1-On-1: with Cameron Hebig

Roadrunners Forward Cameron Hebig joined Jonathon Schaffer and Kim Cota-Robles on this week’s Happy Hour Show. For the complete conversation and to hear about what animal Cameron is, download this week’s show below. 

Listen to “Gearing Up With Hebig” on Spreaker.

How was your summer? What were you up to?

Summer’s been good. It was good to get back home and be with family and friends. I don’t like to take much time off from training, so I kind of got right into it. I think every year, you have to kind of look back and see what changes you can make; see what improvements you can make. I think the coaches can lay that out well for us in our exit meetings. That’s important because you have to have that growth mindset. That was kind of my focus this summer, but other than that, it was just it was good to also get time at the lake and with my family. We have a family cabin up north in Saskatchewan, so it’s awesome to get up there and fish, and my girlfriend also has a family cabin up in Chittock Lake. It’s a lot of fun there. We did some wake surfing and skiing, also some fishing so quad riding. Her family’s really outdoorsy. It was awesome to also get up there. Summer was great, but I also couldn’t wait to get back to Tucson and get another season going here. I’m looking forward to getting it going in Colorado.

You were the man of the year nominee from the Roadrunners last year. Do you ever get used to how much the fans love you here in Tucson?

No, I love it. It’s great to have such a great fan base here in Tucson. I mean, the Tucson Roadrunners focus so much on the community and that’s one of our values here as a team. We love to get out in the community and build relationships with them. To have them supporting us and coming out to cheer us on is just awesome. Anytime we can get out and be with them to kind of pay it back and visit with them is great and it’s great to hear that they appreciate it.

A lot of new faces on the training camp roster this year but you guys all looked like you were on the same page for that preseason game against Henderson. How is it for you to be playing with all these new guys from camp?

We had a good week of practice leading up to it. Everyone’s coming into camp hungry and competing for jobs. We talk about summers and the work we put in, you want to show the coaching staff what work you put in and it starts in the preseason game. Everyone was hungry to get going and to start the season off strong. When you’re going into preseason, you want to be at the top of your game, so when the regular season hits, you’re in good shape and you’re prepared; you know the systems, you’re understanding the structure that needs to be played. That was an important weekend for us, and we can feel good about going into Colorado. There are a lot of new faces, so it’s good to see that everyone is working hard, and I think we’re going to have a strong team this year.

With all the craziness going on, when do you find time to get your apartment set up and your car down here and all of that kind of stuff?

It is a busy time for sure, training camp and the long days at the rink and then trying to sort of the off-ice stuff too. It can be a lot, but it’s part of pro hockey and growing up. It all smooths out once you get the vehicle down here. My parents actually make a road trip out of it. I’m thankful for them bringing the car down. Trying to get the apartment organized, like set up and everything you need is a hassle. It is busy, but once I get settled in here, it’ll be good to be in here in Tucson.

How’s the weather treating you? It’s been really hot this year.

It’s been a change for me, but I’ve enjoyed it. Back home it’s starting to really cool off. I’m hearing my family talk about the weather and that winter is upon them. I’m thankful every day to wake up here and the sun is shining and skies are blue. It is hot though. I’ve been drinking lots of water, but I think I can get used to this.

Who do you think has the hardest job on the ice?

Well, if you ask our assistant coach (John) Slaney, he’ll say defenseman. Going back for pucks and the fore-check is coming hard on you. That can be tough, but maybe the goalie. They have a lot more pressure, mentally you have to be strong as a goaltender. If you let in a goal, you can’t let it bother you, you have to get ready for the next shot. That would be my choice. As far as forwards go, the center has a lot of responsibility down low and wingers on the wall. I think everything plays a part, but if I had to pick, probably the goalie.