Forward James Neal 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.

Neal was selected in the 2nd round (33rd overall) by the Dallas Stars in the 2005 NHL Draft. He was drafted by Plymouth in the 3rd round (44th overall) of the 2003 OHL Draft. Called up for 9 games during his rookie season, Neal turned heads by recording 6 points in his first 6 games. Now in his third season with the Whalers, Neal took a few minutes during his holiday break to help us break the ice.

» On the greatest lesson he has learned from hockey…

“Just to go to every game and be focused and prepared to play. Now a big thing is being focused and ready to play each shift and whistle-to-whistle. At all times, someone is watching you and my dad has taught me to just go hard at all times and never look back. When you’re older, don’t look back on something that you thought you could change. You’ve got the chance now to be a professional hockey player and you’ve been given the chances so far, so run with them and don’t look back at something you could have change, do it now.”

» On how he started playing hockey…

“I started playing when my dad coached in a Catholic youth organization back in my hometown. I lived in Oshawa at that time and I just started playing with guys a few years older than me and I just worked my way through there until I was old enough to play in Whitby, Whitby AAA for the Wildcats. Once I was old enough to do that, I made the jump there. Then I went through a couple years in Whitby and then went to the GTHL in Toronto and played two years with the North York Rangers and won two Carnation Cups there. Then came back to Whitby and followed it up with another three years there until I was drafted by the Whalers. Then I played a year in Bowmanville and now I’m here.”

» On his youth hockey highlight…

“Youth hockey highlight, probably winning the Silver Stick when I was playing for the Whitby Wildcats. It was minor or major pee wee, I think. We won it. It was a big win for us. We had a pretty good team and I scored in the semifinals against Team Illinois, so it was a pretty big game to send us to the finals. Then we beat the Vaughn Kings, so that was a pretty big moment.”

» On his most memorable goal…

“Probably when I was playing for the Bowmanville Eagles. We were in Game 7 in the Duke Dome against Wellington. It was do-or-die for us and I scored the first goal and we ended up winning 3-2. Then we went on to play St. Mike’s after that and that was for the Eastern Conference, so that was the most memorable, I guess, because we had an awesome team that year and we went pretty far.”

» On what championships he has won…

“Eastern Conference championship in the OPJHL with the Bowmanville Eagles. I have 6 silver medals in the OMHA. We went to the finals every year, but we just couldn’t finish it off. We always got beat somehow.”

» On his best moment in a Whalers uniform…

“Scoring in OT in Sarnia was pretty big. Also going into the playoffs against Owen Sound last season. It was my first OHL playoffs, so that was pretty big. Unfortunately we got swept, but it was some experience for this year.”

» On who has influenced him the most in hockey…

“My parents, my parents for sure. They have always been there for me. Anything I have asked for, they’ve helped me out. They are probably the hardest on me, but I know it’s for the best. So I’d have to say my parents for sure.”

» On playing for Team Canada at the Under-18 Tournament against Dan Collins…

“It was good representing my country, playing for Team Canada. We had a good team, but we didn’t have all the top players. Some were still playing in playoffs in the ‘O’ and the WHL, so it was a little different. Team USA had a good team and Dan played a big part in that. So, it was a little disappointing, but things happen like that. It’s just the way it goes. Oh, he rubs it in still, any chances he gets, but he has the gold medal.”

» On the Top Prospects game…

“The Top Prospects game was awesome. It was in Vancouver. Dan (Collins) and I flew down. We were on opposite teams, but just the atmosphere in Vancouver and the rink and all the people there was pretty amazing. Growing up as a kid, I always watched the Top Prospects game on TV. It was on Sportsnet and playing in it was just like a dream come true, since I watched it growing up.”

» On getting drafted…

“I found out through one of my buddies, Mike McKenzie, his dad is Bob McKenzie, who does all the broadcasting for TSN. So, it went to a commercial break right after the first round and it came back on and Bob congratulated me on TV, on TSN. It was a pretty special moment and I just celebrated with friends and family. It was a great day and like I said, a dream come true.”

» On the NHL camps…

“Yeah, I went to main camp in Dallas. It was just an experience. I was the youngest guy in camp and just to see what all the big time guys do like Mike Modano and Bill Guerin and those guys that have been around the league for a number of years. Just to feed off them and see what it’s like and see what I have to do to make the next step to ultimately play in the NHL.”

