Camp Notes: De Leo Embraces Veteran Leader Role, Focus Shifts to Special Teams
Jan 25, 2021By AJ Manderichio/SanDiegoGulls.com
Chase De Leo is a self-admitted planner.
The La Mirada, CA native likes to lay out his goals – long-term and short-term – and establish benchmarks to show his progress toward his various milestones. It’s a system he relied on for a number of years, until the COVID-19 pandemic turned the world upside-down.
The veteran still found a message – and a new mindset – to bring to San Diego.
“The biggest thing this year as a group is to not look too far ahead,” De Leo told the media following today’s training camp practice. “We have to take it one game at a time, one practice at a time and just control what we can control.”
As De Leo preps for his third season in the Anaheim organization – and third with the Gulls – he’s grown into a leadership role. One of the players who serves as an alternate captain, the forward wants to share his experience with his younger teammates.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to learn from some unbelievable coaches along the way and learn from some of the top players in the NHL right now; (players) that are in All-Star games that were my line mates at one point,” De Leo said. “I've always tried to let my actions on the ice lead (the way). There's a way to give constructive criticism - it's part of the game. I've been their age before, coming into a new team or turning pro. Nobody can teach you - it's things you have to go through and learn, and every day is a different lesson.”
The former Winnipeg fourth-round draft selection certainly led through his on-ice performance his first two seasons with San Diego. De Leo scored 80 points (30G/50A) with a +20 rating in 117 AHL games and ended the 2019-20 ranked second among San Diego leaders in shots (134) and tied for fifth in scoring (25).
The 5-10, 186-pound center also set new highs on the penalty kill last season, scoring a career-high three shorthanded goals, which tied for the second most single-season shorthanded markers in Gulls history and ranked tied for fourth among AHL leaders.
With a roster brimming with young talent – San Diego features 11 former Anaheim draft picks and the organization’s last four first-round selections – the coaching staff is leaning on the veterans to help establish a successful culture.
“It's really exciting for us on the coaching staff,” Dineen said of the team’s veterans. “I think anybody that's in our business - and sports in general - loves having that youthful enthusiasm around you. When you have a great veteran presence, it not only makes your job easier, they're sending your message. They've been around, they understand what can infect the team. They also understand what creates teams and what can build into a special year. Those guys are invaluable to us and our organization.”
CAMP FOCUS SHIFTS TO SPECIAL TEAMS
As San Diego’s regular season quickly approaches, the team’s focus in its extended training camp started to shift away from conditioning drills to more specific system work.
One of those focus areas is special teams, which delivered mix results in the team’s first two exhibition games against the San Jose Barracuda.
In the team’s preseason opener on January 19, the Gulls went 2-for-3 on the power play, with the trio of Sam Carrick, Trevor Zegras and Andrew Agozzino scoring both goals. San Diego also went perfect on the penalty kill, eliminating San Jose’s only power play.
The next matchup saw the reverse, with San Jose scoring on two of their three power-play opportunities. San Diego went scoreless in five power-play chances, which included a 5-on-3 chance.
With time before their next game, on Friday night against the rival Ontario Reign at Honda Center, Dineen and the coaching staff are stressing their special teams.
“We're looking to put a major focus on the PK on Wednesday,” he said following today’s practice. “We've worked on our power play already this week, and we'll continue to work on it at different points. We understand that's a key for us. Like I said immediately after the game, it's not the worst thing in the world we run into a little bit of a hiccup here in training camp.”