USHL: QA with Justin Daniels

In just over two years, Justin Daniels went from playing Junior C as a 16-year-old to being third-round draft pick of the San Jose Sharks in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, with two years of prep hockey with Kent School and a commitment to Northeastern University in between. Daniels' development has continued in 2008-09 in the United States Hockey League with Sioux City, where he has been one of the Musketeers' leading scorers the entire season and earned himself a selection to the USHL Prospect/All-Star Game. As has been the case his entire career, he's achieving it with twin brother and fellow San Jose Sharks draft pick Drew Daniels on the wing.

McKeen's correspondent recently had the opportunity to talk with Daniels. He discussed playing in the USHL Prospects/All-Star Game, adjusting to the USHL, his rise from Junior C to prep school to selection by the San Jose Sharks, skating at Sharks development camp, his commitment to Northeastern, his youth hockey on Long Island and Rockland County, and a few New York Rangers he looks up to.

McKeen's: Earlier this month (February), you played for Team Reebok, which was the West Division All-Stars. Tell me about how you found out back in January that you were being named to that team, who told you, and your reaction.

J. Daniels: It's fun for everybody. You get to see all the guys. I was with Stephane DaCosta and Seth Helgeson from the team. It's a good change of pace for a couple days. It was good to play against some buddies on other teams and to play with buddies. It was a good experience. I actually found out from my brother. I was taking a little snooze nap on the couch and he came in and told me.

McKeen's: How did the two days go for you?

J. Daniels: Seeing Shawn Johnson, gold-medal winner, was a good time, at the banquet. It was kind of a new experience. With guys from other teams, you get a little bit of a different angle from everybody and their organization. You have first-year guys, second-year guys, just finding out what their perspective is and how it's going for them.

McKeen's: You're in your first, and only, USHL season. How do you feel that transition has gone for you coming out of prep school with Kent to Sioux City?

J. Daniels: It's a great league. There are a lot of talented players here. It turns into a dog fight. At prep school, we played 25 games. Here, we're through, like, 44 or 45. You've got to really keep your body going, take care of yourself, and get enough sleep. But, it's been a great experience so far. I love being part of this team. It's a good time.

McKeen's: What have been the biggest adjustments on the ice and in the caliber of play from prep school to the USHL?

J. Daniels: Battling and competing. There's more body contact, a little more speed, guys are bigger and stronger. It's not as easy as it once was to get the puck and control it. You've got to fight for little spots and you've got to dig out of the corners and get your feet going a lot more. It's been a learning experience, but the pressures haven't been too bad, slowly getting there.

McKeen's: What are some of the areas of your game that you've been focusing on improving the most going into your freshman season at Northeastern next year?

J. Daniels: Really, just competing. Coach [Todd] Knott, here, coach [Rick] Comley, and coach [Cam] Ellsworth stress what level you're going to compete at that's going to get you to the next level, collegiately, and just digging for pucks. In prep school, there wasn't much of that, not too much fighting going on in the corners. Here, you've got to work for every inch. That's been the biggest change from prep school to here.

McKeen's: On the other hand, what would you say are the strengths of your game and what style of game would you say you play?

J. Daniels: I try and buy some space. I'd say I'm more of a passing playmaker. I definitely have to shoot the puck more. Hopefully it'll all come together for a playoff push here. But, definitely try to set guys up, control the puck, and slow the game down.

McKeen's: I've noticed that you like to, after you cross the blueline, open up to the play, assess your options, and make that centering pass if it's there.

J. Daniels: I like to take a look there, but other times I drive wide. But, the defense has good gap and we don't really have a middle drive guy. We have great defensemen on the team that get up in the play, and once they cross the blueline, it makes it a four-on-three and an opportunity for them.

McKeen's: I remember reading prior to the draft that you were at about 160 pounds or so and that one of the things you wanted to improve on was your strength. So, what's your size these days and what are some of the things you're doing regarding that?

J. Daniels: Ah, you had to ask that (while turning head away and smiles, then turns back). I'm probably up to, it fluctuates week in and week out, probably 167 or so. During a season, putting on some weight is not bad, but I'm going to try to stack up some more during the summer.

