The Swamp Rabbits season begins tomorrow night when they take on the Norfolk Admirals at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Before the season gets underway, I had the opportunity to be a part of the media preseason press conference and interact with coach Andrew Lord and players Ben Freeman and Tanner Eberle. The things said by these three have to be encouraging for fans going into the new year. Looking to break the streak of early exits in the Kelly Cup Playoffs. Here are some of my major takeaways. Starting with Coach Lord.
Can you explain the strengths of this year’s team?
“We have a nice blend; I’d probably say balance is maybe the buzzword; we added some size, we added some veteran experience, particularly on the back end…we have a lot of young, fast players that are really exciting, that are fun to watch and can produce offensively. I think we can probably win any style of game. If a team is going to get rugged and in our face, I know we can play that way and win that way. I know we can also defend well and if it’s a high scoring game, we certainly have the firepower to do that too.”
Who are some of the guys that you look to as leaders or captains on this team?
I think we have a great leadership group, not just the guys that are going to end up wearing the A’s and the C…we have five guys that are now in their third year back in Greenville, a ton more than that hitting their second season here…in particular guys like Ben Freeman is back for his third year, Ethan Cap same type of thing…Mark Louis, who I coached for the better part of five years, over in the UK, we have a really solid relationship, and he knows how we operate here. He’s going to be a great leader for us and bring a real physical element. Tanner Eberle is another guy that comes to mind.”
When asked about Brett Kemp going to Sweden, then out of nowhere returning to Greenville, coach Lord had this to say about the third leading goal scorer from last year.
“It was a great surprise…we were happy for him we knew he (Kemp) wanted to go to Europe…he got a good deal over there from a good team in a good league, it didn’t end up being a good fit for him at the end of the day…his agent reached out and said it might be a good idea to call Brett, we called him that day and Brett said he was all in and really missed Greenville. So, a real nice surprise…super excited to have him back; he is still super young, and I think the best is yet to come for him. Very good news for our team and our organization.”
Ben Freeman
What is something you want to bring into this year from last year?
“In the locker room, I think we can continue staying positive. I think that is very helpful in getting everyone in the right direction; we all have a common goal…staying positive and having fun in the locker room. But knowing when we need to turn it on and have some laser focus going into some of these big games and preparing for our ultimate goal, which is winning a championship.”
What did you do in the off-season to continue to build on your goal-scoring ability?
“I would say I had a good summer of on-ice skating as well as off-ice. I tried to gain some strength and get a little more physical at the net. I think it comes down to the physical attributes but also the way I’ve learned how this league operates and what it takes to score goals. Its not easy, and I think getting to the spots in front of the net is where I’m going to have to go to add more goals to my total.”
You’ve played on both the powerplay and penalty kill units, both units’ bottom half in the league last year; what have the conversations been like to try and improve both those units last season? – Mark Shelley (Swamp Rabbits play-by-play)
“I think powerplay and penalty kill can be the most important part when it comes to the playoffs based on what I’ve seen over the last two years. I think building up in the regular season will be imperative…we are really going to have to elevate our game during the powerplay; you’re up a man, but you actually are going to have to outwork the penalty kill. I think as far as penalty kill goes, conversations in camp have involved more guys being able to transition into the penalty kill, even if it is a skilled player. Especially if you want to move up to the next league, it’s important to have multi-faceted skills.”
When asked about the two short-handed goals scored by Atlanta while Greenville was on the powerplay in the preseason game, Freeman had this to say.
“That can’t happen; we can’t let up two man-up goals; honestly, I haven’t seen that since playing pro. But, obviously, it’s preseason and unacceptable, but I’m sure the units will shift gradually as the season goes on, and we won’t be giving up back-to-back powerplay goals.”
Tanner Eberle
Going from year one to two, how are you feeling?
“It’s been good, settled right in, obviously been here last year. Its always a bonus to come back to the same team; just feel really comfortable here. A lot of returning guys, which makes things easier. Obviously, he knows Lordo (coach Lord) and knows how he wants us to play. That’s the nice thing about coming back to a team two years in a row, you settle in, and it’s like you never left, really.”
You scored 24 goals last year, Brett Kemp also scored 24. Is there going to be any friendly competition between the two of you for who gets the most goals?
“I’d hope I score more goals than Kemp this year, but he’s a heck of a player we’re very lucky to have him back. That is one thing I would like to touch on. The amount of offensive depth we have this year seems pretty crazy to me. I’ve played on multiple teams in this league, and I’ve never been to a training camp where it felt like everyone is just ready to play. It feels like anyone on our team can score over 20 goals this year. Which I feel like we lacked a little bit at times last year with depth scoring, but I feel like this year there’s no reason why there can’t be eight or nine of us with over 20 goals this season.”
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