 Forward Vaclav Meidl is this week's player in “Breaking the Ice with…” The feature will be a season long series on plymouthwhalers.com and showcase a different Whaler each week so we can get to know them better.
Selected by the Nashville Predators in the 3rd round (81st overall) in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, he was also picked 9th overall in the 2003 CHL Import Draft. Meidl is one of two Europeans on the team (Ondrej Otcenas) and hails from the Czech Republic. Meidl took a few minutes before practice to help us break the ice.
» On the greatest lesson he has learned through hockey…
“Greatest lesson I think is a couple years from now I just know that I have to work hard every game so I can make the next level. So I think work hard every game, every minute, every shift to be the best and to help the team win the hockey game.”
» On how he started playing hockey…
“I was three years old and my parents took me for a practice, so I just started playing hockey then when I was three years old.”
» On who has influenced him the most in hockey…
“Probably my parents, my dad.”
» On his youth hockey highlight…
“I was playing in the World Cup three years ago in Russia.”
» On his best moment in a Whalers' uniform…
“I think it’s the first year when we won against Kitchener. Kitchener was a pretty good team, so we beat them in the first round and I think that was the best."
» On the draft experience…
“The first thing is I went to Carolina to the draft. It was pretty amazing because all the teams were there, so I got drafted and I went for rookies’ camp and for main camp. It was pretty good. I met some guys from the NHL so it was pretty good.”
» On his most memorable goal…
“When I was playing Under-18 three years ago, in the World Cup and I scored a goal against USA, so we won like 3-2 or something.”
» On playing in the World Junior Tournament…
“The first thing is that I have to make it because we go to camp. There will be 28 guys there, 23 guys go, so the first thing I have to do is work hard and make it and the other thing is playing there, so I’ll do everything for my country.”
» On representing his country…
“I have a lot of times, I was on national teams from like 16 years old until like 18.”
» On championships he has won…
“We got second place in the World Cup and we won a couple tournaments.”
» On if he feels responsible for Ondrej Otcenas (a rookie European)…
“Yeah, I do. It’s pretty hard for him like first time to be in the U.S. I try to help him with the other guys.”
 » On the best part of the Czech Republic…
“My hometown Prostejov.”
» On adjusting to life in America…
“The first time was pretty hard for me because I was away from my family. I didn’t know that the first time, I just thought it was like the same time when I was playing in another city in my country, I was playing in another city when I was like 15 years old, but I went home every weekend so I thought it would be the same. After the first month and the second month it was pretty hard for me because I couldn’t go home because it was too far away from here, so it was pretty hard for me. I’m coming here for camp in the end of August and I’m going home after the season, so I’m not going home for a long time. I talk to my mom twice a week.”
» On what he misses most about the Czech Republic…
“I miss my girlfriend, my family, and the dance clubs. They are fun. I talk to her (girlfriend) every day. She’s coming here after Christmas after World Juniors.”
» On living with a billet family…
“Living with billets is pretty different like you have to be close to them because you are living with them all season, so you’re close to them so it’s like your second family. You have to be with them, be pretty nice with them, you have to be part of the family if you want to live there.”
» On the player he tries to model his game after…
“I don’t have anyone, but for me the best player I think is Jaromir Jagr. He’s pretty good all the time and he’s getting better right now.”
» On the toughest player he has faced …
“I don’t know. Maybe Cam Janssen, he played for Windsor and Guelph. He was a tough guy.”
» On his pre-game routine…
“I wake up, I make a pre-game meal for myself. That’s it. I get some pasta and chicken every time.”
» On his jersey number #12…
"Our equipment manager, Marc Baron, gave it to me. Nothing behind it."
» On his nicknames…
“My nickname is Mejdlos, from my last name.”
» On skating out slowly during introductions…
“I don’t know, just thinking about the game.”
» On what he would do if he didn't play hockey…
“Soccer player. I don’t know, I’ve played all my life. Before games, after games, it’s just fun.”
» On his dream goal…
“My dream goal when we’re playing short, when they have the power play, it’s nice to score. That’s what I think of my dream goal. That’s the best thing like you’re doing the penalty killing and if you score it’s the best thing I think that can happen.” 
» On his dream vacation…
“Hawaii.”
» On his funniest teammate…
“My funniest teammate is Ondrej Otcenas probably. I talk to him in my language, so I have a lot of fun with him.”
» On what he brings to the team…
“I think my part of the game is playing the penalty killer, to be the penalty killer, be strong on the puck, play down low, get some chances, and get goals or try to.”
» On the rule changes in hockey…
“I think the one rule that they changed this year so we can pass over two lines, that’s a pretty good rule. So we can be on a breakaway all the time, you know, it’s good hockey right now, it’s faster. I think that is the rule I would have changed before and it’s changed, so I wouldn’t make any more changes.”
» On what other five players he would want on the ice with him…
“I would play with (Jaromir) Jagr and with Milan Hejduk. Goalie can be Dominik Hasek. The ‘D’ can be Nicklas Lidstrom. He’s pretty good. We'd be shorthanded.”
-Natalie Shaver, November 29th, 2005-
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