O'Connor Impressing With His Confidence and Conviction
By
James Leo
Pittsburgh Penguins
"Camp last year was a little short, so I think having this opportunity to get some more scrimmages in and maybe some exhibition games, kind of show what I can do a little bit, I think that's a big opportunity for me," O'Connor said.
Especially after an offseason where the 23-year-old forward was committed to getting stronger and quicker.
"This summer, I made some big changes. My diet, I cut out all gluten, all dairy," said O'Connor, who measures 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds. "Then I just worked really hard in the summer in the gym, really trying to put on some weight and get faster."
"Talking with the strength staff here, they helped me out over the summer and then working with a strength coach in the offseason was good, too. I trained in Stamford, Connecticut, this past year. So I had a good workout group there and had a good time."
That was evident in the Penguins' 5-4 shootout win over Buffalo on Tuesday at PPG Paints Arena in their fourth game of the preseason, where O'Connor was an instrumental part of Pittsburgh's rally effort - tallying two goals to keep the Penguins within striking distance.
"The first period wasn't great, and it didn't really go the way I had hoped with those goals against," O'Connor said. "I just tried to stay in it, not focus on it too much and just keep playing. Fortunately, I was able to get a couple (of goals)."
Head coach Mike Sullivan has noticed a distinct difference from last year to this year with O'Connor, who first signed with the Penguins as a college free agent out of Dartmouth on March 10, 2020.
"I think he's more confident. I think he's playing with more conviction. He's more assertive," Sullivan said. "He's an intriguing player because he's got good size, he can really skate, he can shoot the puck, he's strong on the puck and he has the ability to play both at center and on the wing."
O'Connor played exclusively wing whenever he dressed for Pittsburgh last season, where he made sure to soak in as much information as he could in those contests.
"I think last year was a good learning experience. I got to know the level, what it takes to play at this level," O'Connor said. "It's a big jump coming from college, but I feel like I learned a lot about the game and how I can make an impact."
He used what he learned to dominate for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, tallying seven goals and 12 assists in just 20 games at the AHL level while spending time at the center ice position.
"I got a lot of playing time there (in Wilkes-Barre)," O'Connor said. "I got to play in all situations, which was a good experience for me, to play a lot of power play and penalty kill and kind of be able to excel in those kinds of areas and hopefully carry that over here."
O'Connor's various experiences, particularly playing down the middle, will make him a valuable asset to Sullivan - especially with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin both sidelined for the start of the season.
"He has the makings of being a pretty good, reliable center," said Sullivan, who had O'Connor slot in at center for two of his three preseason appearances thus far. "I think he's more comfortable on the wing. We're going to use him on the wing as well. We'll see how it all evolves, but we're looking for options at the center position for obvious reasons, with our top two centers out right now."
And the goal is for O'Connor to continue rounding out his game as he goes along.
"I think Drew is one of those guys where I think he can reinvent himself a little bit and not just be a one-dimensional offensive player," Sullivan said. "I think he has offensive capability, which is real intriguing for us, especially if we can help him develop a conscientious game with his size, his skating ability, his awareness, his recognition skills. He thinks the game pretty well. … So I wouldn't just categorize him as a quote unquote checker. But I think in order to establish himself in this league, I think he's got to develop a conscientious game, and that will give him the ability to grow his offensive game from there."
