USHL: QA with Scott Winkler

Over the past two years, Scott Winkler has done what few before him have. First, as a Norwegian citizen, he made a successful move from Norwegian juniors to midget AAA hockey in North America. A few months after arriving, he committed to a highly-respected college hockey program. He then achieved what very few have, selection in the NHL Entry Draft straight out of midgets, in the third round no less. Then, in 2008-09, he became quite possibly the first Norwegian to play in the USHL by lacing up the skates for the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders, putting up numbers respectable for any rookie coming out of midgets, let alone one with one year of North American hockey experience. Time will tell if he can follow in the footsteps of fellow countrymen Bjorn Skaare, Anders Myrvold, Espen Knutsen, Ole-Kristian Tollefson, and Patrick Thoreson and play in the NHL, but the trail he's blazing is moving in the right direction.

McKeen's correspondent Kevin Wey was able to talk with Scott Winkler, a Canadian-Norwegian, during the Clark Cup Playoffs. Winkler discussed his season in the USHL, the adjustments he faced coming from Norway to North America, playing midgets for Russell Stover, playing for Team Norway, committing to Colorado College, getting drafted by the Dallas Stars, hockey in Norway, and growing up a fan of "Le Magnifique" and a Duck making waves.

McKeen's: Your first and only USHL regular season is behind you, and it was pretty respectable with 10 goals and 26 assists. But, how did you feel your rookie season in the USHL went and what were the biggest adjustments you faced coming out of Russell Stover (midget major AAA)?

Winkler: The biggest adjustment is the speed, by far. They're bigger guys and a lot more speed, so that's the biggest adjustment. I think my first season went all right. I wish I could have put up some more points, but playing here in Cedar Rapids, I felt I improved a lot over the year. So, I'm happy about everything so far.

McKeen's: I noticed tonight you were playing the point on the powerplay. How long has coach [Mark] Carlson had you back there?

Winkler: I've been back there a couple times during the season, too, but he just recently put me back there last game, which I liked. I was on the other powerplay, but he put me on the point, and I don't mind that at all. I like it.

McKeen's: It worked fairly well tonight. What are your impressions of the United States Hockey League and how does it compare to your expectations of it coming into the season?

Winkler: Well, to tell you the truth, since I'm from Norway and I only played one year of midgets, I didn't really know what to expect. Before getting drafted by Cedar Rapids, I saw one game while I played with Stover, we watched Chicago play Indiana, actually, and that's the only thing I knew about the league. So, I didn't really know what to expect, but I knew it was going to be tough, because I had friends who had played in the league, good players that were not dominating in the league. So, I knew it was going to be tough.

McKeen's: What have been the areas of your game that you've been focusing on improving this year with the RoughRiders and what have you been doing to address those areas?

Winkler: I'm really trying to focus on my speed, trying to improve that. I have actually improved it a bit, believe it or not (smiles and chuckles), but if I can improve that more…

McKeen's: Looks like it's going okay, saw you drive some guys wide tonight.

Winkler: Yep.

McKeen's: Made Joe Hartman open up wide pretty early once. I guess, on the flipside, what would you say are the strengths of your game and the style of game that you play?

Winkler: I guess it's kind of a playmaker thing. I wish I could put up more goals, but I usually get more assists than goals. So, that's probably my strength, kind of a playmaker guy.

McKeen's: Yeah, not everybody puts up the "Cy Young" where you put 21 goals and (pauses_, well I guess I can call it the "Jeff Costello" from your team. He put up a ton of goals and not so many assists.

Winkler: Yeah, exactly (chuckles).

McKeen's: As you mentioned, you're from Norway, with your father having played pro hockey over there. So, coming from Norway, how did it come to be that you went from Frisk Asker to Russell Stover in the first place?

Winkler: It actually had to do with (pauses), I always played a couple age groups up in Norway, and I saw a lot of my friends go professional, and when they go professional, they can't go to college, and a lot of them ended up just getting stuck in the league. I didn't want that to happen to me. Since my dad was from Canada, he always advised me either to go to North America or to Sweden. It actually worked out that it was Russell Stover because one of my best friends actually played for them the year before I got there, so he hooked me up with it. So, that's how I got into Russell Stover.

