The “7th player tribune” with… Leon Denny #97

As part of the “Tribune du 7e joueur”, the organization wanted to give their loyal fans a chance to know better some of their new players.

For my first interview of the season, I’ve decided to have a nice discussion with young defenceman Leon Denny. The Eskasoni native took the time to answer my questions that were nearly as tough to answer as the ones Daniel Renaud is asking his players… almost as tough!

Also, the 17 year old gave us a glimpse at what it would be to go out on a trip with the rest of the bunch!

BENJAMIN : First of all, thank you Leon for taking the time with us today! You’ve been with the team for almost a month now (15 GP, 2 pts), what led to you joining the Shawinigan Cataractes?

LEON : I was playing in the States with Waterloo. I got the call that I was traded to Shawinigan. I had to make a decision whether I wanted to join the Q or not. It took me about a week to make my decision and at the end I decided to go where my heart is and I decided to play in Shawinigan.

I was happy to be back in Canada, the Q is a great league and it has been a dream to play in this league since I was a kid. I was a bit scared to be in a French environment since I don’t speak French. Fortunately, guys in the lockeroom have been really nice to me and taught me a few words but I’m not sure I can use them in the interview… (laughs). Most of the time, we speak English and everybody’s really good at it.

BENJAMIN : Who would be the best French teacher among your teammates ?

LEON : I would say Gabriel Sylvestre. He has a really good English and I think would be good at it.

BENJAMIN : What kind of defenceman are you?

LEON : I’m an offensive defenceman and I like to skate with the puck. Also, I’m not afraid to use my body and land bodychecks. I would compare my style of play with Shea Weber’s style but I would like to be more effective on offense.

When I played my first games in the Q, I was focusing on skating and controlling the puck. Since the last few games, I’ve taken more confidence and I’ve started to use my body more often which is fine since I like this part of the game.

BENJAMIN : What are your personal expectations this season?

LEON : I just want to have a good year. Play my best game, get better every day and hopefully make the NHL draft this year.

BENJAMIN : Two weeks ago, you had the chance to play in Cape Breton in front of your family and friends. Tell me exactly how you and your family members felt about it.

LEON : I’m sure they were really proud. For me, it was an unreal feeling to play in front of them for the first time. They are one of the reasons why I am at this level.

BENJAMIN : Talk to me about the coaching staff this year. How Daniel Renaud is helping you become a better hockey player and a better person?

LEON : He wants the best for all of us and he’s making sure we are all ready to play. He’s the first coach ever to go in the gym and train with us. That’s really cool.

BENJAMIN : Is he in good shape?

LEON : Yeah, he’s in pretty good shape!!! Also, he wants us to play with a lot of structure and that really helps. The pros play with a lot of structure and he wants us to play like that. It prepares us for the next level.

BENJAMIN : After a tough start, you and your teammates have turned things around. What has been the major difference for you guys for the last 7-8 games?

LEON : At the start, in each game, we took a period off and that really didn’t help us. After that, we started to play 3 periods and that changed everything. From there, we started to win hockey games.

BENJAMIN : Did you have the chance to visit the city of Shawinigan? What did you love about your new environment?

LEON : I didn’t have to chance to visit the city with the hockey games, the training sessions and school lessons. It’s much bigger than my hometown (Eskasoni, NS). About 4000 thousand people live in my hometown but I happy to enjoy rivers and woods in Shawinigan just like in Eskasoni. When I’m back home, I like to enjoy quality time with my family and friends. I also do a bit of fishing but I’m not really good at it. I try my best but I can’t fish for a long period of time, I just lose my patience! (laughs)

BENJAMIN : You went on a 3-game road trip in the Maritimes with the team and it was the occasion to know better your teammates. Let’s play a game where you have to complete the sentence.

BENJAMIN : The whole team is in the woods, sitting around the camp fire. Who’s the player with the best stories? (horror or funny)

LEON : Vasily Glotov. He just loves to talk. Once he starts talking, he can’t stop!(laughs)

BENJAMIN : Who’s the player that would play some guitar ?

LEON : Hum, I would say Alex Plamondon. He’s a really good singer.

BENJAMIN : Who’s going to start the fire?

LEON : Tommy Cardinal, he looks like an outdoor king of guy! (laughs)

BENJAMIN : Let’s say you hear a strange noise in the woods. Who’s the first guy to go out and fight for the bunch and who would stay behind?

LEON : Simon Benoit would go out there and kill that thing! Lucas Fitzpatrick would stay behind! (laughs) No harm, Lucas! 😉

BENJAMIN : Who’s the best cook in the team?

LEON : One of the Europeans! Maybe Mishka (Mikhail Denisov)! He looks like a guy that knows how to cook!

BENJAMIN : Thank you Leon for taking the time! Good luck for the rest of the season!

LEON : My pleasure! Thanks for having me!