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Sabres prospect Matej Pekar mourning loss of former coach Dale Hawerchuk
I still remember to this day he basically told me, 'Matej, if you want to be a doctor, go to school; if you want to be a hockey player, come here,' ” Pekar recalled. “He was a strong believer that it was a better way for me to develop myself. He was part of the decision that I took that route. I’m very thankful that he was part of it. He was a great guy, a great coach. It hit me hard.”
Hawerchuk made a big impression on him.
Pekar talks about being traded to Sudbury. Stillman demanded more structure and wanted Pekar to be able to contribute on any line. Cory Stillman's approach seems similar to Ralph Krueger:
“(Stillman) wanted me to play the right way, the NHL style kind of game, and to be an overall pro He was hard on me. I think it was a good thing that I got traded there to play under Cory and he showed me a different way of being a hockey player. I think I learned a lot that half of the year.”
When the season was cancelled Pekar went to Detroit to live with his trainer, Roman Andrys for what he calls “old-school Russian training.” He's been working on his shot and agility among other things. He wants to get stronger on his skates. He says the Sabres have contacted him and are keeping him posted on what's going on.
I think he's going to be a Krueger favorite and isn't going to spend a lot of time in the minors. He's been compared to Marchand. I'd throw Yanni Gourde and Paul Byron into that mix. He's bigger than those guys. Pekar's 6'1" and at least 185lb. He's also been compared to Kaleta, but I think Pekar has more skill and discipline than Kaleta.
I still remember to this day he basically told me, 'Matej, if you want to be a doctor, go to school; if you want to be a hockey player, come here,' ” Pekar recalled. “He was a strong believer that it was a better way for me to develop myself. He was part of the decision that I took that route. I’m very thankful that he was part of it. He was a great guy, a great coach. It hit me hard.”
Hawerchuk made a big impression on him.
Pekar talks about being traded to Sudbury. Stillman demanded more structure and wanted Pekar to be able to contribute on any line. Cory Stillman's approach seems similar to Ralph Krueger:
“(Stillman) wanted me to play the right way, the NHL style kind of game, and to be an overall pro He was hard on me. I think it was a good thing that I got traded there to play under Cory and he showed me a different way of being a hockey player. I think I learned a lot that half of the year.”
When the season was cancelled Pekar went to Detroit to live with his trainer, Roman Andrys for what he calls “old-school Russian training.” He's been working on his shot and agility among other things. He wants to get stronger on his skates. He says the Sabres have contacted him and are keeping him posted on what's going on.
I think he's going to be a Krueger favorite and isn't going to spend a lot of time in the minors. He's been compared to Marchand. I'd throw Yanni Gourde and Paul Byron into that mix. He's bigger than those guys. Pekar's 6'1" and at least 185lb. He's also been compared to Kaleta, but I think Pekar has more skill and discipline than Kaleta.
