Friday, November 28, 2008

Late-blooming Brennan getting defensive

Friday's Montreal Gazette featured a synopsis of T.J. Brennan's growth from a New Jersey lacrosse star to a top NHL prospect with the Montreal Juniors.
Brennan is now focused on improving his defensive play on the ice. "I've learned a lot over the last couple of years and the most important thing is that you have to keep working hard," he said. "You just don't stop working because you've been drafted. You got drafted because the team sees you for a particular reason. "Everything can be improved on," he added. "I know I'm not the fastest skater, or have the hardest shot, and I'm not the strongest player. There's never a point where you can be too strong or too fast. You've just got to keep improving on every aspect. "I really do want to focus on my defensive play this season because people see me more as an offensive defenceman and I want to become a really good defensive player because it's what I need to become to get to the NHL."
Actually, Brennan's shot is pretty hard. He pumped one into the 90's at the summer conditioning camp, and is credited with a "150 km/h NHL shot" by coach Real Paiement in the article.