Teal Talk: Collin Graf

Teal Talk: Collin Graf

Colin, welcome back to San Jose. I was thinking about something the other day. There’s not too many people who have played with Mac and Will and Misa and Dickinson now, but you’re somebody that’s seen them all firsthand. Maybe are you somebody that can kind of really see where things are going cuz you’ve had that firsthand experience. Yeah. Yeah, for sure. I think um you know getting to play with with Mack and Will last year and then and then uh M and Dicki this year even though it was just in the rookie tournament just the rookie tournament only a couple games but you know it’s super exciting. It’s super exciting for the for the future of the Sharks and I’m excited to be a part of it. A lot of people were just raving about the season you had last year and I don’t know what your expectations were going into the year, where you’d play, how much time or opportunity you’d get, but you got a chance with the Sharks and honestly I think you made the most of it. What do you reflect on with last year in terms of building on that now this year? Yeah, I think um you know first year of pro hockey sometimes you know some things are a little unexpected. I think the big one for me was from as a co as a college player didn’t really penalty kill a lot and the big one and then at pro level they they asked me to do that and I just sort of I tried to take that and do the best I could. I really put went all in on that and so that was now it’s a part of my game that I I think I’m good at. So it’s uh it’s exciting. When was the last time before the NHL that you were on a regular PK unit ever? Yeah. I mean like me like I don’t know like not in college. I think before that it wasn’t really sort of just not very uh not very like units in PK. So so not really ever go a video. Yeah. Really? So, I mean, we talked about this last year, like that’s an ultimate compliment that, you know, that’s an important aspect of this team’s game and you’re a guy we think you can do this and you did well with it. And I mean, is that as you build the NHL career out, is that hopefully something that can be a staple of your game, you can be known as I’ve got that in my tool belt. Yeah, I think uh I think it’s definitely something that I uh that I want to keep working on, keep doing the keep proving that I can I can do it. But I think it’s also uh it’s important for me that I don’t want to lose that offensive side of my game that I think I’m very good at. And that’s also another thing that I want to improve on this year as well. When somebody comes in to the Sharks and it’s the first time at the NHL level or the pro level, whatever it is, some players just instantly look ready for the challenge. And I don’t know if they can prepare a certain way or if they did something or if that’s just who they are. Looking back, what helped you prepare for the moment and the opportunity of of all the games you played late last year? Yeah, I’d say it’s uh you know, it’s definitely a couple things. I think getting to play some games the year before after my collegiate season, that was a big one for me, just being able to to learn how different it was and how much harder it was than college. And that that allowed me to have a a really good dialed in summer plan to to work on those things. And I think that another one was my time in with the Barracuda. It’s uh you know the AHL is a hard league. It’s it’s uh it’s again it’s a lot harder than college. It’s a lot different than college. And you know my time there I think uh you know I I was able to really get ready for pro hockey and obviously there were still a couple of uh uh misstep and I don’t know just a couple of struggles in the when I came up in the second half there but I think by the uh by the end I was I was playing good hockey. You know, there’s a lot of players similar to you where they’ve had a taste and you don’t know how and where the next season or seasons are going to go, but there’s like there’s a bubble group, right, of I think Sharks players. Do you see that as kind of an interesting competition like internally? There are some opportunities and chances here, but the talent’s high and the competition’s high. The age is low, but the competition is very high for for these spots and roster spots this year. Yeah. Yeah. I think uh you know, I’m someone who I like competition, whether it’s internal or external. I think it’ll uh you know the competition training camp it’s uh it’s very competitive. It’s always it’s always like that from what I’ve heard. And you know it’s it’s exciting. It’s exciting. You want to you want to compete against the best players you can and you know I think that uh when you’re in those situations it uh shows who you really are. You know watching young players mature, one of the biggest steps they make is they’re just a lot more patient like with the puck on their tape. They’re not trying to rush a play or force a play. And I I think even in the rookie tournament, we saw a play where you were super patient on an assist. Um what is it about that’s that’s that doesn’t seem like a hard thing, right, to be patient to make plays, but it is such a it is such a evolutionary thing of somebody’s game. You agree? Yeah, it is. I think uh you know, it’s definitely the more comfortable you are um every level you move up is going to be it’s going to be a little bit faster. when you’re not fully adjusted to it, it might seem like it’s going too fast and then you want to rush plays, but you can really get the game to uh if you can get the game to slow down for you, then I think that’s when players are uh able to make hold on to the puck and feel slow when they have the puck in their stick. Yeah, I think we could say we like the way the group is shaping up here in San Jose, the future, the pipeline, even the Barracuda roster. Like things are going in the right direction. Do you like your teammates though? you actually like the group as people like that that’s important too. Yeah, it was um a lot of good guys. I think uh last year especially this year at rookie tournament there a lot of guys who uh I guess there were a couple who I played with last year who I knew and there was a lot of other guys who I got the chance to uh you know go to dinner with or something like that and everyone’s a good guy. Everyone sort of it’s nice to uh you know you get a lot of guys from different backgrounds and um but it’s fun. It’s uh it’s exciting. got a bit of a new facility here or at least a renovation of of the team headquarters. Have you Have you lifted a weight in the new weight room? Have you used the sauna or the hot tub yet or anything like that? No, I actually haven’t. I think it I think it opened today. I saw the gym probably 30 seconds before I walked in here. So, I’ll probably go on out there and take a look. What do you think of of what what’s been done here? And what does it mean to to players and and to the team to have maybe some refreshed amenities like that? Yeah, it’s um you know, it’s super exciting. it’s uh whenever you get a whenever you get an upgrade and they spend a lot of money and time to uh to improve the the stuff for the players. So, I think it’s uh now it’s on us to make the most of it and take advantage of it. There’s definitely some uh there’s some new tools and some new uh some new stuff that’s definitely in there and you know, you want to you want to use it all you can because whatever is going to help you be the best player, it’s uh I I want to do it. All right, last thing. And I don’t know if you set goals for yourself in terms of metrics and numbers or stats. I don’t really want to go there. I want to know about more like the general theme of this season for you. How do you want it to go? What would be a successful season for Colin Graph? Yeah. Um, yeah. I I’m not really uh not really a numbers guy anyways. So, I think for me it’s uh you know, the broad goal for me is to uh to make an impact on the Sharks every night. Okay. Simple as that. Yeah. All right. Well done, Colin Graph. Appreciate this. See you soon. Thank Pray.

Brodie Brazil sits down with forward Collin Graf ahead of the Sharks regular season start.