BRANDT CLARKE PREPARES TO PROVE HIMSELF AT THE WORLD JUNIORS AND BEYOND

Last updated Dec 16, 2022 Edit Source

• News post

• Jacob Stoller

The past four months have been surreal for Brandt Clarke.

• Brandt Clarke
• Jonathan Quick
• Sean Walker
• Alex Edler

• Todd McLellan

# Brandt Clarke

I feel like I would have been a top player last year, but that’s not the path they wanted to take. I made it a goal that I wanted to make the NHL team out of camp this year, and that’s what I did. I took it the right way, and now I’m back here, getting an opportunity on this stage to show what I can do, and I think I’m going to do that.

It’s everything I could have ever hoped for. Everyone has been so welcoming to me. I don’t feel excluded at all. Guys like Doughty, (Kevin Fiala), (Philip Danault) and Kopitar talk to me all the time. I just feel like one of the guys.

The kids are great. I hang out with them all the time. We have a hockey net set up on the patio. Me and Carter (the middle child) mess around with it. I go goalie, and he shoots at me.

Some guys go through this when they’re 23 or 24. I’m breaking into the league at 19, so I feel like I’m ahead of the curve at the moment. But yeah, It’s definitely a change from playing 27 to 28 minutes a night in Barrie (last season) to watching consecutive games in the press box.

It was a cool feeling to find out I’m going to go back and play with my friends that I haven’t seen in a while. I was very excited to get that news. I talked to Trent Yawney, our ‘D’ coach with the Kings, and he thinks this is the best possible path for me at the moment and will be great for my development and confidence.

The atmosphere there was electric, and I’m hoping for a similar experience in two weeks.

I said this to (Kings GM Rob Blake), and I said this to ([Todd McLellan]); when I get back in the lineup – I’m going to take that opportunity and run with it. When this tournament is over, I’m going to head back there and try to stake my claim as a solidified player in the top six.

# Sean Walker

I don’t think there’s a better guy to live with. [Jonathan Quick]’s got a great family, and they’re taking care of him – I think it’s been a good experience for him.

# Alex Edler

There’s a lot of little things that go into being a professional hockey player in the NHL and realizing how hard this league is. I think the biggest challenge as a defenseman is consistency. A lot of that comes with experience.

# Todd McLellan

[Brandt Clarke]’s got an unreal skill set, an offensive mind, very creative, almost an artist-like mentality when he’s on the ice. 6.