AHL: QA with Brett Festerling

Anaheim Ducks prospect, defenseman Brett Festerling, became a bit of an underdog after being passed over in the 2004 and 2005 NHL Entry Drafts, but the free agent signee in 2005 was the last cut at defense for the Ducks at training camp in 2008, only after the team picked up Nathan McIver from Vancouver on waivers. Lasting longer than fellow Ducks prospect defensemen as Brian Salcido and Brendan Mikkelson, Festlering may have the inside track toward recall should injuries strike a defensive defenseman in Anaheim.

McKeen's correspondent Kevin Wey recently had the opportunity to talk with the 22-year-old blueliner and discussed his game, his run at Anaheim camp, playing for the Iowa Chops, his rookie-pro season with the Portland Pirates, his major junior career, and where he was for one of the most memorable moments in the history of Western civilization.

McKeen's: You were the final cut at defense for the Ducks after they claimed Nathan McIver off waivers, and there were probably not a lot of people expecting that heading into training camp. What were some of the keys for you to last so long in the Ducks camp this year?

Festerling: I think just working hard. I'm not a finesse guy. I'm not really a guy that'll put up big numbers. My game is hard work and kind of simple: defense and get the puck on net. I worked hard in the summer, came in good shape, and just worked as hard as I could day-to-day. I took it one day at a time and I was fortunate to go that far. It was exciting for me to go that far. So, I'll have to continue that down here and wait for one of those guys up there, or cap issues or trade issues, and hopefully I'm working hard down here and I'll get the call.

McKeen's: Was part of that, you being sent down here, a decision to give a younger guy like you, instead of being a seventh defenseman and not seeing as much time up there, come down here and see regular icetime?

Festerling: Yeah, maybe. They didn't tell me. It's not a bad thing, coming down here. It's a great city, a new organization, and I know a lot of the guys, and I think I will develop, probably better down here than maybe playing one of four, one of five games up there. All in all, it stings a little bit to get sent down, but it's not a bad place to come, and I'm very excited for the year.

McKeen's: What are some of the things that you learned during training camp and that you took away from it this year?

Festerling: Probably preparation and the level that you need to play at day in and day out to stay at that level. Those guys are the best in the world. They prepare like it, they train like, every day they're sharp. There are no off days. You take that preparation and that work ethic and you try to bring it into your everyday schedule and routine.

McKeen's: Did you meet any goals that you set for yourself during the summer at training camp, and if so, which ones?

Festerling: Yeah. I mean, the ultimate goal is to make the Ducks obviously. I came as close as I probably could have come without making that goal, but I had good fitness goals for myself and I did that and I wanted to stay as long as I could. Just go up and play well, and I did that. So, I'm happy with my camp in Anaheim and now I'm happy to be here.

McKeen's: Last year you played in Portland, and you now have a new place here. So, what are your initial impressions of Des Moines, of Wells Fargo Arena, and the team?

Festerling: Where do I start? The city, I like the city. It's clean, it's nice. I'm from a small town, not that this is a small town, but it's got some of that small-town atmosphere, that feeling, maybe, and I like that, the country feel. That's where I'm from, northern British Columbia. So, I like that. Gorgeous arena. I mean, it's got to be one of the best in the "A." It's a fantastic building to play in, and the team is great guys, really great guys. The guys that came over from Portland, from last year, we had a great group, and the guys they have, I don't want to leave anybody out but Ajay [Baines], [Josh] Green, [Eric] Boguniecki, the older guys, those are guys that are fantastic. [David] LeNeveu, the goaltender, all of those guys are great guys, and I think it shows on the ice. There's good character in the room.

McKeen's: It does look like it. Now, on a very serious note, there are certain events, particularly in American history, where people know where they were when they happened, like Pearl Harbor, Kennedy's assassination, landing on the moon, and 9/11. Along those lines, where were you when you found out that the team was going to be named the Chops…

Festerling: (Laughs)

McKeen's: How did you find out, and what was your reaction?

Festerling: I came home from a workout and my mom phoned me and said, "The Ducks named the team the Chops." I mean (pauses), it's different. It grabs your attention. I think they did a good job of that, and it's definitely unique. You're playing for a unique team, and that's cool in its own way. I think it's pretty cool.

McKeen's: Last season, Kevin Dineen was your head coach in Portland and Gord Dineen was the assistant. Now Gord is the head coach. In what ways do you expect things to be different with Gord as the head coach in Iowa?

