QA with Eric Knodel

Toronto Maple Leafs fifth-round pick Eric Knodel had the opportunity to play NCAA D1 college hockey in 2009-10, but he felt it would be better to develop with the Des Moines Buccaneers of the USHL for a season after having only previously played as high as midget major hockey. Despite suffering some dental damage the week before the Bucs' first preseason games, the decision has appeared to be the right one, as Knodel has been able to test his puck poise and stick skills, hone his skating skills, and work on improving his defensive play in the best junior league in the United States, and not without some success. Ten games into Des Moines' season, Knodel led the team in defenseman scoring with 1 goal and 6 assists in 8 contests, putting him on pace to be one of the top-scoring defensemen in the USHL in 2009-10.

McKeen's correspondent Kevin Wey was able to talk with the affable Eric Knodel after a recent Buccaneers game. Knodel discussed his adjustment to the USHL, his selection by the Maple Leafs at the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, his time at Toronto's development camp in July, his commitment to the University of New Hampshire, how he developed his puck poise, and his youth hockey back home in Philadelphia.

McKeen's: You're almost a month into your first, and only, USHL regular season. So, with those weeks behind you, what are your initial impressions of the USHL in terms of caliber of play and then, also, organizationally?

Knodel: It's a great league. The talent is unbelievable here. There's kids going Division 1 on every team. There's 10 or 12 kids going on every team. The caliber of hockey is great. Our team is unbelievable. They give you everything you need to perform well. All the teams are great.

McKeen's: What have been the biggest adjustments for you coming from midget majors with the Little Flyers organization to the Des Moines Buccaneers?

Knodel: Definitely the speed, it's a lot faster out here. You can get by with a lot of different things, skill things, back in midget that you can't get away with here. So, you've got to learn your role and be more defensive, for me. It took some time, but I'm getting used to it now.

McKeen's: I was going to have the opportunity to watch you at the battle of Iowa. However, my understanding is that the week before there was an incident, involving a stick to the face. What happened?

Knodel: It was during practice. I was wearing my half shield and took a stick in the mouth. I had a couple teeth knocked out, a couple chipped in half. So, I took the weekend off just to make sure I was going to be alright. I was on some pretty heavy medication to help kill the pain, so I wasn't allowed to play.

McKeen's: If I can remember right, I think it was Taylor Wolfe who accidentally got you.

Knodel: Yep, Taylor Wolfe.

McKeen's: One of those things.

Knodel: Yep, one of those random freak things. [Note: Knodel smiled discussing the incident and the dental work done was quite good, because you can't really tell it happened.]

McKeen's: Of course, the biggest news to date surrounding your hockey career has been your selection by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the fifth round of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. With that, a couple weeks later you went up there to their prospects camp. What were some of the on-ice tips that Dallas Eakins and the crew were able to give you that have been the most helpful?

Knodel: One of the main things that they taught us was just going back to basics with skating, learning how to skate, and slowing the game down for yourself. The whole week I was there, we did power skating. It was down to basics, down to your stride, down to everything, to make sure that you have everything going on right. They just told me to play with my head. I mean, slow the game down and take over if I can.

McKeen's: That's definitely the game of the AHL and NHL levels, where it becomes much more positional. Often times, it's not as entertaining to watch as this (USHL hockey).

Knodel: Yep, not necessarily as fast, but it's all in your head and where you're supposed to be.

McKeen's: I also read in the Leafs' press release that they went over character development, nutrition, conditioning, life style, media awareness, dealing with us rascally media types and the business side of hockey with you guys off the ice. Was that a classroom setting, one-on-one, some of both, and what were some things from that that you learned that you didn't know before?

Knodel: It was mostly seminars. We went a couple places to learn cooking. We learned, nutritionally, what we're supposed to eat, how to keep our bodies healthy. We had a seminar on media, how to talk to them, how to make ourselves presentable and not mess up and make yourself look bad. It was mainly just seminar-type stuff, a lot of lectures, but it was good for us. I learned a lot. Keeps you going.

McKeen's: With the media attention in Toronto, that will be a big thing going forward.

Knodel: They taught us Monday, and the media was in the next day. So, it was put right into use.

McKeen's: Well, there you go. At that camp, who were some of your fellow Maple Leaf prospects that impressed you the most and why?

Knodel: I'd say their top pick this past year, Nazem Kadri. He doesn't look like (pauses), he's a small guy, but he can throw his body around like the others. He's incredibly fast, he's got great hands. After seeing him off the ice, he's a skinny kid, but he can handle himself out there. He really impressed me.

McKeen's: Watching some of the broadcasts with Kadri and the interviews in the locker room, he is not a big guy.

Knodel: I was sitting next to him the whole time while he was doing all of that.

McKeen's: Going back to draft day, what did the Maple Leafs initially tell you and when did you find out?

Knodel: Well, they had been following me throughout the year. I was seen at one of the tournaments we had in midget hockey, and they kept in touch over the next couple months, and they told me to keep playing well and stuff might happen. So, I didn't know. On draft day, I was watching, I didn't know if it was going to happen or when it was going to happen, if it was. I was watching, saw my name pop, and got a call from them a couple minutes afterward. It was extremely exciting.

