Three years ago, Adam Raška went through the seventh round of the NHL draft, since then he has been fighting for his place in the sun in San Jose. So far, he has been given an “up” chance in eight games, spending much more time on the farm. In the autumn, the last season of the rookie contract will start for the 21-year-old native of Kopřivnice, who bounced back to great hockey in the Třinec youth team.
What will you fly to America with in September?
As this is the last year of my three-year rookie contract, I would like to make it the best season of the three. Two were OK, but now I want to make a change and stay up in the main team longer. I can see an improvement in the preparation, it could work.
Maybe even the fact that you would start the season right away in the first team of the San Jose Sharks in the NHL?
Impressing the coaches will be the first and perhaps the most difficult step. We had a lot of changes, there will be a lot of new faces that will want to show off. It will be extremely challenging at camp, but with the right drive and determination, anything can be done.
You’ve played 103 farm games with the San Jose Barracuda over the past two seasons. What would be the chances of making it up from there?
Both Sharks and Barracuda management know me up and down. Maybe even then I’d have a better chance of getting off the farm. Unless someone there is outright repulsed. We’ll see, I leave it up to the coaches.
The Sharks team changed mainly after the departure of defender Erik Karlsson, more players figured in this “megatrade”. How do you read the situation between the attackers and your position now?
Mikael Granlund and Mike Hoffman came, two big names. Luke Kunin returns to the lineup, so you have a complete offensive line. It will be really challenging, but I believe I can play there.
Czech forward Filip Zadina also came from Detroit.
Sure, I forgot about Zaida. There will be more of us Czechs there, five in total. I take that as a plus. Our Czech colony is growing.
Last season was slightly weaker for you in terms of points and number of games in the NHL than the year 2021/22. How do you look back on her?
I had a very difficult start to the season, I couldn’t get up to match pace. I couldn’t get a point. I didn’t even play on the farm a few times. Then I started working with the mental coach Honza Mühlfeit. If I hadn’t connected with him, I might have packed up and returned to the Czech Republic. But it’s behind me now. It was better at the end of the season, I got three games for merit at the top. It somehow got better, now it has to be better.
What did you and the mental coach work on?
He helped me with things off the ice. With concentration, I learned breathing exercises, developed my imagination. It’s hard to describe, that’s just their job. But it really helped me. I believe it, I do not underestimate the influence of the head on sports performance. I have previously collaborated with Dušan Randák in this direction.
You ended the season with 121 penalty points, you were the second most suspended player on the team. You’re known as a hard hitter, but is this the result of you trying to get even tougher?
(laughter) Somehow it worked out, but the coaches also wanted me to fight more. That the team needs that from me. Next in line after the brawlers was me. Not that I was looking for it, but when there was a chance, I jumped at it. Then when you have nine brawls in a season, the penalty minutes jump.
Have you come to terms with this role on the ice?
Certainly. It’s part of my game. When you play like I do, no one is going to let you go on a sub just like that. If you knock someone down, an opponent will come and want to settle scores with you. You can’t say no from the third or fourth line, you have to go into the fight.
If you stuck in the NHL, could you be an all-star defenseman? Goals and points would probably not be expected from you as a priority.
Guardian of the stars, not again. There are other super fighters for that. For example, Anthony Duclair came from Florida, he fights a lot. But if given the chance, I would fight for anyone without any problems.
Are you going to fights even through the summer? Perhaps in the form of combat sports training?
No, I’m concentrating on technique, skills, shooting over the summer. You can practice the fight a few times during the season and it will give you enough. You need skill every game and I need to work on that side of the game the most.
A lot of Czechs who, like you, would excel at being a nuisance to opponents and playing hard, don’t play in the NHL, do you see?
It’s Radko Gudas, maybe Tomáš Nosek. But maybe that’s the end of it. If I had to make a name for myself with the fans in the Czech Republic like that, I wouldn’t mind it at all. Why not.
When you mentioned Gudas, how do you like his game?
He’s a defender, I’m a striker. But otherwise, his game shows how passionate he is. Last season, he calmly took down another Czech, David Kämpf, at the bar. He doesn’t care when he’s on the ice. He is paid and recognized for this game both overseas and here.
If you two met on the ice, it would probably spark, don’t you think?
Nooo, I think so. (laughter)
What stage of preparation are you currently in?
I’ve completed eight weeks of summer training, I’m going to the finish line. I will fly to America on September 10, I have three weeks to finish. I have a dry preparation and ice in Prague, last week I took a lighter one, I went home to see my family and friends.
Five days ago in Oldřichovice, you took part in a football competition for the Třinec penalty king with the Třinec hockey players, from whom you bounced into major hockey. How did you enjoy it?
It was really great. I thank Třinc and Honza Peterek for the invitation. I got to know new faces from Třinec, I also met players I know. With Martin Růžička, Petr Vrána, Tomáš Kundrátek, Dan Kurovský or Majo Adámek. Penalties were fun, I would take such actions more often.
Out of the hockey players, you got the farthest in the competition.
Yes. I think I converted five penalties. I made it into the top 30 kickers. It wasn’t bad, I play football quite often in the summer, so I believed that I would go the furthest of the hockey players. But then when I saw the football players who kept putting it right on the post, I suspected that I wouldn’t make it to the top.
2023-08-21 04:00:16
#wanted #give #fight #NHL #problem #path #leads #stress #fights #Raška #describes
