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| Source: La Presse |
Playing on a line with fellow Czech mate and mentor, Tomas Plekanec, the 22-year-old right winger is given every chance to succeed in the NHL this season. Sekac, who dazzled everyone during the rookies' fit test by reaching level 14.5 of the BEEP test, is physically ready for the rigors of the 82-game calendar. He now has to adapt to the smaller ice surface and adjust his European style to play on a regular basis and play a prominent role with the Canadiens this season.
After signing a two-year pact worth $2.7M (including bonuses) in early July, Sekac trained hard all summer with NHL veterans such as Plekanec and Jaromir Jagr to be in the best shape of his young life. Earlier this week, the shy Czech confirmed he accepted the Habs' offer because he thought he had a great chance at cracking the opening-day line-up and to collect a big pay-check.
"I could have gone elsewhere, but most teams didn't have an open roster spot available for me. So I guess it was a gut feeling in a sense... I had a gut feeling I could make more money here. Basically, it was two parts money, one part Club Super Sexe, and one part Schwartz smoked meat sandwiches. Simple, really," joked Sekac.A fast and agile skater, the 6'2'', 195-lb Sekac is blessed with good hands and a high hockey IQ.
Already a solid two-way forward who can excel in both zones, his KHL experience gives him the edge over de la Rose, who is only 19 and most likely to begin the season in the AHL, and Andrighetto, who is more known for his offensive abilities. Sekac is also very adept at winning puck battles along the boards and at driving the opposing net to create scoring opportunities.
Here are the lines for tonight's first pre-season game against the Boston Bruins:
de la Rose - Plekanec - Sekac
Bourque - Hudon - Scherbak
Bowman - Dowell - McCarron
Sorkin - Andrighetto - Thomas
As you can see, De La Rose and Sekac are given every chance to succeed while Andrighetto will pivot the 4th line with two AHL players.
Tonight will be the first real chance for Sekac to shine and prove he is ready to make the jump to the NHL right away!
UPDATE: Sekac scored his first preseason goal last night on a nice wrist shot.
Michel Therrien said after Tuesday's game:
“He does a lot of good things out there. He’s excellent with the puck. He works extremely hard, and he’s in terrific shape. We really like the way he competes. There are a lot of good things that really stand out about his play,” explained the Canadiens’ bench boss, who rewarded Sekac with 19:10 of ice time on Tuesday night, the most of any Habs forward in uniform. “We’re starting a new stage of training camp with these preseason games. We’ll give him every opportunity to prove himself.”Who do you think will make the team?
1. Sekac
2. De La Rose
3. Andrighetto
4. None of the above
3 comments:
I don't know if this is a joke/parody article or not, since the quote you're using was taken from one.
I know it's not a real quote. Just put it in to make the article more colorful.
That pic is of Scherback, not Sekac.
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