» On adjusting to billets…

“It hasn’t been too hard at all. My billets are great. They have four kids and I have three brothers and a sister at home, so it’s pretty similar to my home life. There is always stuff going on, so it wasn’t too hard to adjust. Like I said, they are good people, they brought me in, and they’ve helped me out just like my own parents would.”

» On his pre-game routine…

“I get up around 10 o’clock, have a good meal, and then probably come to the rink for a little pre-game skate, and then back home for a big pasta. I have a couple of snacks before I come to the rink and then get to the rink, put on my stuff, tape my sticks, and try to focus and prepare myself for the task at hand.”

» On the player he admires and tries to model his game after…

“I like Todd Bertuzzi and Gary Roberts. I’m good friends with Gary and I have worked out with him for the last two-and-a-half summers, so he’s a good guy and a top guy in the NHL, so I’d have to say those two guys. Todd just because he’s an unbelievable player, he’s a big guy, and I like to say I look up to those two guys.”

» On if there is anything behind his jersey number…

“I wore #19 when I played my first year at junior and then when I came to the ‘O’ it was open, so I’ve just been sticking with that.”

» On his nicknames…

“Nealer.”

» On the toughest player he has played against…

“First year I got to play up in 10 games and the tough guy then was Cam Janssen, so he’s probably one of the toughest guys I’ve seen in the OHL besides Gino (Pisellini), who is on our team. We are lucky for that. I’d probably say Cam because he was always running around trying to kill guys.”

» On his brother playing in the OHL…

“It’s good, I got to play against him here, so it was pretty fun. I had never played with him before and then he gets a chance to play on the same ice as me. It’s pretty exciting, I guess. He got a penalty here and I scored on the power-play, which I always give it to him for, but no, my parents were pretty excited. They came down with a couple of my brothers and got to watch us, so it was a pretty good night.”

» On what he would be if he didn't play hockey…

“I’d probably be into real estate or some type of business like that. My dad is a real estate agent, so that’s kind of what I hear around the house a lot, so I think I would be into business if I wasn’t a hockey player.”

» On his funniest teammate…

“Ryan Stephenson is probably one of the funniest, but I just started living with Jared Boll, he moved into my house two weeks ago. He’s a pretty funny guy. I know him pretty well now and he’s probably one of the funniest too.”

» On what he brings to the team…

“I think I bring a physical presence and a little bit of playmaking and goal scoring touch. I try to get as many goals as I can and just help the team to win.”

» On the craziest thing that has happened on the road…

“Last year when we were playing in London, the place was pretty packed and we were going into overtime and some fan jumped over the glass and landed pretty hard on the ice. Then he was kind of running around and then all the security had to come on the ice and take him off. He was going pretty wild. It kind of took the focus off the bench a bit, but it was pretty crazy seeing him jump over the glass.”

» On his dream goal…

“Probably playing in the Mem (Memorial) Cup against London and scoring a goal in the building there. In Game 7 of overtime would be pretty amazing because that place is always rocking and it’s always got a ton of people going wild in it, so I’d probably have to say London.”

» On his dream vacation…

“Hawaii, I’ve never been there. I’ve been to Florida, but I’d like to go to somewhere like Hawaii or Bermuda. My uncle just moved to Bermuda last summer, so maybe in the off-season I’ll go down and visit him.”

» On the rule changes in hockey…

”I like the rule changes, they open up the game and I like to use my ability to skate and handle the puck. I think it has opened up the game a little bit for myself as well as opposing players. I like it. There’s a lot of power plays, but we’re starting to get used to the game. It’s a change, but it’s something that will be around in the future, so you just have to get used to it.”

» On what TV show he would be on…

“I like the O.C. a lot, it’s one of my favorite shows, but I don’t know who I could be on there. Probably be some kind of guy on there, I have no idea.”

» On what other five players he would want on the ice with him…

“Bobby Orr on defense with Paul Coffey. Up front would be Wayne Gretzky and Steve Yzerman. In goal, Kelly Hrudey.”

-Natalie Shaver, December 27th, 2005-

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