QA with Matt Skoff

Goaltender Matthew Skoff wasn't actually a certainty to play in the USHL entering the 2009-10 preseason. The 18-year-old netminder had been released by the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders in late July and was only playing for the Sioux City Musketeers in September at the Battle of Iowa and the Fall Classic on a tryout. However, he quickly turned adversity into opportunity. Skoff was statistically, and visually, the best goaltender in the USHL during the preseason and cemented his place on the Sioux City roster, and went on to emerge as the Musketeers' top goaltender over the course of 2009-10. While his rise in Sioux City was aided by nagging injuries to the since-traded Will Yanakeff, Skoff has impressed night in and night out with his remarkable crease quickness, his exceptional capability to change directions swiftly, his capacity to reset quickly, his unflappable ability to track the puck, and his ice-cold calm in net. Put another way, Skoff's combination of technicality, athleticism, poise, and consistency are nothing to scoff at. In fact, outside of the USNTDP's Jack Campbell, Skoff may very well be the best goaltender in the USHL in 2009-10.

McKeen's correspondent Kevin Wey was able to talk with the underrated Matt Skoff after an early February game. Skoff discussed his rookie season in the USHL, his experience with Team USA's Under-17 Select Team in 2007, his youth hockey in Pittsburgh, his college hockey prospects, the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, and his favorite NHL goaltenders (one of whom he's quite similar to).

McKeen's: Well, you're back on track. I think it's seven wins in your last eight games in net. What have been the keys to that hot streak for you?

Skoff: Sticking to our systems. Trusting coach and what he tells us in practice, and just working hard as a whole team and not letting anybody take a day off. Yeah, the defense is playing well right now, and I can't say anything else than that.

McKeen's: Going back to the preseason, you got off to a fantastic start at the Battle of Iowa, and you did very well at the Fall Classic, too. How did you feel the preseason went and what helped you seem to make the adjustment to the USHL so quickly?

Skoff: Well, playing in Cedar Rapids my first game sure helped me, because they cut me earlier, a couple months ago. But, that was motivation and not being on a team, I wasn't really on the team, set in stone, so that really motivated me to step up my game and play better.

McKeen's: You did seem to adapt quickly to the USHL, but what were the biggest adjustments for you coming out of Tier 1 midget major?

Skoff: The biggest adjustments? I'd have to say the bigger bodies battling for the puck, and sightlines. The shots from the point are a lot different, it's a lot more crowded-like I said, bigger bodies.

McKeen's: You do seem to track the puck very well. In what areas of your game do you feel you've improved the most so far this year and what areas are you still focusing on improving?

Skoff: Areas to improve? Definitely puck tracking - just watching the puck all the way into my body. That's something me and my goalie coach, Cam Ellsworth, work on, fighting for the puck. He'll like, slash the back of my legs in practice. It's like, "You've got to prepare for the worst." Things I still need to work on? I'd say definitely communicating with my defensemen, because it's pretty loud out there. Tonight, I misplayed a couple rebounds. I've got to sharpen up on that.

McKeen's: For those who haven't seen you play, what are the strengths of your game in net and the style that you play?

Skoff: I like to model my game off of Marc-Andre Fleury, kind of a quick butterfly goalie. I'd say my biggest asset to a team is getting across the crease and being real quick and not giving up on the puck.

McKeen's: Imagine that, a Pittsburgh native modeling his game off of Marc-Andre Fleury. Having watched you, I've noticed you're very calm in net, and it sounds like Cam [Ellsworth] works with you on that, but at what point did you develop that poise in net and what would you say are the keys to having that level of confidence and poise?

Skoff: Well, back in Pittsburgh I have a goalie coach by the name of Shane Clifford, who also, it's pretty ironic, coached Cam Ellsworth when he was playing. But, yeah, he's just taught me ever since I was a little boy. He just always told me that "you're going to do great things," and "you're going to go Division I," and always kept my head on straight. I can't ask for anything more from the guy.

