Last season on the ice, Diotte unlocked the offensive side of his game, something he believes could have intrigued the Devils on who he is as a player.
“I always have been a good defensive defenseman,” Diotte shared about his game. “But this year for sure I brought more offense. I have more opportunities to show this side of my game. For sure it’s something that the Devils might have seen.
“For sure my physical side, my skating, and the way I’m playing defensively is the thing that they want me to bring here and keep improving,” Diotte also explained about his game.
In addition to his improvements on the ice, Diotte learned what it takes to win when his team, the Drummondville Voltigeurs, were Quebec Maritime Junior Hockey League champions last season.
“It’s the first big run I did in my junior career,” Diotte reflected. “I was there since the beginning of the rebuild. So learning how to win, being nice with people, being around good people, it’s something that helps every player. Just playing against the best players in Canada, for sure it helped me improve my game too. It was a really good season for me and I enjoyed it.”
The next steps for Diotte will be improving his puck play around the blue line, including finding lanes with his shot. He’s expecting to work on that next season with the Devils' American Hockey League affiliate, the Utica Comets.
“My objective is to play for the Utica Comets,” Diotte said. “It will be the first step of my professional career. I’ll work hard during the summer and try to do my best.”
