Q. How are you enjoying Dundee? A. I like Dundee so far! I haven’t been around that much though.
Q. How does it compare to other places you lived? A. I would say it is different compared to France but pretty close to the mentality we have back home.
Q. What’s the best part about living in Dundee? A. I have to say the people around here are really nice.
Q. Do you have a second career for when you retire from playing hockey?
A. I would like to be a pro poker player or Hockey General manager.
Q. Is there anything you miss about your hometown? A. My family and friends.
Q. What is it like to make the transition from playing forward to defenceman. It is not one most players go through but what has it been like for you?
A. As a centreman I would not say it is a big transition. The toughest part would the gap, the gap between you and the forward coming at you, you want to keep it as tight as possible! Also creating offence from the blueline is quite different actually.
Q. What made you want to play hockey? A. I think it was my dad that put me on skates and I just kept going. Strategy is probably the thing I love the most about hockey.
Q. What is your pre-game meal and rituals? A. I used to have pregame rituals with pasta and chicken but I don’t have rituals any more, I think it is just a mental thing.
Q. What’s the weirdest pre-game ritual you’ve seen? A. I would have to say someone boxing on a punching bag for 30 minutes before warm-ups.
Q. What do you do to drive yourself to get better every day/season? A. I think passion is the key to be driven and motivated at anything you do.
Q. Who is the best player you have played with? A. Ivan Vishnevsky – A fellow offensive d-man, they played one season together in the QMJHL at Rouyn-Noranda Huskies in the 2007-08 season. Ivan joined the Dallas Stars the following season, making 3 appearances and 2 more the following year. He now plays with Traktor Chelyabinsk in the KHL in Russia, where he has spent the past seven years.
Q. Who were your hockey role models whilst growing up? A. For my type of game I would have to say Martin St-Louis.
Q. How does the Elite League compare with other leagues? A. I think this is one of the toughest leagues in the world.
Q. How do you deal with the long travel journey’s? A. I am used to travelling a lot so it is not so bad, the toughest part would be that we do it on game day.
Q. You played two years in France but most of your time was spent in North America, how easy was it to switch from the North American hockey style to the European? A. It did not feel like that big of an adjustment you just have to control the puck more, the biggest adjustment would be off the ice.
Q. In your final year in the QMJHL with Acadie-Bathurst Titan you amounted 107 points, 37 goals and 70 assists. What was that year like for you? A. It was a good year, I had two great players for linemates which helped a lot, unfortunately it did not go well in the playoffs that year.
Q. What NHL team did you grow up supporting? A. Montreal Canadians
Q. What is your favourite moment from your career? A. Playing against Claude Giroux in the final game of my first year in juniors.
Q. Where do you want to be in 10 years? A. GM of a professional hockey team.
Q. What’s the best thing about the Dundee Stars fans? A. They are loud and don’t quit on us after a tough start, plus they are really nice people.
