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Iowa Stars Report: Ray Sawada Interview Monday, April 21, 2008 By Kevin Wey Of all the amateur players added to the Iowa Stars’ line-up the final weeks of the season, none made as big of an impact as right winger Raymond Sawada, a second round pick in 2004. Signed March 28 by Dallas to a two-year entry-level contract after four seasons at Cornell University, Sawada also signed an amateur tryout contract with the Iowa Stars that same day and proceeded to score a goal and lay down a number of hard hits in a 4-1 victory over the Quad City Flames. The big 6-foot-2, 205-pound Sawada finished the season for the I-Stars with 2 goals and 7 assists in 10 games, as well as a +5 rating. Andrew’s Stars Page was able to talk with Sawada a few days before the end of the 2007-08 AHL season and discuss his signing with Dallas, his arrival in Iowa, his time with the Big Red, being drafted by the Stars, his hockey prior to college, his track and field exploits in high school, and his goals for the summer and next season. Andrew’s Stars Page: You signed a two-year NHL entry-level contract with Dallas, which is the standard for signing players of your age. How did it feel to finally sign that and get your pro career started? Raymond Sawada: Well, it was pretty exciting. The whole process happened pretty quickly about two weeks ago. I had to sign my contract before my flight and that ended up being a giant mess, ended up being canceled, then I got delayed, and then arrived about three hours before our game started. It was an exciting ride. The first game, I was definitely playing on a lot of adrenaline. ASP: Where was the flight out of and the connection from, because there’s not a major hub out of Ithaca? RS: Right, we have to go through Chicago, and that’s where the problem was. Flying out of Syracuse was fine, it was just the weather in Chicago was a little bit messy. That’s where all the problems are, hate going through Chicago. ASP: I think I heard you mention this, but what time did you get in? RS: Yeah, I got in at about 2:00. I came straight to the rink and got all of my stuff ready and had time to go back to the hotel, shower up, get my suit and come right back. It was good. It was exciting. I was nervous and, again, just playing with that adrenaline for the first pro game. ASP: Two o’clock isn’t too bad. I remember when Dan Jancevski was traded back to the Dallas organization from Tampa Bay earlier this season and he got to Des Moines at five o’clock or so. Back to you, though, to what degree did Dallas keep in contact with you during your four years at Cornell and what did they say? RS: Well, the first two years they kept in contact once in a while. They would drop in, see me, and talk to me after the game, but it picked up right after sophomore year and again after junior year. It was major talks just after Christmas here, just to get a contract finished so I could come out and start playing with Iowa. ASP: I imagine it felt pretty good to know during that whole time that they intended on signing you. RS: Definitely. I wasn’t playing all that well at the beginning of this year, so that was frustrating. But, knowing that you’re going to sign gives you that extra confidence that you should be playing well and making plays out there, especially at the college level. ASP: What are your initial impressions of the American Hockey League? RS: You know, there are things I expected and things that I didn’t expect. I wasn’t sure whether I’d be able to make an impact here, but after playing seven games now, I think I can play here and have an impact. It’s just a different lifestyle than college, and it’s going to take some time to get used to, but I’m enjoying it so far. ASP: What are some of those lifestyle changes that you’re experiencing? RS: Still have to do homework, but haven’t really done anything yet, a little bit behind. ASP: You and Trevor Ludwig both. RS: Yep, but there’s a lot of down-time, so we’re going to have figure out something to keep my mind going, maybe learn how to play the guitar or something like that. ASP: You recently finished your four years at Cornell, what are some of the areas of your game that improved the most under Coach Mike Schafer? RS: I would say my positional play. In junior hockey you just run around and kind of do what you want, but he really taught me to play in my position, and even here it’s more controlled, so I’m learning every day not to run around as much and play my position and let the play come to you. ASP: Now, that first game, if I had kept track of hits, you probably had around a dozen hits, and most of them were hard. So tell me about that adrenaline that first game and did you find yourself running around a bit that game? RS: Coach brought me in and just told me the system that we had of two forecheckers going hard off the bat, so I just made sure that I was taking out my man every chance I had. Again, running on adrenaline, I probably wasn’t thinking as much as I should have, but I was just trying to do what I was doing in college, and that’s finishing my check and creating space for the skilled guys. ASP: Mission accomplished on that one. What are some of the areas of your game that you’re focusing on improving heading into next season so that you have that chance of