Festerling: I think in a lot of ways, it'll be similar. I think we had a lot of success last year and Gord will take some of that, and the team already knows that system and stuff that we ran from last year. I think the differences come while you have to face different adversities over the year. Gord's a good coach, he's got a lot of experience in the NHL, and I dealt with him on the backend last year, so I'm very familiar with him. I know he's passionate about the game and I know he'll do his best.

McKeen's: What's it like having three former defensemen as coaches?

Festerling: It's good for defensemen, because you get to see all the different points of view and little things, and they've been in that situation and they know how things happen, they have an understanding. So, I think it's easy for them, not to communicate, but to relate in a way the players understand.

McKeen's: How would you describe the Chops as a team, as it stands this early in the season, and what style can Iowa fans expect to see?

Festerling: I think they can expect the Ducks' style, the big, physical, lots-of-energy, relentless-forecheck kind of style. In terms of the team and the guys, they have great character. I mean, great guys. Like I said, they showed tonight the character the guys have, down 3-0 and we didn't give up. I think that's another characteristic you can expect, to never give up on the game.

McKeen's: Yeah, at times last year the Stars sometimes won the "Cheap Lawnchair Award" and folded. Anyway, last season was your rookie professional season, but you were able to pair with veteran Eric Weinrich. What was your rookie season like overall and what was it like pairing with a veteran like Weinrich?

Festerling: Well, the rookie season overall was fantastic. It was a great group of guys, Portland was a good city, and we went far in the playoffs. I couldn't ask for any more there. Getting paired with Weinrich, I don't know to describe it. You just pick as much information from him as you can. For me, it was pick up all those little tidbits, whether you're on the bench or before the game or just talking to him, picking up as much info as I possibly could. He's a guy that had played professional, like, 18 years in the NHL. That's something all of us dream for. That's our dream come true. It was a good learning experience for me and I took a lot from last year playing with him.

McKeen's: Did anyone on the d-corps call him "Dad" at all?

Festerling: He had a couple "old" jokes from some guys, but he's pretty witty. He comes back with some good ones. He didn't have any problems with that.

McKeen's: Going back a few years, you were an undrafted player, as far as the NHL Entry Draft is concerned. How did it feel to go undrafted, especially considering you were the fifth overall pick of the 2001 WHL Bantam Draft? And, on the positive side, how did it feel to sign that contract with Anaheim?

Festerling: It felt good. I was fifth overall and I had a not-bad rookie season. I was the Defenseman of the Tournament for Under-18 Team Canada, and then I had not-a-great couple years, so I was passed over in the draft. But, I went to Anaheim, they gave me a shot, I was a late addition to camp, and I was fortunate to sign, and that's one of the best moments of my life, is signing that, going in, and trying to prove that you can play at that level or deserve a contract. The same thing goes for last year, just getting in the AHL and trying to play at that level, and same at camp this year, trying to prove you can play at that level. So, that was one of the best times of my life, and now I'm trying to make that contract become an NHL reality.

McKeen's: It's always good for teams to pick up what would now be those eighth-round draft picks, the free agent gems still available after the draft. Now, during your time in the WHL, you played for two teams: Tri-City and Vancouver. First off, tell me a bit about your time in Tri-City.

Festerling: That was the start of my junior career. It's a great city. I was fortunate to be under a couple good coaches. Don Nachbaur taught me a lot of how to work and be a pro, he was a pro in Philly, and I had great billet family that took me in there, so I had a lot of good memories there. Then, when I moved to Vancouver, I can't say enough good things about Vancouver. It's a great place, owner's fantastic, Don Hay, I learned so much from Don Hay and Craig Bonner, the guys over there. The city's just incredible. Then there's the Memorial Cup, some of the best memories in my life there, too. Both places were fantastic.

McKeen's: When you were traded to Vancouver, what was your reaction to that?

Festerling: You're a little shocked. You never really expect to be traded. But, I knew it was probably in my best interest, because maybe I didn't have the best years, and it was kind of a new start for me where I could come in fresh and play well, and I learned a lot under Don Hay. I knew I was going to a good team, with a good owner, and with a good franchise. So, I was excited about that.

McKeen's: You touched on some of your success, which included the 2007 Memorial Cup, and you were the captain of that team. Do you think there was a greater sense of achievement as the captain than some of your other teammates might have had, not being in that position?

Festerling: I don't know if it's a greater sense of achievement (pauses), you take pride in being one of the leaders of that team, and you hope you influenced some of the guys and led them in the right direction to help with that. But, I think that achievement, for a lot of those guys, was unbelievable. We had 18,000, or 17,000, sold out. So, yeah, I take pride in that I was the captain and I'd like to think I helped in the locker and led some of those guys, and some of the young guys, but it was a great moment for all of us.

