FEATURE: 'Motor Mike' Making a Name for Himself

As Devils forward Michael McLeod entered his third season with the franchise in January, he was still searching for his first NHL goal. Fast forward to April, the 23-year-old has six career goals, growing confidence, and nicknames from his teammates.
"We've got McLegend, McLovin', and then we've got Motor Mike," Devils veteran defenseman P.K. Subban said. "I like Motor Mike because he's always turned on, he's always ready to go, and he brings that energy every night. He's a guy that a couple times he wasn't in the lineup, but he brings that energy to practice the next day. He wants to get better."

McLeod is constantly improving and finding success offensively. After scoring his first NHL goal against the Philadelphia Flyers on Jan. 26, the center had his first multi-goal game against the Buffalo Sabres five days later. McLeod went through a scoring drought in February but saw success again in late March. In New Jersey's last six games, he's scored three times, including a goal in each of the team's last two. What does the Mississauga native attribute to his recent performance?
"(I'm) just trying to build off recent success and getting to the net, and realizing good things happen when you take it to the net," said McLeod following the team's practice Saturday. "You want to get better as the season goes on and if that's watching in the stands for a few games and learning from there, and watching other centermen … watching little things they do and trying to put some things into your game.
"That's been helping me and I'm just trying to continue to get better."
McLeod has bounced around the franchise between the American Hockey League, taxi squad and main squad. However, Devils head coach Lindy Ruff has seen a difference in the 6-foot-2, 188-pound forward's play since he returned to the lineup in late March.
"When you talk about Michael's game, I think after he got scratched, his energy, his skating, his playmaking, everything has been a big plus for us," said Ruff on very recent improvements he's seen in McLeod's game. "His penalty killing has been solid. I think his physicality, what we're looking for out of his role, and the fact that he's got six goals, big goal for us to get a point (Friday night).
"Even in Boston, that's a goal that not many players can score. That was speed, that was determination to take it inside, and I've liked a lot about his game since he's come back."

New Jersey has the second-youngest roster in the NHL this season, which allows their young, promising talent big opportunities to develop their game in real time. This learning process can be difficult and it's something that needs to be a consistent focus with their development.
"I think it's important to understand as a young player that confidence is something that can come and go. You have to work hard to keep it," Subban said. "In this league you get humbled really, really quickly. You have to find a way to be even keel and all you can do is focus on the process.
"Mike, he's one of those guys that we rely on heavily to play a very disciplined game, to be a reliable guy at all areas of the ice, and he's learning how to do that. And now he's chipping in offensively, and I think that throughout the year he's created off the cycle, and getting in on the forecheck, but it's nice to see the puck going in for him now."
In the next few months as the Devils 2020-21 campaign wraps up and McLeod looks back at this season, he wants his game and himself to be remembered not only for growing but being consistent.
"I want to be a reliable centerman who could play any kind of role," McLeod said. "But I want to continue to get better on the penalty kill, continue to get better on face-offs in our own end, and continue to grow offensively, too. Just continue to watch video and little things like that and keep putting little things in my game. I think I'll have an opportunity to grow."