"It was a whirlwind of a day," Dal Colle said. "I had a 5:20 a.m. shuttle from my house to LaGuardia. I flew, got to Toronto at 12 and didn't really know about playing until I saw my name on the board. It was a whirlwind, playing in front of family and friends, Hockey Night in Canada, that's something I watched as a kid. It was incredible."
Dal Colle was born in Richmond Hill, ON, but grew up in Woodbridge, a Toronto suburb. He grew up going to Leaf games at Air Canada Centre - now named Scotiabank Arena, which Dal Colle still finds strange to say - and relished the chance to play there as a pro.
The game was also Josh Ho-Sang's first in Toronto and Dal Colle said Ho-Sang helped his family get to the game. Dal Colle said both players enjoyed the experience.
"It was definitely cool for us to go out there and play where we dreamed of playing as a kid," Dal Colle said.
Dal Colle has played the past three games on the Isles third line with Leo Komarov. Trotz said he's seeing some development from the 22-year-old.
"Every time Michael has come up, he's looked more comfortable," Trotz said. I have a good trust in his game. His wall play and his pace of his game has increased from training camp, which is the biggest thing for him. He looks like he's a confident young man and he has a lot of pace to his game."