playing in Dallas next season? RS: Definitely, like, my first step, getting that explosive speed. Obviously, getting stronger, because everybody’s stronger at the next level. My stickhandling especially and my shot, those are pretty much two main areas I’m going to really focus on. ASP: On the flip side, what do you consider the existing strengths of your game already? RS: I think my defensive play, on the penalty kill and five-on-five, and also finishing my check, obviously. I think, probably, the best part of my game is me getting in there right on top of the d-men and finishing my check. ASP: You’re listed at 6-foot-2, but I wonder if you’re bigger than that, because you appear as if you might be taller. RS: I think Central Scouting had me at 6-foot-2 and, like, one-eighth, so I am really right around there. I’m hovering around 205. Summertime, that weight gets a little higher because you put on some muscle, but you lose it once you start conditioning again. I’m probably going to play around 205, 210. ASP: What were some of the highlights of your collegiate career and maybe some favorite memories, both on and off the ice? RS: My freshman year we won the ECAC championship, and that was probably the best experience, lifting that trophy up. You don’t realize how special that is until you don’t get it over your next three years. Also, scoring in overtime to get to the ECAC Finals, that was a pretty big highlight. That’s a huge rush. It still gives me chills just thinking about it. Off ice, you’ve got 25 new best friends every year, right? Just, that alone, you spend so much time with them, even more than the pro guys here. I mean, they play 82 games, or whatever, over a season, but we’re with them in the classroom, eating, practice, we all lived together. That’s one thing that I’m going to take with me. ASP: Any teammates that you lived with for more than one year while you were there or particular best friends? RS: Well, our class was pretty small. So, Topher Scott, he’s playing in the ECHL right now, and Doug Krantz, he’s down in Texas playing for the Brahmas, I believe. Chris Fontas and [Sasha] Pokulok, he left early, but those guys. There was only four or five of us, but we were a pretty tight-knit group. ASP: I was reading that in your four years at Cornell you never missed a game and came two games short of Jeremy Downs’ record, and there was little you could do about that other than win a couple extra games in the postseason. What helped and allowed you to achieve that feat? RS: I think some luck, definitely. The way I use my body, I mean, I had injuries, but not serious enough to keep me out of the game. Then, just playing through some pain, I guess. Not anything like broken legs or anything like that, but just playing through the pain and trying to help my team every night. ASP: Any particular conditioning they had you do to help ward off injuries? RS: Well, we actually, Tom Howley, our strength and conditioning coach, is very well-known throughout collegiate sports, especially with football, and for us in hockey, and he really prepared us over the summertime and the preseason conditioning wise and also strength wise to prevent those injuries. ASP: You were a second round pick of Dallas, but in recent seasons there have been other players from Cornell, like Mike Iggulden, that did not have glamorous collegiate careers but have done fairly well. What does that tell you? RS: Well, you know what? He was always a good player. I think he just finally started finding the net and just built off of that, got the confidence, and just kept on rolling and has never stopped. Yeah, it’s good to know you’re coming from a program where there are players playing in the NHL and the AHL and doing very well. ASP: Talking with people, it sounds like Schafer’s system is very defense-oriented and keeps players’ point totals down a bit and thus not reflective of their offensive skill. RS: Yeah, we have a lot of offensive ability, but we are a defensive-minded team, but that’s what has won championships in the past, and we’ve won a lot over Coach Schafer’s career there. It’s not that we have a lack of offense, we’re just defense-first usually. ASP: That’s always a great way to prepare players for the next level, because many players start out on a third or fourth line somewhere and you have to have a good two-way game to do that. Going back to your draft day, tell me a bit about that and what Dallas told you that first day. RS: Being at the draft, I was told second round to fourth round, so I was just really happy just to be there and to get chosen 52nd overall with my parents being there, that was pretty exciting for me. And to go to Dallas, I had no idea what their organization was about, but it’s a first-class organization. They didn’t really tell me too much, but I knew there was going to be a lot of hard work ahead just to make their team. ASP: How big of a jump was it from the BCHL with the Nanaimo Clippers to college hockey and how did your time with the Clippers help prepare you for that? RS: Well, the Clippers was definitely a great experience. I got to win a championship there and play with some great players, even some guys who are also moving on to the NHL and AHL. That definitely helped me. There were similar systems to Cornell and that type of mentality, but