McKeen's: Cody Franson described it to me last year, winning in Vancouver, that it was as if the Canucks had won the Stanley Cup.

Festerling: It was. The whole city got behind, those 17,000, it was awesome. Fantastic.

McKeen's: In your time between Tri-City and Vancouver, you played with a lot of good players. Who were some of your teammates that impressed you the most and why?

Festerling: Ummm (pauses), good question. I played with a lot of good guys. Shawn Belle, who's with Montreal now, he's one of the most naturally athletic people I've ever met. Carey Price, he's awesome. I grew up with him, he's only an hour away, playing against him. Gilbert Brule is an incredible hockey player. Even though he got sent down to Springfield, he's got raw skills and he's very good. Milan Lucic with Boston, he's one of my best friends, I live with him in the summer. He's one of the guys that helped me get better, pushed me in the weight room, and I do the same for him, I think. Then you've got Jon Blum, who was my partner, he was a first rounder, Cody Franson, Michal Repik, and a lot of good players. I wish all the best for them.

McKeen's: Yeah. In Vancouver, you guys had a lot of good defensive defenseman at the same time, including [Brendan] Mikkelson, [Mark] Fistric…

Festerling: Yeah, Fistric was here (in Iowa) last year. He's a great player, and he was the captain when I first got to Vancouver.

McKeen's: Now, similarly with the Chops, who are some of your Iowa teammates that impress you the most and why?

Festerling: Bobby Ryan's incredibly skilled. Not a lot of guys like him come around very often. He's talented. [Joakim] Lindstrom's a really skilled player, him and Bobby work amazing together. Ajay Baines and Boguniecki and Green, Green and Boguniecki have time in the show and they're veterans, and Ajay's a great character guy in the room and I respect him immensely. You can go down the list. That's the good thing about the Chops team, there are so many character guys, and so many good guys that impress in so many ways.

McKeen's: Focusing on your game, what are some of the things Anaheim feels you need to improve so that you can stick in the NHL and what's the plan to attack that?

Festerling: I think (pauses), everyone, it doesn't matter who you talk to, you can always get faster, you can always get stronger. The guys in the NHL are the best players in the world. You're going against the fastest players in the world, you're going against the strongest players in the world. So, keep working on my skating, that's something every player can keep working on, and quick feet, and getting stronger. Those guys are big boys. I think I'm smaller than the average forward on some of those teams in the NHL. So, keep getting stronger, keep getting faster.

McKeen's: It probably feels more that way being at Anaheim camp, since they have a lot of…

Festerling: Huge, huge forwards.

McKeen's: Exactly.

Festerling: Yeah. It's not a small team.

McKeen's: On the flipside, what would you say are your existing strengths as a player?

Festerling: I think I'm a physical player, for the most part. I think I take the body, I try to when I can. I think a good first pass, and I think my work ethic is one of my stronger points. That's one thing that I pride myself on, is working hard. I'd say those are what are the strengths of my game.

McKeen's: All good things that any coach would like to see out of a defensive defenseman.

Festerling: Yeah.

McKeen's: Who was your favorite player, or players, in your youth and why, and who would you like to equate to today?

Festerling: My youth? I really liked Mark Messier, when I was young, and Trevor Linden, he was "Captain Canuck" when the Canucks went to the Stanley Cup Finals. And then, it sounds kind of corny now, but when I was 13 and 14, [Scott] Stevens and [Scott] Niedermayer were my favorite guys, and I played with Niedermayer last week. And then equate to? Maybe, some of the coaches said, maybe [Kevin] Bieksa, a bit. I'd like to try and think maybe a Stevens, old Scott Stevens. Some of those guys.

McKeen's: You can't go too wrong with Scott Stevens. He also had underrated offensive abilities, too.

Festerling: Yeah, you watch him, you watch old videos of him and you try to pick up thinks and try to emulate your game after him.

McKeen's: That's the good thing about setting the bar high. A lot of forwards tell me they want to be like Jarome Iginla, or a defenseman like Scott Stevens. If you set the bar that high and fall just short, you're still an NHL All-Star.

Festerling: Yep.

McKeen's: Lastly, the topics around the nation are the economic crisis and the 2008 elections. But, what are the topics of discussion in the Chops locker room?

Festerling: In the Chops locker room? I think right now it's just, "Where's a good place to eat?" And, "Where's everybody staying?" Kind of just getting used to the city and used to the new rink and that kind of stuff, nothing as serious as the financial crisis.

McKeen's: You guys will have to get Francis Wathier to take you on a tour of the city.

Festerling: Yeah.

McKeen's: He's been here for parts of three years.