2025 NHL Draft Media Availability – Ethan Czata (56th Overall, Tampa Bay Lightning)

how does it feel
feels great It does It feels uh Yeah it’s unreal
You when you saw Tampa did you think it it could be you there
you know I had a really good interview with them but uh my agents didn’t know anything I didn’t know anything So when I heard my name I was like man that’s I was excited I really wanted to go to Florida So just what was the emotions of of hearing your name and being surrounded you know friends and family in a moment like this yeah I uh could have shed a tear maybe but you know it’s it’s something that obviously I dreamed of and to spend it with the most important people in my life It’s it’s crazy It’s it’s something that’s like hard to say really It’s hard to have some words for it So it was it was awesome At
what point in this season did you start to realize that this is a reality and stuff but you know when did you start to believe in it
uh I’d say when I had people like behind me saying that this is this is going to be happening I think uh I’m I try not to think about it but uh I have people in my life that tell me and it kind of kind of came to me I guess now after I got drafted So what are you looking forward to you said you wanted to go out to Florida What are you looking forward to the most
uh so I lived in Ontario Like the weather was not always degree especially the winters gets a little bit cold So kind of happy that it’s going to be kind of hot all around Uh I love I’m a big hot over cold weather guy So I’m excited for that excited to go to the beach fish fish uh salt water all the sorts of stuff So
are you ready for that humidity
i’m born ready Yeah Ready for it
What has your time with the ice dogs and the and the meant to you in the last couple years to really get you this
yeah you know Niagara is I think it’s a great spot to play You know uh everyone there just wanted the best for me Every day I would get advice from coaches players Uh every day guys came to the rank just being friendly to me My first year kind older guys really helped me kind of feel at home This year my job was to make the younger guys feel at home and I think that just a continued chain and every day I came to rank knowing that I wanted to be here and everyone just believed in me So
did you find that you guys really grew together this year obviously maybe your first year a little rougher but this year you guys were able to grow even more
Yeah I think it shows on the it shows on the ice in the stats too I think we made the playoffs this year We’ve uh we had a franchise start and I think we had a great group of guys I think we’re really close together and I think that that’s the big like the most important thing to have a winning team is having a team is kind of like a family and uh just seeing seeing everyone grow as a player really just excites me So if
you had to explain to someone in Tampa who’s never watched play what your game looks like what you say we’ll stay with 200 foot centerman You know someone that uh likes to hit has a good skating skill enough to make plays someone that takes pride in the penalty kill Uh kind of have an edge to my game just stuff like that So
what’s the most underrated game here um I would say my hockey sense And you know what’s your favorite thing about the game is hockey the the connections you make I’m uh every like I play on different a lot of different teams a lot of different Canada teams and just meeting people that I would never even meet in my life from across the world across Canada It’s something that I made like friendships and connections with that will last a lifetime and it’s something that’s super great like super nice in the in hockey

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