COLLINGWOOD, ONT. - Words can speak louder than actions.
The can when they’re coming from Mike Babcock and aimed at impressionable teens and those in their early 20s who have just been given an NHL logo to wear in front of the new head coach and Maple Leafs brass.
Babcock only spoke for a few minutes to 57 players in a room prior to the start of prospect camp, but it sounded like some were ready to burst out the door and get right to the rink.
“Guys like that you idolize and anything they say, you take right to heart,” said Erie Otters defenceman Travis Dermott, a third-round pick at the June draft.