[ad_1]
MONTREAL — He still managed Xavier Burgo For a brief moment, he wondered if he had dreamed it all. He hadn’t gotten used to the new color of his gear, for example, which he would wear almost every day as he prepared for his third season as a pro.
But overall, the shock of being traded for the first time in my life has passed.
Soon, the former Edmonton Oilers rookie will head to Ottawa for Senators training camp. His goal, like that of all the players he plays with, is simple: to start a new season in the National League.
On the other hand, he will better measure his hopes and lower his expectations a little. He doesn’t want to make the same mistake he made last year.
At the age of 20, Burgos had a solid training session with the Oilers. On October 2, he scored two goals in an exhibition game against the team. Taking SeattleThis was the sixth game of his team’s preseason schedule. He had already played in five games. When he was told he would continue to prepare in the American League, he thought it was all very encouraging.
He admitted today that the news hit him in the blind spot and got to him more than it should have.
“Of course you hope to make the team every time. But I think I was pretty close,” Bourg told RDS in a recent interview. “I did have a good summer camp. The year after that was probably a little bit harder mentally. Sometimes, in slower times, you say to yourself, ‘I did have a good summer camp, why isn’t it working?’ So it was probably a little bit harder mentally. Tough. »
Burgos wants us to know that he still has the positives from his second season with the Oilers farm club. His defense has improved, and his games are shorthanded. He says the fact that his offensive numbers are down — 20 points in 55 games compared to 34 in 62 — doesn’t tell the whole story.
But whether fair or not, these arguments do not fit our definition of improvement for an attacker drafted in the first round, and moreover, an attacker who is considered the “best hope of the organization.”
For young athletes, carrying those labels can be a burden. Burgo admitted he felt that pressure for the first time last year, even if only slightly. But he doesn’t think she was a factor in his troubles.
“I feel like I’m still young and I’m still confident in my abilities. Yes, I’m a first-round pick and with that comes some expectations, but I’m not too worried about it. I’m still confident,” he repeated.
Accept comparison
How can we accept moving at our own pace when others around us are achieving their goals faster? That is another question. Xavier Burgo Being faced.
Mavrik Bourque They were inseparable during their years at Shawinigan Falls. They won the Presidents Cup together, reached the Memorial Cup final together, and played with the Canadian junior team together. Bourque was selected in the first round with the 30th pick. Dallas Stars In 2020, Bourg was picked 23rd by the Oilers the following year. Both have completed the first two seasons of their NHL entry contracts.
But Bourque is ahead of his friend. Last season, he led the American League in scoring. He even played in a playoff game with the Stars. Clearly, he has one foot in the door where his former teammates always knock and get no response.
Comparison is easy and natural, but it can also be harmful. Can Burgo protect himself from it?
“It might affect you, but you really shouldn’t look at it that way,” he replied confidently. We still talk regularly. Even though it worked out well for him, he told me not to give up. He knew me well enough as a player to know that this would work out in the end. »
It would be surprising if Bourque didn’t start in the NHL next season. For his part, Bourque isn’t too worried about his next destination. He believes he’s in a favorable environment, with a general manager (Steve Staios) and a head coach (Travis Green) who both come from the Oilers and each have a clean record. “Maybe that’s an advantage,” he encouraged himself.
The rest—the calculations, predictions, and expectations—he intends to leave to others.
“I think this is a core that I can fit into,” he said, thinking of Tkachuk, Stutzler, Basson and the other players who will make up the core of his new team. Lineup. I want to come here with the mentality of fitting in, but I still have something to prove in the American League. Whether it’s in Belleville or Ottawa, I just want to focus on myself. »
“I don’t want to see how many spots there are or which player is ahead of me,” he assured himself. At the end of the day, if I play well, I’ll get called up. »
[ad_2]
Source link
