Players Only: Utah Mammoth forward J.J. Peterka joins NHL Now

Players Only: Utah Mammoth forward J.J. Peterka joins NHL Now

All right, Michael, here we go. Coaches, trainers out. It’s a players only meeting and we are thankful to be joined by one of the newest Utah Mammoth forwards, JJ Purka. How you doing, JJ? Thanks for joining us. I’m good, thank you. How are you guys? We’re great. We’re great. We’re wishing we were you right now. Um, how has it been? How’s the transition been coming to a new team in Utah? How has that all been for you? Can you talk about that at all? Um, been great so far. I mean, uh, pretty pretty young team there. Um, a lot of, uh, good and funny guys, so uh, yeah, we definitely had some fun together already and, um, yeah, overall um, been good. Uh, fans have been unreal. So, uh, yeah. Can you talk about your linemates? you know, pretty explosive line with you, uh, Koulie and Gunther, you know, similar players, like to play with the puck, high-end skill. How’s that transition been, uh, trying to find chemistry with those guys? Um, actually super easy, I think. Um, well, all of us are pretty pretty offensive minded, so uh, we want to score a lot of goals, and I think, um, just being out there with those two is is, uh, pretty pretty fun. They make plays out of nowhere. Um, so much stuff just kind of happened being on the line with those two. So, uh, it’s been great and fun so far. JJ, did you know anybody on the Utah team? Had you had any past experience with anybody when you got the news that you were traded to maybe make the transition a little bit more comfortable? Um, no, actually no one. Uh, there are two other Germans that are in the system. They’re playing in in Tucson right now. Um, but other than that, no one. So, it was uh pretty pretty exciting to meet a lot of new faces. What What was that what was that day like when you found out you were moving? Cuz it’s I I’ve been traded a couple times. The first time it happened. Likewise. First time it happened, I was I was I was devastated. It was a different situation, but it was in the middle of the season and the second time I was a little bit more excited, got a chance to go to a playoff team. Like, what were your initial thoughts behind when you got that call? Um well I was on a golf trip in in Spain at that time. So uh that was actually pretty funny with one of the guys who is in the system. So um we’re just sitting at dinner and uh I got the call came back and told him we’re going to be teammates uh from now on. So that was pretty funny actually. Were Were you shocked, sad, or did you tell them just bring the bottles like we’re celebrating? Like what you know what was the mindset like there? Uh, I guess mixed emotions, right? Yeah, it was kind of like a weird feeling first of all. Uh, never gotten like through something like that, but then after Tela a little bit, uh, we definitely celebrated it. You diverted from the golf trip right to Aiza and you’re like, “Hey, we’re going to have some fun over here instead.” Um, no, we we had enough fun, I think, on the golf trip. Four days in Spain. That was actually pretty fun. Golf was golf is great. Hey, golf is fantastic. Uh, I’m a big golfer myself. I know Boiler is. What What are your bucket list courses, golf trips? Uh, what’s the top five that you’re looking to kind of check off, I guess, in the next few offseasons? Um, I’m actually not looking too much at like courses. I’m more the type of guy to, yeah, just have a good time out there. I’m not the best golfer. Uh, none none are my buddies. So, um, I think we just pick pick a good city and figure out what courses we play there. Do you play at all yet in in Utah? And if if so, if not, whatever. What are your first impressions of just that city? How much different is it than Buffalo? Uh, it’s a lot. I mean, obviously you have the mountains uh which is super beautiful. It actually is new up there last couple days, so it’s even better even better view. And uh yeah, I think the weather it’s been great so far. So, um it’s it’s been good. I like it. Uh you scored your first goal of the season in the 3-1 loss to Chicago. How does it feel to get one in early, get a little bit of confidence. Uh you have beautiful goal, I guess, kind of trademark with your speed and uh your your release there. Um what are you looking forward to? Uh I I guess do you have goals in mind on on expectations and uh and how many you’re trying to get this year or are you more just focused on fitting in with the team and and uh contributing with some wins? Um regarding the goal, yeah, it it did felt good. um just because in preeason nothing would go in and then you have in the regular season pretty early to score um was obviously pretty good but uh I mean goals wise I think just uh just help the team win kind of like um get a good feeling here play with confidence um that’s kind of like my main focus going in the season we just showed a clip of that Calgary goal I want to ask you about Ryan Smith the owner I just I feel like he’s so involved but in in the