#47/Interview Blog

Interview Blog

             Welcome back to another blog of Biscuits and Breezers! In this blog I have another interview for you! I think that it is pretty exciting! Currently, I am working with  many different players to help them have more exposure to the world in the hopes that they will get moved up somehow in their hockey career. If you remember right, I interviewed Helena Bighorns forward and defenseman Christian Axelsson and John Petersson last blog. This week I have a pair of defensemen from the Junior A Arizona Redhawks. They just happen to be Tyler Lloyd and Travis Cornwell. I have already mentioned Tyler briefly in a past blog and working together with this pair, we decided they both wanted and needed exposure to the hockey world and just get their names out there to expand their horizons! Ok let's get some stats for these guys before we get to the interview!

             Travis Cornwell is 5 ft 10 in, 192 in, and is from Little Canada, Minnesota, USA. He is assistant captain for the Redhawks for the 2012-2013 season. Currently, he has 4 goals in 22 games played, 9 assists, 13 TPs, 86 PIMs, 2 power play goals, 4 power play assists, and 1 game winning goal. He has had 3 points in the last 5 games played which is really good for a defenseman actually. Travis is a very skilled defenseman who isn't just limited to the blue line. He will  do whatever he has to do to make that important goal.

          Tyler Lloyd is 6 ft 1 in, 200 lbs, and is from Flint, Michigan, USA. He currently has 0 goals in 7 games played, 4 assists, 4 TPs, 35 PIMs, and 1 power play assist. He has had 2 points in the last 5 games played. I definitely think that his strengths are in his offensive skills. Tyler's game is something to be watched, I think, because it is so unique and changing it is hard to keep up with sometimes! This is good because he is constantly monitoring the styles of play and adapting. Even though he may only get the assists, which is normal for defenseman, he makes the plays work for him. He is a supporting shoulder to the team and puts out his all.

    Let's get to the interview shall we? The first question I asked these pair of line mates was, " How is it being a player playing in Arizona without such a big hockey market to expand into?" Tyler was the first to answer and he responded with, " I think it is more of a challenge for me to play better and harder to get more exposure to get to the next level." Travis then followed with an answer consisting of, " Well being from Minnesota where hockey is a big thing, I have to agree with Tyler that by playing harder and at the top of your game is a big part of playing in Arizona to get full exposure." I then asked the question, "What kind of defenseman do you see yourself as and if anybody who do you model your game after?"  Travis spoke first this time and replied, "Well I see myself as an offensive defenseman. I used to play forward so I like to make plays and be up the rink. I would model my game after Bobby Orr."  Tyler responded after saying, " I see myself as well as an offensive defenseman. I like to be up in the play and create offense. If I had to model my game off of an NHL player I would pick Mike Green because he has a rocket of a shot and he is quick on his feet. He normally starts the play off in the defensive zone to create offense." The third question I needed an answer to was, " Where do you see yourself as players in the next 5 years? What are your goals to achieve for the next 5 years?" Tyler answered and said, " By next year I would like to be in the CHL and then somewhere overseas after that and hopefully by that I am back and either in the AHL or the NHL. That is my hockey plan and I think it is very achievable." Travis then responded, " My goals for hockey in the next five years are to play college hockey and after I graduate from school I want to play in Europe and play as long as I can because you only get one chance to live the dream so play as long as your able to play." The next question I asked the pair was, "As a defenseman you can either be considered a helping hand on the team or a weaker link. How do you train mentally and/or physically so that you can be the best of the best? Any rituals?" Travis responded first this time with," I consider my self a helping hand on my team especially being an assistant captain and a role model for all my rookies. But being mentally prepared is the biggest thing to play at this level. My pregame rituals are very unique. I'm a left handed shot so every piece of gear I put on has to be the left side first." Tyler answered my question by saying, "Me as a vet I like to think that I set an example for the younger kids on the team with every thing I do like as a player. I try to give 110% on and off the ice so that the younger kids see what it takes to play at the next level. I also look at my self as a helping hand on the team because not only am I plus 6 I have 4 points in 6 games. My pregame stuff is pretty simple. I like to ease the tension in the locker room and keep everyone loose. But, also focused at the same time." 

            The next question to this interview was, " What do you think your biggest strength is and what is something you need to work on?" Lloyd answered first with, " My biggest strengths are my shot and my vision on the ice. If I could improve one point on my game it would be my foot speed. That is something you can never improve enough of." Cornwell came back with, "I would say the best part of my game is my ability to beat that first guy then head man the puck to an open teammate and also my vision from the point. Areas I need to improve on are my overall speed and my shot." Conclusively, to close this interview, the last question I asked the boys was, " I heard a lot from you two about setting the standards for the rookies and basically the new comers. How are you, as veterans, going to leave them when you move on next year and also do you think that you have left the right impression on them to where you have sort of "molded them" into an acceptable and mature player individually? Can you see yourself as a mature player willing to take on rookies and be the leaders?"  Travis willingly answered, " I absolutely think I have showed them the ropes of how to play in this league. When I was a rook I followed my vets and watched that they did and modeled myself after them. When I leave this league and age out of juniors, I hope one thing the rookies and new comers can take is hard work and confidence and the heart to get to the next level and accomplish their hockey goals." As the last answer of the interview, Tyler chimed in, " I think that the younger player will look up to me and take what I did and the effort I gave as a player in this league to get to the next league and I hope that what I have said and shown them helps them get to where they need to be." One last thing that the guys said that I thought that was perfect to end this great experience was, " We enjoyed the interview and hope that we can help anyone that reads this in their pursuit of junior hockey."

          As you can see, both of these players have an intense passion for the game. Much like most players in the junior levels. It was a great pleasure talking with these two and I am glad that we got an interview out of it! I really hope that a team snatches them up before they age out juniors or at least they get into a great college hockey problem because I think that they would fit in perfectly. Hopefully, this will help with rookies coming into juniors like Travis and Tyler wanted it to. Make sure to check them out and keep watch of their season at http://www.arizonaredhawks.com/default.asp?iId=HILHG! Thanks for your time boys and good luck with the rest of your season! You can also see them in action at the WSHL Showcase in Las Vegas this week!