QA with Cam Wojtala

At the beginning of the 2009-10 season, it appeared that the only impact power center in the USHL was Green Bay's Anders Lee, but during a stretch before the Christmas break, Omaha Lancers pivot Camden Wojtala was right there with the New York Islanders prospect. The 6-foot-2, 180-pound Wojtala scored five goals and five assists in ten games prior to the break and appeared to have flipped a switch, accelerating his development significantly over the course of a week, it seemed. Wojtala suddenly appeared to have fully adjusted to the caliber of play of the USHL and was displaying more poise with the puck and making more plays because of it and skating with much more quickness and even top speed. He started to approach Lee in December and early January. As of mid-January, Michigan's Mr. Hockey for 2009 had cooled off again offensively, but he had shown a glimpse of what he could (will?) be in the future when many of Omaha's current forwards move to college hockey in 2010-11 and he becomes a top-six forward. If that glimpse becomes a consistent reality, then selection in the 2010 or 2011 NHL Entry Draft could likewise become a reality.

McKeen's correspondent Kevin Wey had the opportunity to talk with Omaha Lancers pivot Cam Wojtala in mid-January. The Michigan native discussed his hot December, his adjustment to the USHL, his selection as Michigan's Mr. Hockey, the Michigan Developmental Hockey League, his youth hockey in Trenton, his college prospects, the draft, and some of his favorite players (think Red Wings).

McKeen's: First off, what is the proper pronunciation of your last name?

Wojtala: Whoa-TAHL-uh

McKeen's: Do you prefer to go by Camden or Cam?

Wojtala: Cam's good.

McKeen's: A strong hockey name. I've had the opportunity to watch you at the Fall Classic, in November and in December. In November, I saw you making steady progress, and in December it seemed like a switch flipped. Did you have that sort of feeling yourself?

Wojtala: I feel like we kind of got used to it as a line. We started working a little bit better together, figuring out the league and the pace and how to play at this level. It's been working well, but hopefully we can start putting a few more wins on the board more frequently.

McKeen's: You were on quite the hot streak heading into Christmas Break at five goals and five assists in the ten games prior to that, and you touched on this a bit, but what were the keys to that hot streak?

Wojtala: We started working well as a line, like I said, and we were able to get pucks deep and work it down low and get pucks to the net, which is the main thing, and we were able to do that together. We worked together well.

McKeen's: I'm trying to remember who exactly coach [Bliss] Littler had with you during that stretch.

Wojtala: Toward the end I think it was Nick Oddo and Colin Markison, and I played a little bit with Tyler Lapic before he left. So, it was working well.

McKeen's: Definitely. What areas of your game do you feel you've improved upon the most so far this season and then the areas you're still focusing on improving to take your game to that next level?

Wojtala: I think I've been trying to adapt to the speed a little bit better, working and moving the puck with my linemates. I think some areas to focus on a little more would be the overall strength in the corners and getting pucks in, a better shot, and stuff like that.

McKeen's: It's not entirely uncommon, but it still isn't real common to come into the United States Hockey League out of Michigan high school hockey like you have. What have been the biggest adjustments you've faced coming to the USHL and how does it compare to what you expected?

Wojtala: You know? I think it was definitely more than what I expected. The talent here is unbelievable. Playing against some of these guys, and then playing with the guys on our team, you can learn so much just from watching them. With the speed and the strength of the game, it's really a lot of fun to play.

McKeen's: You were Michigan's Mr. Hockey last season, so obviously you're pretty good. How much do you feel your game now, at this point with the Lancers, is similar to what you were playing in high school and in what ways is it different?

Wojtala: I've always tried to be a playmaker, and I was able to do that in high school. I had some good linemates and good teammates. Here, it's just as much fun playing with these guys, with a little more talent and a little more speed. It's fun to give them the puck and to receive passes from them, too.

McKeen's: I know your junior year you had Josh Miller, who was the Mr. Hockey before you. I think that's either four or five that you guys (Trenton) have had.

Wojtala: Four.

McKeen's: That's pretty good. With Michigan high school, we're starting to see players come out of there like Will Weber, Greg Pateryn, Andrew Miller, Justin Abdelkader, and David Moss, and Jared Ross in a way, but, still, a lot of the top talent goes to midget triple-A. Was that a route you considered and what made you decide to stay the high school route?

Wojtala: I didn't really consider it too much, since the high school that I came from and the town had a real good program, and the coaches were great, and playing in front of all your friends and family and your schoolmates, it was a lot of fun.

McKeen's: That's one of the interesting things with high school hockey anywhere and midget triple-A. In midget triple-A it's parents and scouts, whereas with high school, you'll have a few hundred fans.

Wojtala: Yep.

McKeen's: Going back to Mr. Hockey, previous winners include Abdelkader, Ross, and Andrew Miller, who led the USHL in scoring last year. What did it mean to you to earn that award and how did you learn you'd won it, or earned it, I should say?

Wojtala: Well, it's great to be in a group with all of those guys. They're obviously all great hockey players. It was a real honor to be in that group. When I found out at the All-State banquet, they did the announcement, I was surprised and real excited, but I think the biggest thing was winning the state championship as a team. That was a lot of fun, too.