best way. He’s got so much positive energy, so excited to have that franchise in Utah. Have you had interactions with him? Have you talked to other guys like, “Hey, this is different. Like there’s not a lot of owners that are this hands-on. What have your impressions been of sort of the ownership and how they take care of you guys?” Um been unreal. Uh treated treated me from day on. Uh really really good. And yeah, that picture there. It’s It’s actually pretty funny because uh I didn’t even know that he’s sitting at the glass and then when I sied all of a sudden I see him stand up there. That was that was actually pretty pretty funny. Pretty funny moment. That’s a like imagine I don’t I don’t even I don’t even know how I would because they’re usually in the owner’s box, but they’re right there. They’re right in it. Most of us I never really I only played for one in Ed Snyder, may you rest in peace, in in Philadelphia. He come down win or lose after every game and would shake your hand and look at you in the eye and I’m like what a what a classy man. Other than that I never had an owner come down in the room or be involved like that. I saw a lot of Mr. Dolan in New York and then and Mr. Vinick in in Tampa. He was around a lot too. But I mean I never saw him banging on the glass. That must have been a cool feeling. I’d go right back into it like let’s go right. Yeah, that that was that was pretty cool just to see him so fired up. um not only him, just just the whole crowd, but uh him being involved there and um it was it was pretty special, especially like what he did uh for for the team already with like the facility um all the renovation at the Delta Center. So, uh yeah, seeing him so involved is is pretty crazy. In 2023 in the World Championships, you played on Germany. Uh I know Timmy Stew a little bit, but you stunned the US in the semi-final and you scored that first goal. How big was that for you guys and your confidence uh you know with US and obviously Canada being like the the two big teams uh with that big upset? Um yeah, that was a that was a great tournament. Uh thinking back of that because going in the tournament, I don’t think anyone uh not even us expected us to do so great. And um I remember I think we lost the first three games in the in the group stage and uh we’re just like trying to battle for the quarters and from there on we just played game by game and uh yeah just kept winning. So that was definitely a really really special tournament. Those tournaments are fun. We had some We had some fun in 2021. I don’t know if you were there, but we got to play Germany. And man, did they The passion behind them. That was it was a great experience for me just to see all the pride that all these teams had playing for their country. We did as well. We had I think we got bronze that year, but those are those are memories forever. Now, the pride you have extends further. And we got some information now. Are you building your own rink back home? I do. Yeah. What’s that all about? I’ve heard a couple different things, but is this just for public use? Um, yeah, it is. Um, it’s like in the backyard of my parents house. Um, it’s like the size of like one zone and it’s just like for small area stuff. Um, just for kids to go on because it’s really hard to find ice in in Germany, especially in summer. And um that’s like a project uh my my father, my parents uh and me wanted to do for a really long time. And um when the opportunity got there um yeah, I think we just had to had to take over from there. How do you get something like that off the ground? Did you did you speak with other maybe German NHLers? Are you calling Leon? We all know his contract situation. Maybe he can start a trend there to get some of these youth kids more ice or what? I think this is unbelievable what you’re doing. It’s It sounds like the dream. I would I coach young kids now. There’s plenty of rinks where I’m from up in the Boston area, but to have your own like that and have the small area games like what when did that seed get planted in you to maybe have this idea? Um, well that’s that’s a really long time because uh I just remember my parents always drive me to to Czech Republic like four hours. Um, wow. To skate for like an hour and have like a camp and stay there for a couple days. But uh it’s been it’s been crazy with like travel and just uh finding an opportunity to go on the ice. So, I think since then it was always kind of like in the in the back of my head and uh when the situation popped up with the house with the with the backyard there um yeah was a was a good timing. You getting a couple golf simulators put in there too. Um probably. Yeah. Got to have like a big uh just like facility wise and offer a lot more. Got to work on the game a little bit. Throw a bar in there, start charging. Pays for itself. Awesome. Well, we usually do uh at the end of these we we do something called what were you thinking and it’s going to be photos or maybe clips of times throughout your career or maybe what you’ve shared with the