McKeen's: At what point in your career did you develop such a solid technical game with the crease movements and all of that?

Skoff: Shane Clifford, he's the best technical goalie coach in the country, and that's from the USA team to the whole USHL. I can't have more confidence in him. Every summer I go home and work with him. He prepares me and he helps me out a lot.

McKeen's: Back in 2007 you were the eighth overall pick of the USHL Futures Draft by Cedar Rapids, but here you are with Sioux City. You touched on this a little bit already, but go over how it was that you ended up coming to Sioux City.

Skoff: Well, yeah. Obviously we had tryouts in Cedar Rapids, and I originally made the team, but then he (head coach Mark Carlson) had this team camp, and I didn't really perform that well, and I can see why he (pauses), well he cut me, obviously. Coach Cam Ellsworth, he gave me a call and was like, "We want you to come out to camp," and things went well, and I'm here, and I couldn't be happier.

McKeen's: Did Cedar Rapids cut you in August or was it July?

Skoff: It was late July, yes.

McKeen's: And at what point did Sioux City contact you?

Skoff: I want to say, like, August 1. Like, immediately after.

McKeen's: Back in 2007, you played for Team USA's Under-17 Select Team. Tell me how you learned you'd been named to that team, who told you, and your reaction.

Skoff: I made that team by going to the Select 16 Festival. I was pretty motivated. I didn't get invited to the NTDP camp, and that kind of motivated me to step up my game against these guys. I played really well and coach Cooper, actually Kyle Wallack of Yale, he made the call a couple days after the camp, he said, "We'd like you to represent our country." It was like a dream come true wearing the U.S. jersey.

McKeen's: If I remember right, you guys took the silver, finishing second place, although I don't know if they give you medals or not.

Skoff: No. I think USA Hockey got a trophy, but that was it.

McKeen's: How did you feel you did at the tournament and how did the play there compare to what you'd played previously?

Skoff: I played okay. It was just like, being nervous (pauses), I've gotten a lot better with controlling my nerves since I was 16, 15. Wearing the U.S. jersey kind of changed me a little bit. It puts a little pressure on you, but we got a silver medal, and that's not the worst thing to happen.

McKeen's: You played for the Pittsburgh Hornets before that, and also prior to this season, so how many seasons did you play for the Hornets organization?

Skoff: I played for the Hornets since, I would say, I was 13 or 12.

McKeen's: I had planned on asking this question later, but I think I'll ask it now. For what organizations did you skate for coming up through the ranks, the different age groups?

Skoff: In the NA, I skated with Mahoning Valley my U16 year. Obviously, being drafted by Cedar Rapids, I took a try there.

McKeen's: But like squirts, pee wee, that sort of thing?

Skoff: Well, in squirts I played for the Beaver Badgers, and that's located obviously in Beaver, P-A. Then, after my squirt year, I went straight to pee wees and I played for the Hornets and went to that big Quebec tournament, which was a lot of fun and stayed with the Hornets ever since.

McKeen's: A lot of the Pittsburgh area's best players have come through the Hornets organization, although there was somebody I was researching this year who came through the Predators organization there.

Skoff: Yep, they're good, too.

McKeen's: But, I can't remember who that is (Matt Bartkowski).

Skoff: Tyler Murovich, he played in "the O," his dad (Ralph Murovich) owns that. I think he's a pretty good player.

McKeen's: Yeah, he got a tryout contract with the Blue Jackets. So, that (going to the OHL) turned out okay so far. Last year was your draft year, and obviously a lot of goalies like to play at a level higher than midgets for that year. Did you have any opportunities to play anyplace other than the Hornets and if so, what made you decide to stay there?

Skoff: I was offered other spots on other midget teams, but playing in the Midwest Elite, it was my senior year of high school, if I'm going to be playing in the same league as these guys, I'm going to be looked at by the same scouts.

