Hutsko's D-Camp Diary: Goals, Family & Football

It's been a lot of fun getting back to just playing games here in Wesley Chapel.
I know all of us had been looking forward to this tournament ever since development camp started, to just get the juices flowing and get in a game again. You can't really simulate the situations we see in games. You can do what you can to get ready for them in practice, but a game is a game.

Two games into the tournament, I think we've gotten better with each period that we've played. In our first game against the Hurricanes, I thought we were all just a little bit off on some really good chances. We were almost where we wanted to be as a group, but just came up a bit short.
But in our second game against the Predators, it all clicked. Those plays that were just a bit off before were all connecting the second time around. We scored a lot and had a great time. For myself, it definitely felt good to get some goals. I'm always trying to go the dirty areas and want to be able to play all over the ice. It was nice to get rewarded like that and build up momentum.

I've also got to give a lot of credit to my linemates. When you play with guys that are talented and skilled like Anton Lundell and Grigori Denisenko, it makes the game easier. They've made some great plays and have great vision. When we first got here and I saw that I was going to be playing with them, I was excited. I thought we'd be able to do some damage, and we have been.
Everyone already knows both those guys are really great players, but it's different when you get to play on a line with them. Lundell is a very, very intelligent player. He's always talking to us and saying, 'Hey, we can do this, we can do that' out there. He loves talking hockey and loves the game. Denisenko is also impressive. He's a really strong two-way player, that's for sure.
One of the best parts about this tournament being just outside Tampa is that I've been able to have a lot of family at the games. My parents, my sister, my aunts and uncles, and two of my grandmas all got to see me play during this tournament. I was also able to catch up with them after one of the games. My mom did some of my laundry for me as well, so that was really nice.
Getting to see all of them is a special thing. Outside of my immediate family like my mom, dad and sister, the rest of my family like my aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents haven't been able to watch me play much in person since I've been playing hockey up north my whole life.
Having my family come to games is something I don't take for granted, especially after this past season. With the pandemic, this tournament was actually the first time my parents got to me see me play since sometime back in the winter of 2019 during my junior season at Boston College.
My mom is pretty funny at games. She gets mad sometimes. She's protective of her son. She's funny to talk to afterwards. I think she sees more of the hits than I do. My dad just loves all of it. He's a former college football player, so he just loves to see his son out there and competing.
Being home in Tampa, I also got to share my love of the Buccaneers with the guys.
On Sunday morning, we heard some of the younger guys talking about how they were planning to go to the game. After hearing that, I got together with Matt Kiersted, Spencer Knight, Henry Bowlby and Lundell and we all said, 'Hey, let's win this game today and then figure out tickets.'
So right after we beat the Predators, we got together on the bus and started looking for tickets. We ended up getting lucky and finding some good seats. A bunch of guys went. We're all fired up to see the Bucs play and see Tom Brady do his thing. When I tell people I'm a Bucs fan, they are usually like, 'No way!' Whenever they say that, I just tell them that I have a Jameis Winston jersey in my closet. But my fandom goes back way longer than that. When I was really little, I got to watch the Bucs win Super Bowl XXXV in San Diego. My dad took our family out there for the game. I obviously don't really remember it, but I've seen pictures. I've been a fan ever since.
Like I've written about before, being able to do things with guys outside the rink definitely helps bring us closer together. We're at the point where we all not only know each other's names, but nicknames as well. We're all working toward the same goal, trying to get better and show what we can do. At the end of the day, it's a team game and we're all pulling for each other right now.
It was great to get a win on Sunday, but we're not satisfied.
We have one more game left in this tournament coming up on Tuesday and it's against the Lightning. They're the hosts. They're our rivals. We want to win. This is also our last game before training camp, so we all want to use this game to get ready for what's coming next.
Whenever you're out there on the ice, you want to win. Everybody wants to win and keep building up momentum. Playing some strong periods like we did against the Predators was a great way to build some confidence, but it's just the beginning. We've still got three periods left.
Thanks for reading,
Logan
\As told to FloridaPanthers.com's Jameson Olive
\\Editor's note: The Panthers will be cheering for the Dolphins when they visit the Buccaneers on Oct. 10! ;)*