An enthusiastic Gabe Vilardi has made an impression on teammates and coaches in camp

Last updated Oct 6, 2022 Edit Source

• News post

• Zach Dooley

• Gabe Vilardi
• Trevor Moore
• Phillip Danault

• Todd McLellan

• It’s certainly been an impressive start to training camp for Gabe Vilardi. That start goes beyond the two goals he scored last night. It goes beyond the spot on the first power play unit he’s manned early in training camp. It goes beyond the opportunity he’s currently seizing by skating with the second forward line.

It looks like he’s having a lot of fun and I think that’s a huge part of it. Give him credit for being enthusiastic and being excited and his teammates love playing with him right now that’s a real good sign. – Todd McLellan

When Gabe is having fun, it’s infectious and I think he plays his best hockey when he’s having fun. I think when he’s stressed, or he’s not feeling great about his game, it weighs on him. It feels like he’s in a great headspace [right now] and we need that going forward. – Trevor Moore

You can tell his vibes are so positive and he wants to be a game changer. It’s definitely a big difference I’ve seen so far this year and we need him. We need him to be like that and the more players we have like that, the better we’ll be. – Phillip Danault

Gabe has always been a big, strong kid, you can see that when he wins puck battles. He’s working really hard right now and I think it’s showing. The skill has always been there, it’s just a matter of him getting that confidence and doing those little things. – Trevor Moore

I’ve got to continue to work on [the defensive zone], you can always get better with your wall play and that’s important for me when playing as a winger, taking care of my own zone first. I’ve been on the wing for around a year now and I’m still adjusting. I’m going to continue to work and take it day-by-day. – Gabe Vilardi