McKeen's: Watching at home?

Knodel: Yep, I was watching with my family, and my dad saw it on the Internet, and then it popped up on TV. So, I was extremely excited.

McKeen's: With the Leafs, and having skated at their camp, and you've touched on this a bit, what are some of the things that they want you to work on improving here in Des Moines?

Knodel: Definitely moving the puck. Definitely need to be working on my skating, they said. I'm a big man, my feet always need work. They pretty much wanted to get a better level of play, going up a level in caliber of play, and then get to college and keep going.

McKeen's: Watching you, I've noticed you have a fair amount of poise with the puck, and that's part of what you're talking about. Is there anything particular that you've done over time to develop that?

Knodel: It's a lot of studying the game. I watch hockey all of the time. I learn different situations and different times when I have the puck what I should be doing. It helps a lot during the game. If a certain situation comes up, I know what I'm supposed to do. I'm not fumbling for it, not trying to guess what I should be doing.

McKeen's: I had some notes at the Fall Classic about you where I wasn't certain if you were that calm with the puck or just nonchalant and lacking intensity, but I've concluded it's more calmness.

Knodel: (Chuckles)

McKeen's: Anything skill wise that you've focused on with the hands or is it mostly in the mind?

Knodel: As a defenseman, you don't really need to be too skilled of a guy, but you always have to work on it. Mainly, you just need to keep your head. Everything starts with your brain. So, you've got to start there first.

McKeen's: Since the draft, you've committed to the University of New Hampshire. At what point did college programs start talking to you and what made you choose UNH?

Knodel: I'd been talking to colleges for a long time. I kind of wanted to wait until I got the one I wanted. I had a bunch of smaller schools talking to me at first, but I held off. I figured if I didn't get anything done this past year, something would come along. But, when I went to visit UNH, I loved it there. The campus is great, the coaches are great, their facilities are unbelievable. I got a great feel from the coaches. They gave me the extra edge going to UNH over the other schools.

McKeen's: New Hampshire is a pretty good program, and not too far from home.

Knodel: Not as bad as all the way out here.

McKeen's: Or going to, say, Denver or Colorado College. I read that CC was talking to you.

Knodel: Yep, they were. They wanted me to come out this year, since they lost one of their draft picks, John Moore. They wanted me to come out this year and skip juniors, but I thought juniors would be a good step for me to take and to pretty much build my hockey up even more rather than going Division 1.

McKeen's: Sure, that way you'd be able to step into college hockey at a much higher level that if you'd gone in directly.

Knodel: Yeah, yeah.

McKeen's: Going back to the draft, that was your second year of draft eligibility. What would you say made the difference between the first year of eligibility and the second in helping you earn that selection?

Knodel: I would have to say (pauses), the summer after my first year of draft eligibility I worked out every day, put in the extra time off the ice. I trained with a bunch of pro guys, and that gave me the push to start getting people to start watching. It pretty much started with all of the off-ice work that I've put into it, and it obviously came out during the season.

McKeen's: Reading about that, I understand you were able to do that because you put baseball on the back burner.

Knodel: Unfortunately. I've played baseball and hockey my entire life, up until my senior year of high school, when I had to make a decision on what sport I wanted to play, and I chose hockey.

McKeen's: A number of guys have had to make similar choices. Anders Lee on Green Bay was one the top football players in Minnesota and had offers to play Division 1 football, but he made his choice, and I think over time it'll prove to be the right one. On a different tangent, you played with the Littler Flyers organization, and I saw that you played Junior B with them, is that right?

Knodel: I played Junior B when I was 16.

McKeen's: Right, and then the past two years were with the midget major team, but the Little Flyers/Junior Flyers also have a junior A team in the Atlantic Junior Hockey League. Did you ever play for that team? Was it considered?

Knodel: They only started up a couple years ago. They struggled a little bit and they didn't do very well the first couple years, so I just thought it wouldn't be necessary to go there and to instead play Under-18, which I think was a better caliber, and they were doing a lot better and getting a lot more people seen.

McKeen's: Sure, more positive exposure. You guys did have a number of guys last year, they weren't all NHL draft picks, but guys who have moved to here (the USHL) and other good junior leagues.

Knodel: We had a great team last year, a lot of skilled players. A couple of them are in the USHL now, a bunch in the EJHL (Eastern Junior Hockey League). We had a great team, and they're still doing well know.

McKeen's: Eventually Billy Latta will be able to get off the injured reserve list, if he hasn't this weekend.

Knodel: Unfortunately, he tore his MCL again in the first preseason game. But, he should be back in the next couple weeks. He'll do well.

McKeen's: Lastly, since you're a Des Moines Buccaneers, I'd be remiss if I did not ask you who some of your Buccaneer teammates are that impress you the most and why?

Knodel: A lot of the guys have impressed me. Connor Brickley, he's a great player. Didn't get to see much of him before here, and he's just outstanding. He's extremely fast. Overall, everybody.

McKeen's: Connor definitely made a big impression at The Battle of Iowa. It was unbelievable. He was checking everything that moved…

Knodel: He's a battler.

McKeen's: Yeah, and after that he's definitely shown he's got plenty of skill to go with it.

Knodel: Yep, he's got everything.