Reed Raps, Leveille Chats

Some more content from prospect camp. First is this outstanding video filmed by Spencer Machacek of non-drafted invitee Kyle Reed rapping about his camp experience. Yes- I said he’s rapping. You really have to see it. Reed was one of the most universally liked players in camp, and you could tell just from the amount of razzing he got yesterday when he didn’t score in the shootout. nine other players got stopped as well, but Reed got teased way, way more than the rest, and by both teams. You don’t do that to a guy if you don’t like him and know he can take.

Next up is the following Q&A with center Daultan Leveille, who was a bit of a curiosity at the 2008 NHL Draft. A lot of teams had scouted him and many were interested in selecting him, even though he played in the relatively unknown Golden Horseshoe Junior Hockey League. He was good enough to play in one of the major junior leagues that make up the CHL, but he wanted to maintain his college eligibility which he couldn’t’ have done in the OHL, WHL or QMJHL. When the Thrashers took him with their second of two first-round picks they made him the first player ever drafted out of the GHL. Leveille had already caught the eye of Michigan state as well, and that’s where he spent the 2008-09 season where he scored nine goals and 17 points in 38 games as a freshman. Leveille did not attend last summer’s prospect camp so this was his first taste of life as a Thrashers prospect.

C Daultan Leveille
6-0, 165 lbs.
1st rd, 29th overall, 2008
Michigan State University

Q: What do you think of camp so far?

It’s definitely good to get back in shape. We’ve had a while off since our season ended and getting back into game shape is crucial so when September comes you’re in there at game speed and everything.

Q: Is it about what you expected in terms of the workload on the ice and in the gym?

Yeah- I expected this. I heard from a lot of the guys that it was going to be a good workout for sure and it’s been a great experience.

Q: How would you say your first year at Michigan State went?

Personally I think it went pretty well. I think I took a lot of good steps and made some strides to where I want to be. It was a learning experience for sure. Our team didn’t finish the way we wanted to but we had a younger core to the team and we’re definitely going to build on that next year. I think it was just a great learning experience. You get a taste of all of the best players in the league and you get to see what you need to do to match up to them. It’s a good experience to see them on your team or against them.

Q: Was it difficult to adjust to life as a student-athlete?

It was an adjustment for sure. You need to balance your hockey as well as your education. There are a lot of older guys on the team that take you under their wing and point you in the direction. We had some great leaders for sure.

Q: Have you decided on a major yet?

I’m studying finance right now so hopefully that works out the way I want it to.

Q: What have you been told to work on so you progress as a player?

The biggest thing for me is strength- just putting on the weight and getting up to a playing weight that I’m comfortable with. I definitely had a great year. I put on a bunch of weight and worked hard with our strength and conditioning coach and I’m making the strides that I want to. I think I put 13 lbs on during the season, and that’s almost unheard of. A lot of guys lose weight during the season.

Q: Jim Slater wasn’t very big when he went to Michigan State but he’s pretty solid now. Does a guy like that act as role model for you?

For sure. There have been a lot of guys go through there that weren’t very big when they started. I’ve heard that David Booth (now 6-1, 210 lbs) wasn’t the biggest and he’s pretty much the total opposite of that now. You hear a lot of good stories about people that went through and turned out pretty good players.

Q: What do you like to do away from the rink?

I like to golf a lot. Being up there at school in the summer, we had a pretty good opportunity to go out a lot. After you finish working out and going to class there isn’t a lot to do, so we had a couple hours here and there to go out and golf a lot.

Q: Are you taking summer classes right now?

I was. We just finished summer classes July 3 so I’m back at home in St. Catharines the rest of the summer. I’ll try to get back up there to school early and work out hard.

Q: How big is your family?

I have three brothers and a sister, so there’s five of us and our parents and two dogs. I’m the second oldest.

Q: Are any of them hockey players?

I think they had a bit too much of it when they were around me and my older brother who played. They kind of veered off and did their own things. My sister plays the piano and my brother plays the guitar. the youngest one just started playing drums and soccer.

Q: Does your brother still play?

He just stopped. He started getting into modeling. That’s his thing now. He gets a lot of grief over it. We all like to rag on him. It’s not exactly the same intensity as hockey. He’d actually like to get into underwear modeling. He likes to work out in his spare time and he’s a bit of a bigger guy.

Q: Has he been given you help when it comes to the gym?

For sure, I’m taking tips from him. When he got into grade nine in high school he was in the 160-170 lb range, so he wasn’t very big. After a good year of working out now he’s up to a solid 190. So I’m definitely taking some advice from him. He always says he was like me and it’s just hard work and commitment to get up to where you want to be. You just have to stick to. I know it’s possible.

Q: Do you remember the first NHL game you went to?

It was a Buffalo Sabres game. They aren’t too far from us and St. Catharines used to have an affiliation with the Sabres so we got tickets pretty cheap. We’d catch a few games here and there and it’s just such a great experience all around. I was just mesmerized by how much bigger and faster everyone was at that point and I knew that I wanted to play there one day. Hopefully it can happen.