On his style of play: As a hockey player, I see myself as an in-your-face type banger, all-around hockey player who goes in the dirty areas and goes to the net hard to get some dirty goals as well.

On patterning his game: I would have to go with Todd Bertuzzi and Milan Lucic, a little more leaning to Milan Lucic’s style. Both are great players. Obviously Todd was a great player in his prime and they're definitely two key guys I watch and try to learn stuff off of.

On starting in figure skating before hockey to strengthen his skating: I started out in the figure skating club. Actually I did a couple routines as the Mickey Mouse guy. I got to wear the big ears and the little costume. That was fun at the time. It obviously helped my hockey game because with the new rules in the NHL you need to be able to skate, for sure. I believe it's helped.

On getting his start in hockey: I was actually eight years old. We lived on the lake and I always used to play pond hockey. I used to go out there for hours on end and play hockey with all the guys around the street. So that's how I knew I wanted to play it for sure. From there then I begged my mom to put me in it, and she did. From there on in, I've loved it. It's going pretty good so far.

On playing outdoors on the pond: Actually, I never was the guy that loved or always called myself a player. I was always the guy that wanted to win the Stanley Cup, there was always a minute left in the game to win the Stanley Cup. I'd always put it in the Stanley Cup perspective. I always just kept playing and won the Stanley Cup… the fake one.

On the biggest influences in his career: I would have to say my mom and my brother. My brother because when my dad passed away he was right there. He helped my mom out a lot, driving me to games, really kept me level-headed. When I got drafted, telling me that's not the end of it, there's still a lot of work to be done. My mom, she's always there for me. She's my biggest supporter. She's great. She's there every time I need someone to talk to.

On his family giving him support: It has helped me a lot actually. They care and they're all big hockey fans; they love their hockey. They're always there to tell me the good and the bad, what I need to work on. They don't get too involved, which is good. They just stand by my decision and go with it.

On playing for Team Canada at the Under-18 level: It is an honor to play for your country. It's always a great feeling. When I walked in the room one day and saw my jersey hanging up, it was weird, but exciting. It was a great tournament (Ivan Hlinka Memorial). I got to meet a lot of good guys, so it was a lot of fun. Winning a gold medal, there's nothing better than it. It was a lot of fun and something I'll never forget, for sure.

On what he’s like away from the game: I like to just sit and relax. A lot of the guys on my team rag on me, but I'm normally the guy that just sits at home and plays video games. I'm always pretty tired after skating or working out. So I just like to rest and make sure I'm ready to go for the next day.

On video games: All of (the games) the guys on the team can't beat me. They're going to be chirping me about this. Call of Duty and NHL are the main ones. They don't leave the (console) pretty much. We get some pretty good games going there.