Generals’ Tomasino remains confident in World Juniors debut

 

If there’s any advice Philip Tomasino is banking on when he’s gearing up for puck drop at the World Juniors, it’s the simple words of three-time Team Canada participant Ryan Ellis: “Play your game and be confident in yourself.”

It’s advice he picked on over the summer while living with the defenceman during Nashville Predators’ camp in the midst of quite an accomplished year for the Oshawa Generals standout, and advice he’s hoping will pay off as he looks to help Canada defend gold on home soil.

With a 100-point OHL season in the books, the 6-foot centreman turned heads over the 2019-20 campaign as a dependable offensive threat; good for faceoffs, good for finishing plays, and good for putting pucks in the net. Now he’s looking to bring his expertise to the international stage, living out a childhood dream.

“I’ve always dreamed of this since I was a little kid so I think anytime you get the chance to represent your country it’s an unbelievable feeling,” said Tomasino.

After being left out of the lineup in Dec. 23’s pre-tournament 1-0 win over Russia, Tomasino notched a pair of goals as part of a three-point performance in his team’s tournament-opening 16-2 takedown of the Germans on Dec. 26.

In the final practices ahead of his Boxing Day debut, he skated alongside Quinton Byfield and Connor Zary. Using the two of them as an example, he acknowledged speed, skill and versatility as contributors to the team’s dominance.

“Byfield’s a pretty big guy and he’s pretty fast and obviously Zary’s a fast, skilled player as well. We’re all fast players,” he said.

Looking back to the trade that sent him to Oshawa almost a year ago, the 19-year-old Mississauga native credited the Generals’ staff with helping him improve his game in preparation for those next big steps in his career: earning his chance with the Predators at the NHL and, now, skating on World Juniors ice.

“I continued to work on my defensive game; that definitely improved over the second half of the year last year. That was kind of the biggest thing for me and now just becoming an overall player is something I really want to work on,” the 2019 first round pick continued. “Obviously when you get to play with the pro guys, they’re so good all over the ice so that was a big step for me to take and I think I definitely improved on that a lot.”

When asked about what he feels will amount to a job well done in this tournament (beyond winning), he brought up the importance of capitalizing on that improved defensive part of his game.

“Just doing little things right, getting pucks out, being sound defensively, and offensively, just creating chances,” he responded.

Philip Tomasino (@philtomasino26) of the @Oshawa_Generals shares #WorldJuniors wisdom gleaned from three-time @HC_WJC representative and @PredsNHL teammate Ryan Ellis following his three-point performance at Selection Camp on Sunday ???? pic.twitter.com/xOKp4jakfn

— OntarioHockeyLeague (@OHLHockey) November 23, 2020

Prior to his tournament-ending injury during Dec. 23’s exhibition game, Team Canada captain and Chicago Blackhawks forward Kirby Dach spoke highly of Tomasino’s presence on and off the ice.

“Phil’s obviously a super smart player, he knows where to put pucks, he’s fast as well. I think speed like that, it always helps and he has a ton of skill. Obviously Nashville sees something in him. He’ll be a great pro,” said Dach. “He’s fun to be around in the dressing room too, he’s always trying to talk with guys and learn and that’s a big thing. He’s got a lot of confidence and when you’re playing with confidence it really helps you out, not only individually, but as a line.”

From meals, to workouts, to his multiple #WorldJuniors experiences, there’s a lot @Oshawa_Generals forward Phil Tomasino (@philtomasino26) learned about while living with #NHL defenceman Ryan Ellis during @PredsNHL camp last month.

Summer Spotlight ☀️: https://t.co/Tef694EEy9 pic.twitter.com/ox4okuj0aX

— OntarioHockeyLeague (@OHLHockey) August 19, 2020

That confidence is something that grew exponentially during his front row seat to the NHL lifestyle and time spent rooming with Ellis, who he says he learned a lot from in preparation for his World Juniors debut.

“We talked about it a few times, he’s played in this tournament three times so he’s a great mentor for that. I learned a ton from him; just off-ice habits, just seeing how hard he works. Obviously when you get the chance to represent your country you’re going to go all out so I think getting the chance to talk to him about his experiences here definitely taught me a lot and it’s been a great learning experience for myself.”

And while he emerged from his NHL stint a much more confident player, he anticipated a mix of excitement and nerves upon hitting the ice in Edmonton with the maple leaf on his chest. Now, with that first game out of the way and a larger role expected of him in the absence of Captain Dach, he’s reinforcing the importance of sticking to a simple game.

“We’re a really inspired group and we trust our coaches,” he said of his team. “Overall, keep it simple, stick to our game plan.”