public on maybe Instagram or social medias or whatever it is and it’s just your thoughts going through these things. Uh my first goal I think you can see it on the si it was uh really special for me. Uh just uh just super pumped. Uh yeah, just a crazy feeling. I think that’s like a dream coming true. Something you always dream about and then when it’s actually happening, it it’s uh it’s just happened so quick. Uh didn’t even know what I’m doing, but I was definitely excited. That’s awesome. All right, next one here. One goal special. How about a few more though? Um I think that was my hat trick right here. Um yeah, same thing. I think uh I had like a lot of games with like two goals and uh just uh just wouldn’t go in the third one. So having that one uh was pretty cool. I remember it was uh Tommer scored a hattick that game as well. You keep Oh, I remember that. You keep any of the hats? Uh I did not. No, you don’t keep the hats. I I never had a hatrick. That’s why that’s why I’m asking. I don’t know. He wouldn’t he wouldn’t know. He wouldn’t know. I I don’t think there were too many hats anymore because scored before me. Funny story. Um actually, and you were there, Michael. Michael has a We have a funny story. We went into the old Melon Arena in Pittsburgh before they built their new arena and we had to play the Penguins and it was a hat giveaway night and and we were kind of rebuilding on the Rangers at that time and the Penguins were the Penguins. It was 2009 maybe. 2009. Yeah. And they gave away 10,000 hats and Crosby had a hat-tick and it took like 25 minutes. You couldn’t see any of the ice. There’s so many. So, they got to do that they got to do that promo again. Uh probably the next game, but Oh, that was the worst day ever. I remember that. Um All right, we got another one here. Lovely pup. That was in Munich. That’s uh the dog from from my parents kind of dog. What’s that? What kind of dog is that? That was Trevan Shepherd. Yeah, Aussie. I think she’s uh four years now. Um, yeah, since uh she got introduced to the family. Pretty pretty good connection. Love dogs and she’s awesome. What’s her name? Krispy. Don’t Don’t ask me for that. My My mom gave her that name. Oh, just right out. Is this Where is this? Just nearby your house or you just downtown? That’s a That’s a Munich. That’s like pretty close. Going for a stroll. I love it. Cool. We got another one. Uh that was uh past summer in Greece and I got to say Greece probably the the nicest ocean out there. What what island were you were you on there? It’s a Kintas. Okay. Nice. Were the the DMs flooded after that one? I’ve used that uh that type of picture before. It works every time. Is that a tactic you’ve used? Yeah. Yeah. No, that was just uh battle tested. Yeah. Tried and true. Yeah. Correct. Correct. Just spontaneous. Oh yeah. Look at this stud. Leisurely round. That’s in um Mexico, I believe. Oh, there you go. Cabo, is it? Yeah. Yeah, I went there with Opie uh after I think it was after our HL season actually. Uh beautiful courses uh down there. It’s actually pretty nice. Can play barefoot as well. So, uh, always, uh, good times in Mexico. Must be a nice course. You don’t even need shoes. Just manicured perfect. I mean, they they had a guy sitting at the first hole and that’s about it. And I think that was like hole 16 or something like that. So, yeah, you got to I mean, look good, feel good, play good, right? Yeah. All right, last one for you here. Speaking of looking good, obviously you’re enjoying the new uh relaxed dress code in the NHL. Yeah. Uh that was uh my suit for the global series last year. Um it was planned to I was planning to wear it in Munich uh for the game but we decided to go in later hosen. So uh kind like switched plans there but uh yeah that was for the for the global series then wanted to kind of like have a special suit for that. Other than yourself who’s the best dressed teammate you have? Um, I like the I like the stuff Sergey wears. I think it’s Yeah, I’ve seen some of that. It’s But uh it’s uh it’s drippy. It’s loud. I I mean I like it. I like some of the I have no no problem. I’m just wearing a regular crew neck sweatshirt. No, I I noticed that. I got some louds. We we’ve addressed that. We’ve addressed that. I have the same That’s enough out of you. What about Johnny Marino? Um that’s good news for him because I don’t think he can tie a tie. Uh it’s like uh Johnny’s like sometimes pretty good, sometimes pretty bad. I would say it’s uh miss. Yeah, I think that’s with a lot of things in Johnny Marino’s life. We love you, Johnny. Um and JJ, again, thank you for coming on with us. That’s it from us so far. So, we just appreciate your time. Congrats on the goal last night and good luck to you going forward in Utah. Let me know if you need a travel companion next summer to uh to Greece or uh or I’ll be there for you. Perfect. Thank you, guys.

JJ Peterka joins NHL Now to discuss his first season with Utah, what his expectations for the season are, and more.

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