AHL: QA with Matt Beleskey

Anaheim Ducks prospect and Iowa Chops winger Matt Beleskey got a late start to the 2008-09 season. He missed the first month while still healing from off-season shoulder surgery to repair a shoulder he twice dislocated in major juniors the previous season, but he's made up for lost time by stepping in as an impact player for Iowa early in his return. On an Iowa team that's been thoroughly harvested by the Ducks this season, Beleskey is a top-six forward every night with his physical game, hard shot, and offensive presence, and he's even played a couple games for Anaheim, too.

McKeen's correspondent Kevin Wey recently had the opportunity to talk with Beleskey. The talented winger discussed his cup of coffee with the Ducks, his rookie season with the Chops, coming back from his shoulder injury, his standout major junior career in Belleville, playing for Team Canada, and modeling his game after "Captain Crunch."

McKeen's: For you, personally, the biggest news lately was your cup of coffee up with Anaheim, your two games there with Todd Marchant out with his finger injury. Tell me about how you found out you were being recalled, who told you, and how it felt.

Beleskey:Well, it felt great to get that call. I was actually at home after pre-game skate, because we had a game here that night when I got the call, and had to rush there and ended up getting to the game ten minutes before the game, no warm-up. But, it was exciting. It was a lot of fun.

McKeen's: Logically, the next question is how did it feel to play that first NHL game?

Beleskey: It felt great. It's something you always dreamed of being able to do, to play in the NHL, and to get that opportunity was a big achievement for me.

McKeen's: To do that, you had come back from off-season surgery before your rookie-pro season. Did you feel that when you came back, you'd be able to make that jump, even for a cup of coffee, that soon this season?

Beleskey: Oh, one of my goals at the beginning of the year was to get a couple of games up. Maybe I didn't think it was going to come that soon, that's just the way the cards were laid out. So, luckily I got that chance, and now I know what I have to work on.

McKeen's: When Anaheim re-assigned you back to Iowa and recalled Troy Bodie to give him his shot, what did they tell you?

Beleskey: They just give you a couple pointers on what you need to work on and what they want to see from me down here, give you best wishes, and then tell you to work hard.

McKeen's: What were some of the pointers and the things they wanted you to do?

Beleskey: They just want me to work on my skating and get faster, which is something I've been trying to work on already. I've got to work on that and hopefully get another shot.

McKeen's: Obviously, in your time in Iowa, you've established yourself pretty quickly as a scoring threat and a physical force. But that's my observation, how do you feel your transition to the AHL has gone coming out of the OHL?

Beleskey: Well, I've got a great opportunity here in Iowa. I'm playing a lot, getting powerplay time. So, it's good that the coaches have confidence in you to put you out there to make it easier to fulfill that role.

McKeen's: This is pretty obvious to anyone who has seen you play, but what do you feel are your strengths as a player?

Beleskey: I'd say I'm a physical guy that can muck it up out there and I've found I have a scoring touch around the net.

McKeen's: I'll add hard shot into that, too.

Beleskey: Alright (smiles).

McKeen's: Back in November, you had back-to-back three-point nights, which isn't something everyone achieves. Recall that for me, if you would.

Beleskey: I think that was actually the game after I got my first AHL goal, too. I was playing with Josh Green and T.J. Trevelyan there. They're both great players and we just seemed to click really well and luckily got some goals then.

McKeen's: As I've touched on a bit already, unlike many of the other Ducks players and prospects, you weren't able to really get into it until late September or early October. So, when was it the previous season that the shoulder started bothering you, tell me about the decision to have surgery, and how did the rehab process coming back go?

Beleskey: I dislocated it New Year's Day, actually, last year. Then, I was out for a couple weeks. Then, about a month later, I did it again. So, I played the rest of the season, it wasn't really that painful, but I knew I had to get it fixed in the summer. Had a little delay in the summer, then I got it done, and started working on rehab.

McKeen's: What were some of the things they had you doing in rehab to help re-strengthen that and keep the mobility?

Beleskey: Well, they brought me up to Anaheim for a while at the end of the season, really just working on my range of motion and in strengthening drills with some of the tubing and stuff like that.

McKeen's: With last season, you still had a pretty good year, 13th overall in OHL scoring and had a great playoffs with Belleville, but what were the highlights to "you" last year?