McKeen's: Who was/is that player?

Winkler: Peter Rohn, he plays on Michigan Tech right now.

McKeen's: Oh, okay. Not too bad.

Winkler: Nope, he's a good player.

McKeen's: Going back to Stover, what were the biggest adjustments you faced coming from Norway to midget AAA and how did that compare to your expectations of it?

Winkler: Well, the biggest adjustment is, again, speed. We've got a bigger ice surface over there, and it seems to be more of a finesse game. Here, it's a faster pace, harder hitting. Over there, it's kind of a more laid-back, finesse game. That's probably the biggest adjustment. Again, I knew it was going to be quicker, but that was pretty much the only expectation I had coming into it.

McKeen's: You've played Norwegian juniors and then also in the First Division. Explain for fans who are not familiar, what the First Division is and where it stands in the hierarchy of hockey in Norway, and how the play is different between the First Division and Junior Elite.

Winkler: Well, in Norway we don't really have (pauses), hockey is growing, but it's still not a big sport. Our elite division is pretty good, but then the one below, the first division, it's kind of watered down. They've got a lot of juniors in there, it's not a professional league. For one, since we are playing against older guys, there might be some bigger players over in that league, but, still, it's just a laid-back, kind of a go-with-the-flow type thing.

McKeen's: How many games do you play in a season of Norwegian juniors and when does the season start and end there?

Winkler: I think we roughly play around 35 games, so the schedule is a lot shorter. I was lucky enough to play with two teams at the same time, so I actually got in the same amount of games. I think it starts and ends pretty much the same time, too.

McKeen's: That kind of seems to be general number of games you play in juniors in Europe. I know in Sweden it's usually about 32, 36 games or so, same sort of deal. Now, you missed a few games with Cedar Rapids while you were playing with Team Norway at the Division I, Group B, World Junior Championships, scoring two goals and two assists, not too bad. So, how does the Division I World Junior Championships compare to the caliber and the style of play of the USHL?

Winkler: Actually, that is more of a faster pace than it is in Norway. It's like, again, it's faster paced and more hitting. I'd say it might be a little more skill level with Team Norway and all of that in the World Juniors, but it isn't as fast and it's not as hard-hitting (as in the USHL). So, that's probably the biggest difference.

McKeen's: Similar, how does that caliber of play compare to what you played in midget AAA?

Winkler: The guys in the World Juniors are probably a lot more skilled, and that's the biggest difference. Speed wise, it's actually probably the same. But, again, bigger guys and more skill.

McKeen's: Norway is currently playing in the U-18 elite pool up in Fargo.

Winkler: Yeah.

McKeen's: Thanks to some of your efforts last year. So, tell me a bit about that tournament, the 2008 Division I, Group B, World U18s, and playing in what was a fairly strong group.

Winkler: Yeah. We didn't really know what to expect. Norway doesn't put as much time and money as they should into the Under-18's and the Under-20's, but we actually have a pretty good group of 90-born players and 91's, so we were able to pull it together. Like, we beat Latvia in the championship game. They were they heavy favorites, so that was one of my favorite games that I've ever played.

McKeen's: Looking at the results of that tournament, if I remember right, you guys only gave up 3 goals in that tournament and Latvia only gave up 2, but one of those was in the 1-0 shutout win you guys had. Tell me about that game, because that was obviously a pretty huge game.

Winkler: Yeah. Again, both teams had played, like, three games before we met each other. Everyone knew they were heavy favorites, it was in their home country, so we knew it was going to be tough. We were lucky enough to get one goal right off the bat early in the second period, I think, and our goalie was amazing. He stood on his head. It was kind of a battle of the goalies there, because their goalie was amazing, too. But, ours ended up on top, I guess.

McKeen's: You've touched upon this a little bit, but Norway is kind of one of those countries that bounces between the elite pool and Division I. So, what is it that separates your neighbors to the East, Sweden and Finland, from Norway? What makes them so superior in hockey?