McKeen's: What did you start the season at?

J. Daniels: I think I came in 161. So, I'm a little over five pounds on.

McKeen's: That's not bad in-season.

J. Daniels: J: Can't complain, but still looking to put on a couple more lbs.

McKeen's: Has coach Knott had you and Drew on the same line most of the year, and then, also, in what ways are you guys similar on the ice and in what ways are you different?

J. Daniels: For the most part we've been together. There's been a little mixing and matching. Me and him had a little streak where we were just a little off. I love playing with him, but it was good to skate with some of the other guys. I'd say we have a lot of similarities in our game. I guess I'd have to say he's a little bit more of a power forward, probably going to shoot the puck a little bit more, drive the net, throw the body a little bit more. Growing up, usually he was kind of the shooter and I was the passer. But, we pretty much play the same game.

McKeen's: Then, also, how would a fan distinguish you and Drew off the ice in plain clothes?

J. Daniels: I guess the best way would be he lost four teeth early in the season. And then he got another one knocked out. So he's been walking around half toothless.

McKeen's: (Laughs)

J. Daniels: He's got a big gap in his teeth.

McKeen's: Well I guess that'll do it. Now, you were a third-round draft pick of the San Jose Sharks and their first pick in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, the way it ended up for them, but it was your second year of draft eligibility. So, what helped you make that step from not going the previous year to being ranked about 100th, and your brother like 109th or so, and then going as high as you did?

J. Daniels: I was extremely excited. San Jose is a great organization. Even over the summer, going out to their prospect camp, the amount of stuff that they know and they teach you out there is amazing. Being able to move on and take it here and just trying to improve your game all the time is great. As for (pauses), I don't know how to explain where. It came from nowhere. I guess that's the best way to explain it. I kind of grew late. I wasn't really playing at the highest level. I was playing in the CHA Premier League, which was a Junior C league, and even from there to the jump to prep school, it took a little while to acclimate and stuff. I guess it all worked out. So, I'm good.

McKeen's: I've read that coach [Matt] Herr said that when you came into Kent that you were both (he and Drew) a little rough around the edges, but he also had a number of compliments for you both. So, what were some of the areas of your game that developed the most at Kent?

J. Daniels: I think confidence was a lot. Coach Herr always preached power skating. So, a lot of practices we'd do power skating. I thought that really helped me, opened up my stride a little bit more and got me stronger on my feet, working with my edges. That really helped, and he's always preaching, "Shoot the puck."

McKeen's: (Chuckles)

J. Daniels: Thank God he's not at any of these games.

McKeen's: (Laughs)

J. Daniels: But, I scored a couple more goals during my Kent days than I have so far this year.

McKeen's: He'd probably love Stephane DaCosta, then. Now, you hit on this a bit, before prep school, you played for the Brewster Bulldogs in the CHA Premier League. Tell me a bit about that league and how it was you came to skate there and how it compared to prep.

J. Daniels: You know? It was really the only junior league around. I was in my junior year at my high school, Suffern High School, and I still wanted to play high school hockey there. So, it was going to be tough to go maybe try and play in the "EJ" (Eastern Junior Hockey League) or the "AJ" (Atlantic Junior Hockey League) and live somewhere else. So, it was really the only place where I could commute, go to school, practice, whatever, and commute to the team. The coach there, John Touhy, was a great coach. There were guys in the league that were 21, and I was 14 or 15 years old. That was what helped me get to play at Kent. That experience there was just bigger and stronger guys. I think even to now, it's helped me this year, playing here, because that's what really taught me to move from high school hockey to a much better level.

McKeen's: I remember seeing on "Sharks TV" over the summer, online, an interview with you after you were drafted, at the development camp, which makes me wonder what goes through your mind how just a little over two years previous you were playing Junior C for Brewster and now you're an NHL draft pick and at an NHL development camp.

