MONCTON, N.B. – Jacob Arsenault is ready to take the next step with the Moncton Wildcats.
The six-foot-one and 186-pound right-handed-shooting defenceman is entering his sophomore season in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League with high expectations.
“In your first year you have your ups and downs as you are adjusting to the league and everything,” explained the 19-year-old son of Brian and Tracy Arsenault of Richmond. “Then you go home after you have that first year under your belt, and you know what you need to work on. You know where the bar is at.
“I had a good summer (training), and I’m ready to make a big jump and turn some heads. I know what style I need to play, and what I need to do to be effective at this level.”
Arsenault, a stay-at-home defenceman, plays a style that often goes unnoticed, but is a very big part of successful teams.
“A lot of people oversee it, but every team needs guys who are going to lock it down and be hard to play against,” he said. “The biggest thing for me is to go out and have fun, control what you can and let the rest take care of itself.
“You can’t get too caught up in what you can’t control, and if you do it will just bring you down and you will not play your best game.”
Team goals
Arsenault, who had four points and 85 penalty minutes in 60 regular-season games and one assist in eight playoff games in his rookie season with the Wildcats, is more interested in focusing on team success rather than individual achievements.
“My goals are more for the team,” emphasized Arsenault, who played three years with the Notre Dame Hounds in Wilcox, Sask., before signing with the Wildcats as a free agent in June 2017.
“I want to have success with the team, and whatever role I have to play to help the team succeed is what I want to do.
“If that means logging a certain amount of minutes or shutting down certain guys, I will do that. If they want me to be a second power-play guy, or penalty killer, that’s what I will be. My goal is to win the Mem (Memorial) Cup this year.”
Arsenault, who worked on his size and speed in the off-season, is also looking to quietly take on more of a leadership role.
“I am not going into this year expecting to get a letter, but I am expecting to work hard, lead by example and maybe help get some of the guys going by just going out there and working hard every shift,” said Arsenault, who is very excited to hit the ice in the Wildcats’ brand-new home – Moncton Events Centre.
“I’ve seen lots of pictures of the new dressing room, and it’s going to be great,” said Arsenault. “There is lots of excitement and not only that, we should have a good team this year.
“We have a lot of experience now and a lot of older guys, and we are ready to show people what we are made of.”
[email protected]
Twitter.com/JpsportsJason
https://www.facebook.com/jason.simmonds.180