Winkler: It's the interest. Like, it all comes down (pauses), we don't have that many hockey players, not even close to what Sweden and Finland has. It is growing, which is good, but just how they view it, too. Soccer is the number one sport, pretty much in all European countries, but in Norway definitely. They don't show any hockey on TV. Well, they're starting to now, but it's a growing sport. Hopefully, in five to ten years we can catch up.

McKeen's: It's interesting, since you're all Nordic countries.

Winkler: Yeah, you would think, huh? Well, then again, too, I think we only have, like, five million people in Norway and both Sweden and Finland have about 10 (million).

McKeen's: True. So, who is Norway's biggest rival? Is it Sweden or Finland, or is it somebody else that's closer to you guys in caliber?

Winkler: Actually, I'd say it was Denmark, because usually we get our (pauses), we get kicked by both Finland and Sweden, at least at the younger stages (chuckles). So, Denmark, we usually compete pretty good with them.

McKeen's: That makes some sense. As most prospect fans know, you were drafted by Dallas and attended their development camp. What were some of the things that you learned there and what were some of the things that Dallas wanted you to work on the most this season?

Winkler: Well, down there, which I really liked, they focus a lot on individual skill. They had a stickhandling coach out there every single practice. A lot of different stickhandling drills and skating drills. So, it was pretty much that. They don't go into positioning and all of that, because every team is different, so it's all about stickhandling and improving your own game.

McKeen's: What are some of the hints they gave on stickhandling, if you're able to share that, if it's not classified information?

Winkler: They just gave us different drills to do on the ice. They really focus on quick hands, and all the drills are focused around that. So, we probably did a million different drills.

McKeen's: I was talking with Justin Daniels last month and talked with him about the Sharks' development camp and he mentioned how they gave small tips about receiving passes that he would never have thought of, that were almost elementary, but nobody really thinks about.

Winkler: Yep, they go into detail. Yeah.

McKeen's: Do you ever think about how it was in just over a year you went from playing Norwegian juniors and the First Division to being an NHL draft pick and, if so, what are your thoughts?

Winkler: Like, again, going into the draft, I was ranked pretty late, and I was told it was a 50/50 thing if I was going to be drafted. I was actually in Norway at the time. I had the TV on and had the computer on NHL.com, the draft thing, up on the same time. Then, actually, it went to commercial, because after the first or second rounds, they roll through it, and then my uncle ended up calling me while the commercial was on and told me I was drafted. I didn't believe him at first, but after the commercial went off, my name popped up, so I was excited about that.

McKeen's: When was it that Dallas first contacted you? Was it the same day or a bit afterward, and what did they say?

Winkler: They contacted me the same day, probably, roughly, 20 minutes after they selected me. I didn't expect that, either. They were just telling me about the development camp, and really wanted me to come over to that. So, that was a great experience.

McKeen's: That's kind of how it is. "Yep, you're drafted. Now, in just a little bit, you need to come over to North America to skate in this camp."

Winkler: Exactly. I had about three weeks notice.

McKeen's: Some guys only get a few days.

Winkler: Yep.

McKeen's: Last year, while with Russell Stover, you committed to Colorado College. When did college teams start talking to you and what made you decide that CC was the right place for you?

Winkler: Ummm, colleges probably started talking to me in the middle of (pauses), probably around November, after I first got in. I had some different colleges talking to me. Usually in midget tournaments, you meet a lot of different colleges, but some are just to say "hey" and others are more. I ended up going with Colorado College just because how they're a great hockey program and how their school is set up. They run on a block plan where you have one class for three-and-a-half weeks and then you move on to the next class, and I just love that idea. That's kind of why I picked it.

McKeen's: I guess that begs the question, what is your course of studies going to be?

Winkler: I'm going to go in undecided, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to major in business or economics.

McKeen's: Business is always a pretty versatile degree.

Winkler: Yeah.

McKeen's: You're not there now, but Russell Stover made some news before this season by moving into the Tier 1 Elite League, along with a bunch of other teams, into what used to be the Midwest Elite Hockey League. What was your reaction to that? Good? Bad? Both?

Winkler: I was thinking it was great, because playing midgets, you have a lot of really good teams, but then again you have some that aren't of the highest caliber. So, with making that new league, every team is good, and that's the difference. You play good games every single time you play. I'm really happy that they've made the move and it's worked out well for them.