it was definitely good to have that year after Grade 12 to just concentrate on hockey and work on my abilities and prepare for college. ASP: What organizations did you skate for prior to playing for the Clippers? RS: I played for the Richmond Sockeyes, which is part of the junior B league in the lower mainland, the PIJHL (Pacific International Junior Hockey League). ASP: So you were with them all the way up? RS: Well, that’s the junior program. I skated with the Richmond minor hockey system throughout my entire youth hockey. ASP: I’ve read that you also played basketball and did track, and I’m particularly interested in the track aspect. How would you say that your participation in track may have helped you as a hockey player? RS: Uh (chuckles), I’m not sure… I’m sure they’re related in that I just work as hard as I can, I guess. I may not be the most skilled guy or know exactly what I’m doing, but I’ll go and pole vault, run as hard as I can, stick that thing in the hole, and try and get as high as possible. The javelin, just chuck the thing as hard as I can, and get pointers from my coach about technique. I guess they’re related in the way how I try to do my best every time. ASP: Did you do sprints at all? RS: I did the 4x400 relay in my Grade 11 and Grade 12 years. ASP: Anyone who does sprints and jumps in track, in my opinion, with the explosive power and the fast-twitch muscle fibers that you have to develop with that can really help build explosive power for hockey. RS: Definitely. ASP: That’s why I was curious. What were your PR’s (personal records) with pole vaulting? I understand you were pretty good at it. RS: It was actually funny. After the hockey season was over and basketball season’s over, you just go out to the track and pick up something and start to do it. I guess I wasn’t really afraid, I was just going after the pole vault, because it’s kind of scary the first couple times when you don’t really know what you’re doing. I just worked on it, actually went down to Seattle, worked with a guy, and went to the summer games in British Columbia for that. It was just something that I thought was a lot of fun to do, just throw myself a couple meters in the air and land on the mat, hopefully. ASP: What was your PR for height and then also distance, if you remember? RS: I think it was around four meters for the pole vault and javelin, I couldn’t remember, they always did it in meters and then switched to feet for javelin. I couldn’t tell you, I can’t remember. ASP: I hear you. I just wish they’d go with meters, it’s the easiest to work with for track. Anyway, how much more coursework do you have left for college and is it looking likely that you’ll graduate? RS: I’ll definitely graduate. I’m probably going to have to ask for an extension on some of the papers I have due this Monday. But, yeah, I made it so that I could come here and experience the pro life and the games without having to worry about school, so I took care of a lot of classes before hand. ASP: Major? RS: Human biology, health, and society. ASP: That’s pretty specific. RS: Yeah. Took all the sciences just as a base, go into whatever I want to do. ASP: What are your current living arrangements while you’re here with the Iowa Stars? RS: I’m actually living with Tyler Shelast. ASP: He mentioned you’d be moving in eventually. RS: Yeah, finally got in there, got a bed. It’s a pretty plain apartment, but it’s good. We’ve got a TV, and stove, been cooking a little bit. It’s been fun, it’s been good. ASP: What’s the projected departure date back to Cornell? RS: Probably next week on Wednesday. I think we’re actually going to Dallas for conditioning testing, some of us. After that, just heading back to Cornell. ASP: Is there any chance you end up one of the “Black Aces,” so to speak, or do you have to head back to school? RS: You know what? I’m not sure what we can do with an ATO contract, but I don’t think we can be called up or put down to the ECHL. ASP: Yeah, and you would have had to have played five games in the ECHL anyway, to play for them in the playoffs. Where do you foresee yourself long term with hockey but then also in the near term, like next season? RS: My goal, going into the summer, is working my hardest and improve on the things I need to and also improve my strength as well. I think my goal is going to be to try and make Dallas come next summer. ASP: One last question, who were some of your favorite players, or if there’s a distinct singular one, growing up and why? RS: Growing up, I really loved the skilled players like Gretzky. I loved Linden, being from Vancouver. But, over the years, just watching Jarome Iginla, he’s the type of player that does everything out there: he fights, he scores, he hits, and that’s somebody who I want to try and imitate a little bit. I’m not sure… (pauses) I’m not going to ever be like him, I don’t think, but I’m going to try and do my best and maybe be like a Mike Fisher on Ottawa or something like that, a role player. ASP: Yeah, setting the bar at Iginla, even if a person falls just short of that, they still end up one helluva hockey play. RS: Definitely. Kevin Wey is a correspondent with McKeen’s Hockey that scouts/covers that American Hockey League and the United States Hockey League.
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