Speaking of confidence, head coach Claude Julien wholeheartedly believes that Anderson can be a difference-maker for his hockey club in more ways than one.
At 6-foot-3 and 226 pounds, the two-time OHL champion and Calder Cup winner certainly has the size element the veteran bench boss was hoping would be added to his roster during the offseason. But Anderson is fast as well, so the possibilities to put him to good use are endless.
"Before his injury, he scored a lot on the rush, just coming down the wing, using his speed and using his shot. We knew what we were getting. But when you see him every day, it's fun and exciting to see how well he skates and how he uses his speed to the outside when he brings pucks to the net," said Julien. "That's something we've wanted to have for a while and we've encouraged our team to do more of. Hopefully that becomes contagious."
There was no denying Anderson's enthusiasm when he fielded questions from reporters following Wednesday's practice on the South Shore, especially with a scrimmage on the horizon on Thursday.
To say that the Burlington, ON native is enjoying his new digs is an understatement.
"You can see the confidence on the guys. Everybody is joking around off the ice, and then when you get on the ice guys are smiling, scoring goals, having fun," said Anderson. "I think you can just see the chemistry building on the team and we're looking forward to really getting started and doing some good things here."