McKeen's: Certainly. It's a very highly-scouted midget league.

Winkler: Oh yeah.

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

Winkler: Well, actually, I pretty much lived two minutes from our rink back in Norway, and my dad being a hockey player, he put me out on that ice pretty quickly, probably around three or four, messing around with the puck, and that's how it all started. I just fell in love with the game.

McKeen's: Did you skate for Frisk Asker the whole way up?

Winkler: Yep, that's my hometown team, the whole way up. That's kind of how it works over there.

McKeen's: Right.

Winkler: You don't bounce around. You stay with your organization all the way up.

McKeen's: Explain to North American fans how that works, how you have sport clubs in Europe that have teams from the youngest age groups all the way to the elite league.

Winkler: Yeah, that's just how it is over there, I guess. I don't know why they don't have it over here (chuckles). It's the same thing in Sweden and Finland, you just start young. Of course, some organizations are bigger than others, so once you build your way up, you might change teams, but, luckily enough, my hometown team is really good. So, that was a great organization for me.

McKeen's: If I remember correctly, during the lockout, Jeff Norton came over and played for Frisk Asker.

Winkler: Yep.

McKeen's: Your father played for Viking and Frisk Asker.

Winkler: Yeah.

McKeen's: How was it that he ended up going to Norway in the first place, and where did he play prior to that?

Winkler: He was bouncing around a bit. He played juniors in Canada for a bit, and then he went down to Concordia College in Minnesota for a couple years, and then he ended up at a college in Canada. Then, after that, he and a friend, a goalie, actually, got an offer to go over. He was thinking it was just going to be a one-year kind of thing, a why-not kind of thing. Then, he met my mother, ended up getting a good job, and stayed.

McKeen's: I take it when he married your mother he automatically gained the Norwegian citizenship?

Winkler: No, actually he's still Canadian.

McKeen's: Oh, not a dual citizen?

Winkler: Nope, he's strictly Canadian. I'm dual.

McKeen's: Right. Living in Norway, who were some of your favorite players growing up and why and who are some players today that you'd like to equate to?

Winkler: Growing up, I can't really say I had any Norwegian favorites (chuckles), but I always liked Mario Lemieux. I think he's probably the greatest player that ever played. Today, I'd have to go with Ryan Getzlaf, actually. I don't know, but I just like his style.

McKeen's: You guys do have similar size, and if you end up as good as Ryan Getzlaf, things will be going quite well.

Winkler: Yeah (chuckles).

McKeen's: You touched on this, I think, but were you able to watch any NHL hockey back in Norway?

Winkler: Oh, no, not at all. They don't really show much of it on TV. Going into the playoffs in the NHL, they might show some of that, but then again, with the time change, it'd be 3 a.m. in the morning. When playoffs came around, I'd stay up for those, but during the season they wouldn't show anything.

McKeen's: Did you have a favorite NHL team growing up all the way over there that you followed somehow?

Winkler: I actually didn't have a favorite team, it was more just about the players, because we couldn't really watch the teams. So, it was more about the individual players.

McKeen's: Any favorite non-NHL team? Local team maybe?

Winkler: Oh, well, Frisk Asker, my local team. I always went to those games.

McKeen's: Speaking again of Frisk Asker and the Norwegian Elite League, and I probably should have asked this sooner, but how does the Norwegian Elite League compare to the USHL?

Winkler: Well, of course, the guys are bigger over there, because they're grown-up. How it worked in the Norwegian Elite League, you'd have your first and second lines, which are really good. Third is, like, okay, and then fourth is usually reserved for juniors coming up, which is good, because then they get to develop. But, it's a lot better than the USHL, but it's a different style of play.

McKeen's: My understanding with the Elite League is that not everyone is paid. It depends on the club, but maybe the first six or seven guys are fully professional, and if your from North America you get the car provided and stuff like that, but the rest of the guys have to also work their job. Is that indeed the case?

Winkler: Yeah. Usually they give a lot of money to the imports from North America, and Sweden. The other guys usually have that and then a job on the side, just something small. That's how it works. There's not enough money in the league for everyone.