Cruickshank: Rasmus Andersson needs to respond to conditioning criticism

[Cali Panthers Fan]

Originally Posted by MrMastodonFarm

Well, he did get 92k in signing bonus last fall!

On the main topic though, I think it's obvious true fitness doesn't come naturally to Rasmus, fine during the summer but when he's out of the firm grasp of his NHL overlords he slips during the winters in junior. Now being a full time pro, having Flames guys in the AHL to help him I think he'll do better day-to-day.

Good point. I totally forgot about that.

[JiriHrdina]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

Howse is not a good comparison.

1) Andersson is significantly more talented

2) Howse didn't just suffer from being out of shape, he didn't have the drive or desire to become a professional hockey player. He simply wasn't into it.

That describes Andersson not at all.

Well we don't know that yet.
If you had asked Howse in junior if he wanted to be a professional hockey player - he probably would have said yes.
But he wasn't willing to do the things necessary in order to make that happen.
The situations are not totally dissimilar.
We don't know
- How much of an issue this is for Andersson, except that it has been mentioned in back to back years
- If the issue is motivation, or perhaps that he has a different genetic make up which makes it even more challenging for him
- If there issue is lack of gym time, nutrition, or a combination of both.

There are a lot of unknowns here, but it ultimately is up to him if he ends up like Howse, or something else.

[Cactus Jack]

Yea, but how does he look visually?

[JiriHrdina]

Originally Posted by Cactus Jack

Yea, but how does he look visually?

A little bit fat. A little bit lazy.

[GioforPM]

No concern until some video like this happens:

[MarkGio]

Originally Posted by Cali Panthers Fan

That stuff costs money. The amounts they get in junior aren't enough to cover a lot of extra expenditures. Now that he's pro he'll get a lot of help to improve this issue. If he doesn't from here on, that's on him.

to answer your first question, I still think that there are players who are so talented that they don't need to be in shape, depending on their competition. In junior he never had to be fit because he was still an exceptional player. In the pros it will be a different story, and it will definitely catch up with him a la Ryan Howse.

This is an excellent point. Even the diet can be expensive

It might be easy to criticize when we don't know if he's working or taking some schooling in case he doesn't pan out as a hockey player. Being a pro athlete is a full time job and financial commitment. I can't imagine it's easy to find time to work out nearly everyday when you're taking long bus drives, play hockey, watch footage, practice, and still find a personal life with friends and family.

[Murph]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

No concern until some video like this happens:

If it's a precursor to him leading a Stanley Cup winning team in playoff points and goals scored, bring on the videos!

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Murph

If it's a precursor to him leading a Stanley Cup winning team in playoff points and goals scored, bring on the videos!

Yeah, but you have to be crap for years, then traded to a team with Crosby, Malkin, Murray etc.

[Clarkey]

Warrener and the 960 morning show guys panned the current obsession with fitness testing in the NHL pretty hard this a.m.!

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Clarkey

Warrener and the 960 morning show guys panned the current obsession with fitness testing in the NHL pretty hard this a.m.!

Well Warrener wasn't exactly a work out warrior in his playing days so no surprise he doesn't like the fitness testing. I have no problem with it as the players are getting compensated handsomely to play and the team should expect them to be in the best shape possible.

[JiriHrdina]

And the conversation was a bit narrow focused on whether guys are working out too much. As discussed I think the bigger factor is diet

[sureLoss]

According to the Calgary Herald; Jankowski, Andersson, Falkovsky, and Mangiapane have been rooming together in an apartment and working out.

http://calgaryherald.com/sports/hock...sic-tournament

Following the summer rookie camp, the six-foot-four Jankowski went back home to train at the Athlete Training Centre in Mississauga where he said he bumped up his weight to 205 pounds (prior to Thursday, he was listed on the Flames website at 202).

He’s been in Calgary since Aug. 1, living in an apartment in the city and working out with a handful of Flames prospects that stuck around. His roommates included (in no particular order) Stepan Falkovsky, Andrew Mangiapane and Rasmus Andersson.

“It’s been a really good summer for me,” Jankowski said. “I’ve been working really hard going into my first pro season. I know how important it is.

[robaur]

I guess Cruickshank been reading my posts during development camp when I said the exact same thing and used Ryan Howse as an example.

I really should get my own column now.

[MissTeeks]

[Bingo]

So I assume that means ...

his actual weight was way more than 215 but now he's close to the media book having lost some weight?

Or he's gained 5 pounds!

[TheoFleury]

He's going to be a mini-Byfuglien IMO. Some guys can still succeed with a less than optimal body type. Probably always going to be a little pudgy, but I think he'll be a player just the same.

[getbak]

Odland followed up that tweet with this:

Kristen Odland ‏@Kristen_Odland

"I've been focusing a lot since development camp to eat better and to be healthier and to be more prepared," he said.

So, I guess we'll see how things go this weekend.

[undercoverbrother]

I am more concerned with how he does in testing and on the ice.

[dash_pinched]

But can he do a pull-up?

[bob-loblaw]

Originally Posted by dash_pinched

But can he do a pull-up?

A pull-up to the drive thru only.