Leonard Triller - Junior Review

[Triller 1,373]

GETTING UP EARLY

 

Name: Leonard Triller

Position: RW

Height: 6’3"

Weight: 210 lbs

Place of Birth: North Battleford, Saskatchewan

Preferred Number: 14

 

          Leonard Triller grew up in a small town in Saskatchewan about 30 mins from the Alberta border.  Winters were long and not particularly kind.  His Dad taught him to skate from a young age using a time-tested technique, the chair.  The closest rink was 40 mins away but his Dad built him one in the backyard, not to practice, but to simply have fun.  His parents always let him drive his own passion.  "It's easy to get up to do something fun", was his parents' motto.  Before the school bus came, Leonard was out under the floodlights skating as the sun came up and then was out skating on the frozen Saskatchewan River after school was out.

 

 

          For most of Leonard's minor league play, he played above his age group.  They moved him up early and while the other kids were bigger, he was faster and had a keen hockey sense.  A natural goal scorer who could avoid the bigger bodies.  Then came the growth spurt.  Seemingly over a summer Leonard shot up and quickly became the player he had always played against.  This caused an extreme change in his game.  He had lost some speed and coaches started to utilize his size on defense to punish the opposition.  Leonard wanted to get back to a forward position so the next summer he signed up for a power skating camp and a figure skating camp.

 

 

          Up at 5 am, Leonard's Mom and Dad were happy to drive to camp as they noticed the change in their son's hockey goals.  Power skating taught him how to use his larger frame to get up to speed quickly and though unconventional, figure skating taught him to be light on his feet and to utilize his edges.  Not a fan of the costumes, but a huge fan of how he felt on the ice.  This showed as Leonard made the cut as a forward on his first AAA tryout.  His 2-way play from his time on defense gave him more utility than before and his new size allowed him to dig pucks on the cycle and put them out in front of the net for his teammates.  Assists became second nature and his power created issues for opposing teams.

 

          After a couple years of AAA play, Leonard decided it was time to up his competition.  With the VHL in sight, he put his name on waivers in the VHLM and received some offers, one being from the Saskatoon Wild, where he currently lived.  A good way to start, playing at home.

(451 Words)