guys, it was hard to miss Ottawa Senators superstar forward Dany Heatley as he went through the on-ice drills with the players, most nearly a decade younger than himself. Displaying the skill-set and instinct that have gotten him a bucket of points in ?The Show,? various Team Canada squads and all-star game appearances, Heatley is a prime example of what can happen when you combine talent with hard work. Not only that, he was obviously enjoying himself as he traded passes and shots with the Warriors. There he was, one of the game?s elite forwards, hustling for every puck like he was trying to make the team as a greenhorn rookie. Having made the decision early in his career to pass up a call to the WHL?s Red Deer Rebels, he instead chose to play with the Alberta Junior Hockey League?s Calgary Canucks to maintain his U.S. college eligibility. He played two seasons at University of Wisconsin, his father?s alma mater, before being selected second overall in the 2000 NHL entry draft by the Atlanta Thrashers. Coincidentally, Wisconsin is where Warriors standout defenceman Justin Schultz is headed in 2009.
?It kind of brings you back to those days, when you were at a young age out on the ice,? Heatley said after a workout at Royal LePage Place. ?It?s been nice to get in structured practice before going to the Senators? camp.?
The Ottawa team started their training camp on Tuesday, and Heatley was looking for as much quality<
