"If it's what the coaches decide to do, I'll consider myself pretty lucky,'' says new boy Travis Hamonic of a highly-anticipated defensive collaboration alongside TJ Brodie.
"The way he skates, his decisiveness and ability to handle the puck, how he gets back in the play and up in the rush.
"Makes my job easier.
"I'd be pretty fortunate."
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"I'd watched him since I got drafted, admired the way he played. Such an easy guy to read off of."
Stylistically, the pair seem ideally suited: Brodie's innate offensive instincts, skimming across the surface of the ice as if he were riding a customized hovercraft; Hamonic's combination of flint and finesse.
The two have been working on their camaraderie during structured but informal on-ice sessions at WinSport over the past week, with an eye to the opening of training camp Friday.
"(Hamonic) is just a great all-around defenceman,'' says Brodie. "Tough to find a flaw. Just skating with him a little while out here … it's not game-intensity or anything but he skates really well, good first pass and knows how to locate space which makes it easy for everyone on the ice.
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I hope they both excel this year. I haven't been this excited about our defense since we had
Suter ,Macoun, Ramage, Macinnis, Natress, McCrimmon,Murzyn,.
Our 03/04 group was pretty good too.
I really like the depth we have though.....injuries shouldn't hurt as bad if they happen....wow it's exciting to think about.
I really really really hope they mesh. I know it looks good on paper, but so many times these pairing looks on good on paper, only not work out (ala Regher + Phaneuf).
Often you hear about one D being the guy who skates up ice, and the other D being the stay at home guy. Theoretically it sounds good, but Brodie has always been the type of D who plays best with another partner who can skate along side him. Admittedly I haven't watched a whole lot of Hamonic, so I'm not too familiar with his style. But most people are saying they should mesh well together.