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Steven Stamkos Q & A

Question: You and your team had a decent regular season and are now giving Windsor a difficult time. Can you tell us about the intensity level of the OHL post season?

Stamkos: It’s a whole different season and everyone really steps up their game a notch. I think our team is really responding well to the style of play that you need for the playoffs. Everyone accepting their roles, they are all blocking shots and competing and I because we had success against Windsor in the regular season it gave us a little more confidence heading into the first round and we’ve been able to run with that so far and hopefully we can continue that.

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Question: What the heck is it like to be 18 years-old and likely the number one selection in the upcoming NHL draft?

Stamkos: It is pretty overwhelming just to hear you say that. I’m trying to not focus on the NHL draft right now; my first priority is here in Sarnia and giving the team the best chance to win the championship. Sarnia fans really haven’t had that much to cheer about with regards to playoff success lately and it’s nice that things are looking good in the first round.

For me, it is definitely an honor to be ranked high and have people talking about you, but I just try not to worry about it and have it affect my game.

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Question: How do you feel your game has progressed in the last year?

Stamkos: I think my speed definitely improved the most since last year. I’ve always been a pretty good skater, but I think I stepped it up a notch this year. I trained really hard over the summer with my core and legs to get stronger. It was an eye-opener last year coming into the OHL as a 16 year-old. The guys are a lot bigger, stronger and faster and I wasn’t the biggest guy and I needed to work on it and I think I worked really hard in the summer to improve my speed and it has definitely been the factor that has helped me the most.

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Question: Any other areas you are still working on?

Stamkos: For me it is really just about improving my all-around game and to keep getting stronger. I have a pretty tall body frame and I just need to fill it out a bit, especially if I want to play at the next level with guys who are a lot bigger and stronger. It is definitely going to be one of my priorities in the summer to get a lot stronger and put on some weight.

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Question: You’ve been compared favorably to many players, mostly guys like Steve Yzerman and Joe Sakic. Do you see much of how they play (or in Yzerman’s case, played) the game?

Stamkos: It is definitely an honor when you are compared to those two players. I think for the complete game that those guys bring to the ice every night, I mean not only are they threats offensively, but they’re always the ones coming back for the back-check and are always worrying about their end too. They are arguably two of the best leaders who ever played the game and they are both warriors on the ice and I like to see myself as the kind of leader who, if the guys need me to talk to the coach, or whether it means leading by example either on or off the ice. I can definitely see myself having some aspects of both those guys’ games.

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Question: Who was your favorite NHL player to watch growing up?

Stamkos: My favorite player was Wendel Clark when he used to play for the Leafs. I used to love watching him, the way he competed all the time and how hard he worked every shift. I also definitely looked up to the two guys we talked about, Steve Yzerman and Joe Sakic, just the way they make the players on their teams better by them just being on the ice.

Right now I try and pattern my game after Alexander Ovechkin. He likes to score goals and so do I, and he’s not afraid to take the body and just how excited he gets not only when he scores goals, but when his teammates score and when the team is having success. I have that same sort of mindset.

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Question: You wear number 91 – any significance to it?

Stamkos: I used to wear number 19 because of Sakic and Yzerman, but when I came to the OHL someone already had it, so I just flipped it around and I guessed I kind of stuck with it after the success of last season.