This month I'v been assigned Emerson Etem, an Anaheim Ducks' prospect currently playing the the Medicine Hat Tigers. Let's hope Emerson has some sticking power, so I don't see all the players I interview get traded.
Here is the original version of the Ben Maxwell article. The published version, which you can read if you subscribe to PuckLife magazine, had some changes. I'm not posting the updated version for two reasons, one) I can't figure out how to copy the article out of the pdf-type file PuckLife magazine is distributed in and, two) as most writers will tell you: I didn't like the editor's changes.
Here, unaltered, is the Ben Maxwell article.
Ben Maxwell's master plan
Despite being stuck in the AHL with a two-way contract,
Maxwell's got the talent and drive to become a fixture in the NHL
Maxwell's got the talent and drive to become a fixture in the NHL
There are a number of differences between the AHL and the NHL, many of them financial. Those financial differences often decide which league a player will start the season in. For North Vancouver
native Ben Maxwell, who was drafted 49th in 2006 by the Montreal Canadiens, a group of players with one-way contracts is the biggest reason he's putting in a third season for the Hamilton Bulldogs.
“I was looking to make the team this year, obviously it didn’t work out. There weren’t a lot of spots,” explained Maxwell. He has played only 20 games in the NHL in the past two seasons, despite his escalating success in the WHL and AHL since 2003. The key is that Maxwell has shown a solid ability to improve. He's averaging more than a point per game this year for the Bulldogs.
Another year in the AHL is probably not going to hurt Maxwell's development, but it's not going to do much for it either. Every game is now a try out for Maxwell, a chance to show the big club what he can do. The 22-year-old centreman definitely knows what they’re looking for. He spends his time in the AHL practising all the things his coaches – three in three years with Hamilton – preach. “Hockey players who are most effective in the NHL are usually the guys who are the two-way players, and can also put the puck in the net, and that’s what I strive to be,” says Maxwell, who's dreamed of the NHL since he was six years old, watching Pavel Bure play for the Canucks.
The Canadiens will give Maxwell a chance eventually, there's little doubt about that. The numbers he's putting up in the AHL must have Canadiens' GM, Pierre Gauthier, thinking about ways to make space for him. But like many young players on the Bulldogs, there's no rush for the Canadiens to bring Maxwell up. They're not looking to rebuild: they're coming off an improbable playoff run that saw them reach the Eastern Conference semi-finals and hope to continue that momentum this season.
So what's Ben Maxwell master plan? He's continuing to work, adding the strength and confidence that's needed to play full-time in the NHL. “Every young guy’s goal is to get a little stronger because in the NHL the guys are that much bigger and stronger,” says Maxwell. “I’ve got a little more confidence, and I think that’s a big thing in pro hockey, just finding your calm and cooling down out there and playing your game.”
He's has got the knowledge and the experience, the drive and the raw talent, now Ben Maxwell just needs some consistent playing time with the Canadiens to prove it. As he himself said, “There’s only a certain amount that the minor leagues can do to prepare you for the NHL.”
native Ben Maxwell, who was drafted 49th in 2006 by the Montreal Canadiens, a group of players with one-way contracts is the biggest reason he's putting in a third season for the Hamilton Bulldogs.
“I was looking to make the team this year, obviously it didn’t work out. There weren’t a lot of spots,” explained Maxwell. He has played only 20 games in the NHL in the past two seasons, despite his escalating success in the WHL and AHL since 2003. The key is that Maxwell has shown a solid ability to improve. He's averaging more than a point per game this year for the Bulldogs.
Another year in the AHL is probably not going to hurt Maxwell's development, but it's not going to do much for it either. Every game is now a try out for Maxwell, a chance to show the big club what he can do. The 22-year-old centreman definitely knows what they’re looking for. He spends his time in the AHL practising all the things his coaches – three in three years with Hamilton – preach. “Hockey players who are most effective in the NHL are usually the guys who are the two-way players, and can also put the puck in the net, and that’s what I strive to be,” says Maxwell, who's dreamed of the NHL since he was six years old, watching Pavel Bure play for the Canucks.
The Canadiens will give Maxwell a chance eventually, there's little doubt about that. The numbers he's putting up in the AHL must have Canadiens' GM, Pierre Gauthier, thinking about ways to make space for him. But like many young players on the Bulldogs, there's no rush for the Canadiens to bring Maxwell up. They're not looking to rebuild: they're coming off an improbable playoff run that saw them reach the Eastern Conference semi-finals and hope to continue that momentum this season.
So what's Ben Maxwell master plan? He's continuing to work, adding the strength and confidence that's needed to play full-time in the NHL. “Every young guy’s goal is to get a little stronger because in the NHL the guys are that much bigger and stronger,” says Maxwell. “I’ve got a little more confidence, and I think that’s a big thing in pro hockey, just finding your calm and cooling down out there and playing your game.”
He's has got the knowledge and the experience, the drive and the raw talent, now Ben Maxwell just needs some consistent playing time with the Canadiens to prove it. As he himself said, “There’s only a certain amount that the minor leagues can do to prepare you for the NHL.”
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