Chadder off to strong start
Canucks forward relishing role as go-to player
I’m being counted on to be a top-line guy and that confidence is a factor, I’m doing a lot of things I know I can do rather than thinking too much. I’m having fun playing hockey.” Phillip Chadder When the opportunity came for us to pick him up we jumped at it. I remember him clear as day when we played against him. He’s a good hockey player. He can skate and he has speed. ” Canucks coach Frank Pietrangelo
Phillip Chadder appears poised for a breakout season with the Niagara Falls Canucks.
The 20-year-old forward, coming off a disappointing season split between the Canucks and St. Catharines Falcons, already has three goals and seven points in five games. He managed just five goals all last season in 46 games.
“It’s really nice. It’s a nice change,” Chadder said. “It builds confidence for the rest of the year. As long as I can help our team win, that’s my goal.
Chadder is relishing the chance to be a go-to player.
“I’m being counted on to be a top-line guy and that confidence is a factor, I’m doing a lot of things I know I can do rather than thinking too much. I’m having fun playing hockey.”
The Canucks picked up Chadder last season at the trade deadline after he netted just three goals in 32 games for St. Catharines.
“He came to St. Catharines with the intention he was going to be a go-to guy. Things didn’t work out there,” Canucks coach Frank Pietrangelo said. “When the opportunity came for us to pick him up we jumped at it. I remember him clear as day when we played against him. He’s a good hockey player. He can skate and he has speed.
“He just didn’t put up the numbers everyone expected from him but he came in with a different mind set this year that he wanted to be an elite player, a leader and that’s what he’s done. I think he’s one of the top players in the league.”
Pietrangelo sat down with the Scarborough native this summer and laid it on the line.
“I told him my expectations. He wasn’t just coming here to fill a spot. He was coming here to lead and be a first-line player,” Pietrangelo said. “He worked his ass off. I give him credit. He trained hard and is one of the best conditioned players you will find.”
Pietrangelo tipped his cap to Chadder’s work ethic.
“He loves the game. He’s one of the first guys on, last guys off. He’s the hardest worker on the ice. He’s a great role model for our younger guys. He’s our best player and he’s our hardest worker so there’s a pretty direct correlation.”
Chadder said his work ethic was instilled in him at an early age.
“I always worked hard growing up,” he said. “It’s something my parents instilled in me. That was one of the things I prided myself on, having a great work ethic, whether it’s school or hockey. It’s tough to get better if you don’t work hard.
“It’s important. It develops good habits. You play how you practice. The better you are in practice the better you are going to be in a game.”
Pietrangelo loves to use Chadder as an example to the younger players of what it takes to win.
“It starts in practice. He tries to score every time he gets the puck and that carries over in games. I’m a firm believer that you play like you practice. If you practice hard, games are easy and he’s a great example of that,” Pietrangelo said.
Chadder feels when things do go wrong, the hard work generally pays off.
“Sometimes it’s stressful. You’re pushing and pushing and then bad habits develop,” he said. “You try and hold on to the puck too long or try and do too much. When you simplify the game, everything comes easier.”
The Canucks, off to a 2-3 start, host the Ancaster Avalanche Friday at 7:30 p.m. at the Gale Centre.
“We’re ready to start playing some games,” Pietrangelo said. “It was nice to have a lot of practice time but now we’re in a place where we want to play some games and get on a roll and get ourselves up in the standings.”