Joel Castle Post Season Interview

[animal74 1,855]

Joel Castle looks on in the season's last game against Calgary.

 

Toronto Legion rookie goaltender Joel Castle is sitting in his stall, jersey and top gear off, but still wearing his pads as he answers questions from the media scrum following the Legion’s final game of the regular season, a 4-1 loss to the Calgary Wranglers. Finishing with the second-worst record in the league means there will be an extra long summer for the boys in blue, although it was assumed as much at the beginning of the season in what was known to be a rebuilding year for Toronto.

 

Reporter #1: “You were fantastic tonight, Joel, stopping 48 of 52 shots against a good Calgary team. How was it facing against Oskar Lindbergh @Doomsday again?”

 

Joel Castle: “It’s always fun to face Oskar. You always know you have to be at your best because he’s so hard to beat and you have to match him save for save. Even though he got the win, I can say my save percentage was better.”

 

Reporter #1: “The two of you met at center ice at the end of the game. What did you say to him?”

 

JC: “Oh, I just said great game and wished him luck in the playoffs. I told him we’ll be there next season.”

 

Reporter #2: “Do you really think this team has a chance to make the playoffs next year? Or do you think another year of rebuilding is needed?”

 

JC: “You never know what happens in this league, there’s a lot of upheaval every off-season and we have a hard-working group of guys here and some exciting young players coming up. We’ve really gelled and played well the last little while so, you know, anything can happen. We’re all going to go into the summer with the goal of making the playoffs and that might seem a bit optimistic but we believe in each other.”

 

Reporter #3: “How hard was it after coming from Geneva last season to come to an obviously rebuilding team in Toronto and know wins were going to be hard to come by again?”

 

JC: “Well, I had more wins this year than last so I’ll take it! I mean, obviously, we knew this year was going to be about building for the future. Getting to know each other, working with the new coaches and management and all of us focusing on a common goal. Yeah, it’s not fun to loose so much, but I feel that we were actually pretty competitive and we had fun out there every night.”

 

Reporter #3: “Who do you think has helped you the most with the transition to the VHL this season?”

 

JC: “Every one in this locker room had been helping each other out from the get-go. It’s a close group. I mean, a veteran guy like Peace @Peace, you watch how he works, you learn how to be a pro from him and he’s given me lots of advice everything from living in TO to shooter tendencies, you know, a guy like him you just soak up whatever hints he gives you. Having Mac Altas @v.2 come in the same time as me has been great because as the rookies, we hang out and stuff. He’s been a good friend. And even someone like Oskar, even though he’s on another team, he helped me out a lot before he got traded and we’ll still text each other and congratulate each other on good games, stuff like that. He’s been kind of a mentor for me.”

 

Reporter #4: “So what’s next? How do you push reset for next season and get ready?”

 

JC: “I think I just reflect on what I’ve learned, continue to believe in myself. I’m taking a training schedule from the training staff home for the summer and I’m going to work a lot on just getting stronger, quicker, more flexible. I feel my technique is really strong but being in the VHL every night just showed me how much better physically I need to be to be my best.”

Edited March 6, 2023 by animal74