McKeen's: How did you feel last year went for you?

Skoff: It was a tough year. I mean, we didn't really win that much. But, you've just got to grind, got to keep working, take the positives, and turn the negatives into positives. We hosted nationals, which was good, we played at nationals. We won a game at nationals, so that was nice.

McKeen's: Looking at your stats from last season, did you miss part of the season?

Skoff: Oh, yeah, yeah. We were at a game in Buffalo and some kid just ran me and broke my ankle, and I was out for five months.

McKeen's: That's a bad injury for a goaltender.

Skoff: Yeah, not a good one. I had physical therapy and all of that.

McKeen's: You're in your second year of draft eligibility, and you're doing well with Sioux City. Do you have hopes of being selected this year and to your knowledge, have NHL teams expressed interest?

Skoff: Well, I think anybody would like to be drafted. But, I mean, no NHL team has really contacted me. I've just got to keep working and outplay these kids with scholarships this year.

McKeen's: If I'm asking you about the draft, it also makes sense that I should ask you about representation. So if I might ask, do you have a family advisor?

Skoff: Right now, I'd say my advisor is Kevin Magnuson of KO Sports. He knows coach [Luke] Strand and he's said he'd like to represent me. It just seems like a great fit. It seems like he knows what he's talking about.

McKeen's: If I were a director of amateur scouting for an NHL team and I were advising my team on draft day, what are some reasons I might consider drafting Matt Skoff in say the late rounds?

Skoff: I'm a goalie that will always give you an honest effort. I'll never quit on a puck. I feel that my quickness is going to help me through the college level and hopefully the pro level.

McKeen's: As far as I know, you haven't committed to a college program yet, is that…

Skoff: (Nods head no in anticipation of question)

McKeen's: Okay. I figured if you had, the USHL would be on it, but you never know, but I do know that colleges have been contacting you for awhile. At what point did colleges start contacting you and what are the things you're looking for in a program?

Skoff: After the Fall Classic, I got a couple letters and stuff. Things I look for in a college would be, obviously, an opening for a goalie spot. Obviously the academics are important because nothing's ever guaranteed in life. It's pretty hard to play pro hockey and stick with pro hockey, so it's good to have that education to fall back on.

McKeen's: If I might ask, what are some of the schools that are in the running?

Skoff: I've been talking to the University of Minnesota, St. Cloud, Western Michigan, and Holy Cross.

McKeen's: I think I saw St. Cloud talking to you last week. At this point, where is Matt Skoff in 2010-11, back in the USHL, at college?

Skoff: Most likely I'll probably be back here in Sioux City.

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

Skoff: I started playing hockey when I was (pauses), I want to say seven or eight years old. My uncle was a big Penguins fan. He taped all of the Stanley Cup games and I watched them with my cousin. I actually started in figure skating (laughs). Then I joined the hockey organization, the Arctic Foxes, a local organization near Pittsburgh. I just tried goalie one time and I liked it and I've kept at it ever since.

McKeen's: Was that the first year you played goalie?

Skoff: The first couple years, I think everyone tries everything. But, something happened with a goalie and I just got in there and I liked it.

McKeen's: At what age did you become a full-time goalie, then?

Skoff: Full-time goalie? I'd say ten years old.

McKeen's: Lastly, I think I already have the answer to this, who were some of your favorite players growing up and why?

Skoff: Favorite player growing up would have to be Dominik Hasek. I play nothing like him but he obviously made fantastic saves that caught my interest, and a lot of Buffalo fans. I remember when he won the Stanley Cup with Detroit, and I was watching with my dad, I'll never forget that.

McKeen's: I thought wrong on that, then. So, I think I have the answer to this, are the any goalies you feel you're the most similar to or that you'd like to equate to?

Skoff: Once again, I model my game after Marc-Andre Fleury. He's just so quick in the net, he has crisp movements, and he just stops on a dime. I think he's probably one of the top three goalies in the NHL.