Alec Brownscombe of Maple Leafs Hot Stove interviewed Jason Smith, Kelowna Rockets head coach, about newest Tampa Bay Lightning draftee Cal Foote season yesterday at the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. He was kind enough to let us publish his interview.
Brownscombe: Scouts seem to say he was playing top pair against good players pretty much since he entered the WHL. What makes him effective shutting down good players?
Jason Smith: I can’t really speak to last year, but this past season, he played big minutes against top players on the opposing team on a nightly basis and had a lot of success.