WHL: Kyle Chipchura QA

McKeen's correspondent Patrick King had a chance to talk with Prince Albert Raiders captain Kyle Chipchura following a 5-3 loss to the Lethbridge Hurricanes on Nov. 10. In the first of a two-part interview, Chipchura talks about his role as captain, last season's postseason run and the addition of A.J. Thelen.

McKeen's: Who have been your linemates this season?

Kyle Chipchura: I've played a lot with (Dane) Byers and (Aki) Seitsonen. For the most part of the year we've played together.

McKeen's: You're in the first year as captain. How does the role suit you?

Kyle Chipchura: It suits me well. I mean, I think of myself as a leader and I like to be the guy that takes the reins of the team. I think it suits me well and I'm proud to wear it.

McKeen's: Do you like to lead by example or are you more of a vocal player in the locker room?

Kyle Chipchura: I think leading by example is the most important thing. I mean, if you're not leading by example I think you can't lead any other way. At the same time I've spent four years in the league and I've been through a lot of ups and downs. So I think I have to be counted on for more vocal leadership too.

McKeen's: You missed most of last season due to a serious injury, for those who don't know, what was the injury?

Kyle Chipchura: I severed my Achilles tendon in December last season.

McKeen's: Are you completely recovered from the injury?

Kyle Chipchura: Yeah it's fine. It feels pretty well. Back to normal I guess.

McKeen's: How were you able to come back from your injury and be so productive after being out so long?

Kyle Chipchura: I had some good people working with me. I came back and got to play with my linemates Byers and Seitsonen where I left off. They're two good players and they made it a lot easier to come back.

McKeen's: Did the team view themselves as underdogs heading into the postseason?

Kyle Chipchura: I don't know if we viewed ourselves as underdogs. We knew what we could do when we were playing well and we could match any team in the league when we were playing well. I think as soon as we recognized what game we were bringing to the rink, we didn't view ourselves as underdogs at all. We went into every game thinking we could win.

McKeen's: You have a younger team this year that has struggled; especially scoring goals, what will you need to do to help turn it around?

Kyle Chipchura: I think we just have to play our game and just stick with it. We had a couple tough losses this year and we have to find ways to win games instead of losing them.

McKeen's: Is this team able to go as far as last year's team?

Kyle Chipchura: It's up to us. I mean, if we come together and start playing well and start playing as a team we can make a push and make a run. If we're not coming together and we're not playing our game each night, it's going to be hard.

McKeen's: Did you feel any pressure to perform last season after being a first-round NHL pick?

Kyle Chipchura: I want to be a top player at this level and I put pressure on myself. Right now, most of the pressure I feel is the pressure I put on myself.

McKeen's: What kind of pressure do you put on yourself?

Kyle Chipchura: We have to win games. I'm a leader on the team and I think leadership leads to winning games. You can do everything you can, but if you're not winning games a lot of it falls on me as an older guy. That's the most pressure and then of course personal totals. You always want to get points, score goals and I get pressure that way too.

McKeen's: How has the addition of A.J. Thelen influenced the team?

Kyle Chipchura: Well he's a top defenseman and top player in the league. I mean, we add a guy like that without giving up anything and of course it's going to be a huge thing for our team. I think he helped our back end really well, he plays a ton of minutes and he definitely helped our power play a lot.