McKeen's: When you came up in the 2008 USHL Futures Draft, the team listed for you was MDHL White, which is, of course, the Michigan Developmental Hockey League. But, that's probably a league that not a lot of people across North America are familiar with. Tell me about the league, when it happens, where it happens, and how it compares to regular high school hockey in Michigan?

Wojtala: It's a preseason select league that a guy puts on, his name is Bill Burns, and he's done a great job in being able to bring scouts in and kind of get you noticed before the season starts and give them more time to watch you throughout the season. It really helps prepare you for the big games that you have coming up, and being surrounded with that talent is a lot of fun.

McKeen's: For how many years did you play in the MDHL and who were some of the best players you played with and against in that league?

Wojtala: I played in there for two years, and I played with Josh Miller there, as well, and Scott Henegar, he was another teammate of mine, and then Brent Darnell, he's playing for Sioux Falls now, he's a great player, and Mac Olson, who plays for the Chicago Steel. So, it was a lot of fun playing with and against those guys.

McKeen's: How do they make the rosters for the MDHL? I know how the Upper Midwest Elite League in Minnesota works with their rosters, but how does the MDHL create their rosters?

Wojtala: You have a tryout before, and then they kind of just divide it up, evenly, I think. They try to make it a competitive game.

McKeen's: Okay. So it's not by region or anything like that.

Wojtala: No.

McKeen's: Just divide them up. Last year, you were named to the Dream Team, Division II First Team All-State, and also to the latter the previous year. So that begs the question, at what point did you become an impact player at the Michigan high school level?

Wojtala: I think it just kind of took a little time for me to get used to it. Maybe halfway through my sophomore year I started picking it up a little more, and then it started clicking toward the end. Then, my junior year, we really hit it off with Josh [Miller] and everyone.

McKeen's: What's it been like your first season here? In Michigan, you were the go-to guy, but to start this year you were mostly a fourth liner and only had one point in your first 16 games? What was that like, since that was probably something new for you?

Wojtala: Yeah, it's a little tough, but it's a learning experience, and I know all the guys on our team, I trust them, and they're all great hockey players, too. So, you can learn from them by just watching them in practice and stuff. I mean, there's nothing wrong with it. You're just kind of waiting your turn and putting the work in to get playing time.

McKeen's: Trevor Lewis, his first year in the USHL, he started out as a third and fourth-liner and it's turned out okay for him. For what organizations did you skate for at the youth levels prior to playing high school for Trenton?

Wojtala: I played Triple-A for Compuware for a little while, and then I played Double-A for a year with guys closer to home, and then I went to high school when I was a sophomore.

McKeen's: At what ages did you play for Compuware?

Wojtala: I think from squirts through bantam.

McKeen's: Going further back, when did you first start playing hockey and how did you get that start?

Wojtala: I started playing when I was about (pauses), well, organized when I was three years old. I was playing before that, but, my dad, we'd always kind of mess around in the driveway and I've been playing ever since.

McKeen's: A good, early start.

Wojtala: Yeah.

McKeen's: Were colleges talking to you at all when you were playing high school in Michigan or in the MDHL?

Wojtala: Yeah, I started hearing from some just before my senior year and after my senior year. It was a real honor to be noticed like that.

McKeen's: If I might ask, what are some of the schools that are recruiting you the hardest and the ones you're considering?

Wojtala: Some of the Ivy, that'd be awesome to have an education like that, and some in the CCHA, WCHA. Just kind of a big decision that me and my family have to make, and hopefully everything will go well.

McKeen's: What are the things you're looking for in a school and, then, also, in a hockey program?

Wojtala: You know? You've got to look at the different programs and what you want to major in and make sure that they have that, and the coaching staff, and kind of where you'd fit in and where you feel most comfortable.

McKeen's: And your major?

Wojtala: Still kind of deciding, but leaning a little toward engineering. So, we'll see.

McKeen's: If I might ask, do you have representation at all? A family advisor?

Wojtala: No, I don't.

McKeen's: Alright. You're in your second year of NHL Entry Draft eligibility. The only high schooler from Michigan drafted directly into the NHL that I can think of is Will Weber, but have NHL teams, to your knowledge, shown interest in you?

Wojtala: I'm not really sure. Maybe they talk to coach Littler. But, I don't have an advisor at this point.

McKeen's: Right, that's one way people find out a lot.

Wojtala: Right.

McKeen's: If I were a director of amateur scouting for an NHL team, what are some reasons I should consider drafting Cam Wojtala in the 2010 NHL Draft or at least having my scouts taking a look at you?

Wojtala: You know? Hopefully I can make an impact out there every shift and just work hard, get pucks to the net, be a good team player, and a good teammate.

McKeen's: Lastly, who were some of your favorite players earlier in your youth and then players today that are your favs or some you feel you're similar to or would like to be similar to?

Wojtala: I think, growing up, Steve Yzerman was, obviously, coming from Detroit. He's a great player, a great leader. I really looked up to him, and, recently, for Detroit, Pavel Datsyuk. I love the way he plays, and how he dishes the puck out, and he can bury it.

McKeen's: Absolutely.