J. Daniels: I'm walking around the facilities and to see some of the guys there, Jonathan Cheechoo's walking around, it's great. Patrick Marleau was there. That's where you want to get. It's a big help to see those guys. That's what you want to become. It's great motivation to see those guys and how hard they work and just know you've got to keep on pushing and hopefully, maybe, one day your dream will come true.

McKeen's: What do the Sharks do at their development camp and who were some of the Shark prospects there that impressed you the most and why?

J. Daniels: At camp, I think we got up around 6:00, went over to the rink, had breakfast. We were split into two groups. I think we were on ice twice during the day, we had a lift in the morning, and we had meetings, and every day was something new, whether it be passing or receiving passes, things to do with your shooting. It's just those little tips that you've never noticed out there that you get to experience at camp and you learn so much. Then you tweak it into your game and you've never even realized that you're doing it. Going to camp was a great experience and I learned a lot. It's tough to name any prospects there, they're all great players. Nick Bonino, he looked pretty good at camp, at BU. Nick Petrecki is good. Logan Couture. Devin Setoguchi was there, and Torrey Mitchell. The list goes on and on forever. But, all of those guys are great. It was a great experience to be with those guys and be a part of that.

McKeen's: You'll probably be skating against a couple of those guys in the Hockey East next year while at Northeastern. With Northeastern, when did they start showing interest in you, what was the recruiting process like, and what made you decide that that was the right place for you?

J. Daniels: I started talking to Northeastern, I think, the summer going into my senior year at Kent. It was just a perfect fit. Coach [Greg] Cronin is a great coach, knows everything about hockey. It's a great place you'd want to be at, it's in Boston. My dad also wanted me to be semi-close, where he could catch a game here or there. So, that and the coaching staff and the set-up and everything, it kind of fit in perfect. I couldn't be happier that they were talking to me.

McKeen's: Northeastern has a bit of history with the Sharks organization, too, but you'd committed to Northeastern prior to your selection by them. If I might ask, what other programs were pursuing you and was it always your aim to continue skating with your brother?

J. Daniels: We were talking to a few different schools in the Hockey East and the ECAC. Northeastern just was the best fit for us, we felt. Coach Cronin, like I said, we were happy, that's the place where we wanted to be. We wouldn't be happier anyplace else. It just worked out like that. It would be tough to be away from Drew. We've grown up together, we've played on every team together. We wanted to be together, yeah. If it came down to us having to split, it would have happened, but we're both happy that we're getting to go together and experience it together. Our whole hockey career, we've experienced every single thing together. So, no change there.

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

J. Daniels: My dad played collegiate football at Michigan State, and then he played baseball at Hofstra. So, growing up, I guess he thought we'd be a baseball player or football player. But, mom stole us, brought us over to the ice rink, put some hockey skates on us, and got us with a figure skating instructor. So, we started there, with the helicopters and getting that done, and some guy was like, "We've got tryouts, take them over there." We were awful. Only 30 kids showed up. They made two teams, and they just had enough guys for two teams. So, we started there and it's been a battle ever since.

McKeen's: I know who you've played for from Brewster on forth, but what organizations did you skate for prior to that in your youth?

J. Daniels: I grew up on Long Island. So, I played Suffolk PAL. I've played for Snapple Express, the Ramapo Saints, the New Jersey Devils, the New Jersey Kings. I've been all over. With moving from Long Island to Rockland County, where I am now, it kind of changed where I'd be playing. But, I had fun during those years for sure.

McKeen's: Lastly, who were some of your favorite players in your youth, which is still ongoing, and why, and who are some of the players today that you'd like to equate to?

J. Daniels: Well, growing up, I guess I kind of remember seeing the Stanley Cup, Mark Messier. He's one of your heroes. I've actually met him a couple of times. That was an unreal experience for me. Players that (pauses), everybody's going to say Alexander Ovechkin. But, that's a long shot. Brandon Dubinsky of the Rangers, Nikolai Zherdev, [Scott] Gomez, those are really the guys that I watch now. It's the team I root for, so I catch them the most on TV, and all of those guys are great to watch. So, you just try to break down a little bit of what they do and try and incorporate it into your game.