Beleskey: It was a great accomplishment to make it to the Memorial Cup. Unfortunately we didn't win that OHL cup, it went to Game 7, but I had four great years in Belleville with George Burnett as my coach, he gave me every opportunity, and to be the captain of that team was a big pleasure for me. We had a great group of guys that just worked hard. It was an overall great season, a lot of fun.

McKeen's: As you said, you played four seasons for Belleville, after playing one season in the Ontario Provincial Junior Hockey League, which is now just the OJHL, but what areas of your game developed the most during major juniors and what areas did you focus on working the most?

Beleskey: Well, I just wanted to be able to contribute in any way. I started killing penalties a lot more, and I've started doing that up here. So, working on my defensive side as well as getting that scoring touch on the powerplay.

McKeen's: You also received a lot of recognition last season as a player, correct?

Beleskey: Yeah. Last year I got voted a couple things, best penalty killer in the East, hardest shot, hitter maybe, hardest hitter. Then I got the humanitarian award for my team, which was something nice to get, too.

McKeen's: It's always good to have guys who contribute off the ice as well. Now, when you were 17, you were selected to participate at the Summer Development Camp for Team Canada, and I'll let you comment on that…

Beleskey: (Chuckles)

McKeen's: But then you still played for Team Canada at the U18's in Sweden. So, tell me a bit about that camp and then still playing for Canada.

Beleskey: Oh, I was having a good camp when I unfortunately hurt my knee, which happens. It was just kind of a bad bounce. Luckily, at the end of that season, I was able to go to Sweden with the Under-18 team and have a good tournament over there.

McKeen's: Tell me about your experience over there, your role on that team, and some of your teammates on that team that impressed you the most.

Beleskey: Well, it was a team that I started out on the fourth line, just working hard, an energy line. Then, I worked my way into getting a little more icetime, killing penalties. But, it's always an opportunity you've got to take advantage of, putting on that Canadian jersey. So, it was a lot of fun and it was actually a good friend of mine, Shawn Matthias, it was a big tournament for him, really helped him out at the draft. I think he might even be with Florida right now, or been up and down all year. So, he really played well. Then, Ben Maxwell, who's been with the Canadiens this year, Logan Pyett, who's with Grand Rapids, there were a lot of great guys there that I'm playing against now and will probably play against in the future.

McKeen's: How did the international game with the Under-18 team differ from what you played every night in the OHL?

Beleskey: It was actually a little easier for me because our rink in Belleville is Olympic-sized. So, the size of the ice was the same, but obviously it's a higher caliber play and a faster game, which is good.

McKeen's: Also during your draft season, you played in the CHL Top Prospects Game. What was that like, both the skills competition and then the game itself?

Beleskey: Oh, that was a blast. When you get together with all the top guys, or all the top draft-eligible guys in your league, you make a lot of good friends, you have a lot of connections. I think every team in the AHL right now, I know someone on the other team that I've played against and I've talked to. So, it's a good way to meet guys and I had a lot fun.

McKeen's: In the skills competition, what were some of the events that they entered you in?

Beleskey: I think I finished in the top three, I think, in hardest shot. That might have been the only one (chuckles).

McKeen's: (Chuckles) Going back further, as I mentioned, you played in the OPJHL as a 15-year-old. Tell me about that experience how it helped prepare you for the move up to major juniors.

Beleskey: It was really good to get the chance I had in Collingwood there. It was a lot of fun being able to play with the older guys. It kind of got me ready for the bigger, stronger play. Then, it kind of got me noticed, being the young guy out there. So, I think that was a big move in my career.

McKeen's: Then, prior to that, when and how did you get your start in hockey and what organizations did you skate for on the way up?

Beleskey: I played (pauses), I think I started playing hockey when I was about four years old. My dad played hockey when he was younger, so he got me into, and I obviously just loved it. So, I spent most of my career with the Barrie IceMen, or the Barrie Flyers then the Barrie Icemen [and now the Barrie Colts, after their major junior team], just minor hockey there. Then, went straight to Collingwood from there.

McKeen's: Lastly, who were some of your favorite players growing up and why and who are some of the players today that you'd like to equate to?

Beleskey: Well, Wendel Clark's always been my favorite player that's someone that I try and pattern my game after. I'd say today in the NHL, I'd look at a guy like Brenden Morrow in Dallas. He's all hard work and heart and that's something that I try and be like.

McKeen's: Reading about you, that's the player that comes up a lot in comparison to you, Brenden Morrow.