1-On-1: with Josh Doan

Roadrunners Forward Josh Doan joined Adrian Denny and Jonathon Schaffer on this week’s Insider Podcast. For the complete conversation and to see the Roadrunners Fantasy Football punishment for this season, download this week’s show below. 

Listen to “Lots To Unpack With Josh Doan and Kim Cota-Robles” on Spreaker.

How did your NHL experience last season parallel the AHL experience the year before with having a month of playing and going into the offseason with a plan, but knowing what it was like?

I think it’s very similar; obviously with the experience of getting that first taste of pro hockey two years ago at Tucson; it was then taking the next step and getting a little taste of the NHL, but it’s similar to my approach with going into the summer. I have that mindset where I know what it takes now and what it looks like at that level. I know the things I need to get better at and focus in on. Those are things I trust a lot of people in my corner to help me on. It’s funny how it’s kind of a Deja vu heading into this training camp with the same process I had last year.

Tell us about the NHL callup, we just played in San Jose on that Sunday night, you get the call, it’s on the news and everyone hears it. You then get on the bus with us the next morning and fly Southwest Airlines to Tucson.

Yeah they offered to fly me back and get me to Phoenix, but it was one of those things where I didn’t know how long I was going to be up or what the plan was. I think in that mix of emotion and chaos, you want to be where you are most comfortable. That’s something that our team in Tucson did such a good job of is making everyone feel comfortable and that’s where I felt at my safest. Just being around the guys and hanging with them for another for 24 hours to make sure I was feeling ok and ready to go. And then having my car in Tucson to drive up in.

Roadrunners Rapid Fire Questions: Josh described the below in one word or one sentence:

After the fantastic NHL start in addition to the year you had in the AHL, how do you keep that pace up and become an everyday NHL player.

That’s what separates those guys; they continue to play at that level every day and find ways to play meaningful hockey every single night. That’s what the main focus is; figuring out a way to be consistent every way you can, but I think the AHL prepares you as well as any league for you to do that. If you can be consistent in the AHL then you’re going to find a way to be consistent at some point in the NHL. It’s the same game but just different players and coaches so you have to just take it slow and worry about yourself.

You had quite the experience getting to the pro level; growing up in Scottsdale with one of the greatest mentors any young hockey player can have (Shane Doan), going to the Chicago Steel, winning the Clark Cup, going back home to ASU and then finally starting your pro career in Tucson. What has that whole journey been like for you?

One of the greatest things about having a dad who played is just the aspect of him knowing the ups and downs and how to play the game the right way. It was watching hockey at home and learning from a teacher basically every night. Going to Chicago was one of those experiences that I’ll never take for granted; I learned so much from some of the guys there and elite players that made their NHL debuts this year. Going to Chicago really convinced me how amazing Arizona was and that was where I wanted to play college hockey. Coming to ASU with Coach (Greg) Powers and the group that we had there was something that I really felt was going to help me and benefit my game and prepare me for the pro level. I was then fortunate enough to come to the Roadrunners and have been blessed to work with many unbelievable people.

How have you liked the way the Roadrunners have developed players over the years: including Matias Maccelli, Michael Carcone, Dylan Guenther and now you?

That list continues to grow every single year and they do a good job of building confidence in their players, but also developing people. Anyone who comes out of Tucson is someone that people want in their locker room because of the way they were developed and molded; you learn how to be a real pro and how to play the game the right way. That’s something you have to credit the coaching and management in Tucson for. They prepare people to take the next step and play at the next level.

For the new wave of rookies coming to the organization, what advice will you give for them when you see them at NHL training camp?

They’re all great kids and guys that I’ve gotten to work with the past couple of years as what our organization does so well is build groups of kids together at development camps. Miko (Matikka) is a kid who also went to college, so I have talked to him about the process of going to college already. Julian (Lutz) is an unbelievable kid who I have gotten the chance to work with and Maveric (Lamoureux) is an exceptional player and person. You can’t say a bad word about any of those guys in terms of how they are as people and that is what the most important thing is; they’re going to come into the room, fit right in and be comfortable. I emphasize that you have to be yourself if you want to have success in this league and trust the people are going to like you. They’re good kids and won’t need to worry about that too much but if you are uncomfortable in your own locker room, you are going to struggle out there on the ice.

Overall, how was the All-Star experience in San Jose with you and Matthew Villalta representing Tucson?

It was short and quick, but there isn’t a better guy to spend a couple of days with and travel with than Matty Villalta. He makes sure to keep things light and have a good time, so it was an honor to represent Tucson and play in the skills competition and in the game. Getting to know all the other All-Stars across the league was fun, but it’s one of those moments that there’s a lot of guys in the room that sacrificed a lot to get you there and you have to take a step back and realize how lucky you are to get that chance. The reason I was there was because I had the opportunity to play with some really good players in Tucson and the coaches giving me a chance. I will look back at that and remember it for the rest of my life.

You were Mr. Clutch in Tucson with eight game-winning goals that became the winning way of the team with all the one-goal games. What usually goes through your mind when you’ve scored with just minutes left in a game?

We had a good and resilient group; we were put in a lot of opportunities where we were tied or down late in a game and we’d come back and win it late. That’s part of the game where we work hard as a group and practice hard with our coaching staff, so we had a little juice left in the tank at the end of games. We saw a lot of that this year, but it was one of those things where it’s just trusting the process and if you don’t score early, just stick with the gameplan. The thing I have kind of focused on my whole life is staying patient and not gripping your stick to tight or worrying at the end of the game if something is going to go in or not because you put in the work at the end of practice and throughout your life to be put in those opportunities. Stay calm and confident and when you get your chance, put it in the back of the net.