Former Cleveland Monsters forward Josh Anderson has helped the NHL's Columbus Blue Jackets win big this season.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Winning follows ice hockey forward Josh Anderson.
In his first three full seasons in the Ontario Hockey League, 2011-14, Anderson's London Knights were a force. They appeared in three Memorial Cups. He scored a combined 122 points in the 191 regular-season games and 17 points in 47 playoff games.
In his first full season in the American Hockey League, 2014-15, Anderson's Springfield Falcons did not qualify for the playoffs but finished 38-28-0-10. (He played six games for the NHL's Columbus Blue Jackets.)
With the then-Lake Erie Monsters last season, Anderson scored 39 points in 58 regular-season games and 12 points in 15 playoff games. The Monsters won the Calder Cup. (Anderson played 12 games for the Blue Jackets.)
With the Blue Jackets full time this season, Anderson has been part of a 16-game winning streak. Entering Tuesday night's game at Carolina, Anderson had eight goals and seven assists and was +10 in 39 games for a club with a 28-7-4 record.
Anderson, 22, from Burlington, Ontario, was a fourth-round pick (95th overall) of the Blue Jackets in the 2012 draft.
At 6-3 and a chiseled 221 pounds, Anderson puts the power in power forward. He will not hesitate to dish out pain and/or mix it up with the opponent. As a Monster last season, he amassed 108 penalty minutes. As a Blue Jacket this season, the total was 43 minutes.
Three Monsters who factored heavily in the Calder Cup run -- right winger Anderson, defenseman Zach Werenski and center Lukas Sedlak -- entered Tuesday having combined to appear in all but two games for the Blue Jackets this season (Sedlak: 37).
Anderson chatted with me for a few minutes before a recent game at Nationwide Arena:
DM: Summarize the Monsters experience last season.
JA: A lot of fun, of course. As a young player, you want to go through that experience. It's definitely important for the organization to have a couple of their prospects go through it, where you make a deep run in the playoffs -- and, in this case, you're a champion, too. It's definitely helped my game and gotten me to where I am today. A big part of what's happening for me this season is because of last season's time with the Monsters.
DM: You played in the Calder Cup clincher, 1-0 in overtime against the Hershey Bears at The Q. What was it like in that game in front of a sellout (19,665)?
JA: "Unbelievable, special. The fans were incredible. We had played well at home all season, so it was great to win in front our fans. When there are 19,000+ in the building, you feel it.
DM: This season, you made the Blue Jackets out of camp. How did you celebrate, if at all?
JA: Oh, I don't know ... It was great to make the team, but I didn't think: I've made it, so now I can relax. I mean, you're never really safe in the NHL, so you look at it day by day. My goal was to make the Blue Jackets lineup and stick up here all season. You've got to keep working hard, because you never know what can happen. They can send you down the next day. That's how I look at it.
DM: Has that approach benefited you?
JA: I think so. I play with an edge, because I want to keep getting better and stay here. I know that you have to be really consistent in this league, and that it's a very tough league to play in. You've got to bring your 'A' game every night. You can't let up.
DM: In your hockey career, you don't know how to lose, apparently.
JA: I've been fortunate to be on winning teams. I'd like to think I've played a part in them, but I view it as being lucky more than anything else. I don't ever take these situations for granted.
DM: Describe the 2016-17 Blue Jackets experience to date.
JA: We practice hard and play hard. We enjoy coming to the rink. We're a close group. When we're on the road, there are always 10-15 guys together. We're really gelling well, and you see how it translates on the ice.
DM: What is it like working for your ultra-intense coach, John Tortorella?
JA: Great. He's been around the game for a long time and knows a lot about the game. He's a really good teacher, and he demands your best. He knows how to get the most out of his players. We respect him and he respects us, so it's good.
DM: Did you always want to be a hockey player?
JA: Yes. Since age 2 or 3, I guess.
DM: Biggest improvement you've made in your game since the London days?
JA: Consistency, game to game. There will be ups and downs; the key is, you can't get too high or too low. Your approach needs to stay the same. I come to the rink every day and want to be businesslike.
DM: What are the roots of your physical style?
JA: My first year in London, I was a skilled forward. Then (coach) Mark Hunter really changed my game. He said, 'If you're not scoring, you've got to be hitting, you've got to be doing something to be noticed.' That's when the physical part really entered my game.
DM: You seem to enjoy it.
JA: Absolutely. I like getting under people's skin.
DM: What about the fighting that accompanies it?
JA: It's part of the game and always will be. You've got to stick up for your teammates. When you're on the ice and something happens, you don't hesitate. Your teammates want to know that you'll always have their backs.