Vets helped Seymour through first season

BRAMPTON, Ont. – Left winger John Seymour credits Battalion veterans with helping steer him through his first Ontario Hockey League season.

Seymour, the club’s second-round choice, 35th overall, in the 2003 OHL Priority Selection and the youngest player on last year’s squad, said experienced hands such as right winger Chris Clayton and left winger Adam Henrich were instrumental in helping him adjust to the major junior ranks.

I learned a lot from all the veterans,” Seymour said Wednesday by telephone from home in Peterborough.

Guys like Henrich and Clayton really helped me out a lot with little things after practice, like my shot and my passing. I think that all that work showed in my game at the end of the season. I thought I was playing a lot better. I was surprised how quickly I improved.”

Seymour, who turned 17 on June 16, earned three assists in 40 games in an up-and-down rookie season.

He was in and out of the lineup in the first half and missed six games after hurting his ankle playing volleyball in early February. He earned two of his three points over the final 12 games of the schedule and made 10 playoff appearances before reinjuring his ankle running the stairs before Game 4 of an Eastern Conference semifinal with the Toronto St. Michael’s Majors.

The season went by really quickly and it was a great experience. But I was upset that I hurt my ankle playing volleyball at school. I wasn’t even on the ice. But (head trainer) Brad (Handley) really helped me get through that, and then when I started practising more I felt the ankle coming around. I thought I was playing a lot better, and then I hurt it again running down the stairs in the playoffs. It was a crappy way to end the season.”

Seymour scored 13 goals in 48 games in 2002-03 with the Peterborough minor midgets but found OHL goals tougher to come by. He said increased offence is only one of the things he wants to bring to the Battalion next season.

Hopefully I can contribute a lot more. I want to be an up-and-down guy who will do whatever it takes for the team to win. I need to be more physical. I have to bang and crash in the corners and, if I have to get into some fights, I’ll do that too. I need to get some goals under my belt, too. When I’d get the puck on my stick, all I’d think about was scoring, but next season I’m going to concentrate more on team goals, and if a scoring chance comes I’ll take it.”

To improve the physical part of his game, Seymour started working with a personal trainer shortly after returning to Peterborough.

Once I finished the therapy on my ankle, I started working with a personal trainer who works with a lot of pros and junior players from this area. He’s helped me out a lot, as my legs and upper body are getting a lot stronger. Last year I wasn’t that strong, so it was easier for guys to take me off the puck and win the one-on-one battles.”