Hi, this is Fred Wallace with ” Off the Wire “, brought to you by Hal Wright Chevrolet-Cadillac-GMC-Buick on the Sunset Strip in Owen Sound.
There are very few hockey stories that make me feel better than the Colorado Avalanche inviting Owen Sound Attack grad Daniel Zweep to the training camp for their AHL team, the Lake Erie Monsters.
It’s certainly possible that Zweep and former Attack teammate Joey Hishon will share the ice, but that’s where the similarities end.
While Hishon was gifted and a star from day 1 in Owen Sound, Zweep was the polar opposite, just ask the bozos on Electric Ice.
The first time he opened my eyes was at a team function in his rookie year, a year in which he sat at length, and was scratched from the Attack lineup frequently.
We got talking about hockey, about his goals, about his buddy Brandon Mashinter who was making his way in the pros, about a bunch of things, and I realized in short order, there’s a lot more to this guy than size and strength.
Make no mistake, size and strength are Daniel Zweep’s best assets, and I can cite you 15 examples without trying where he cleaned up a mess, usually on the road, or made space because outside of 2 or 3 guys, no one in the OHL wanted much to do with him.
In confirming the invitation, Colorado’s Craig Billington related that if Daniel listens and applies himself, the Avalanche believe he can become a solid pro hockey player.
I’ve believed that for a long time, and that’s why I was happy to see him get this professional opportunity at Cleveland.
I’m Fred Wallace