Catching up with Former Stang Jacob Conrad

In the first of many features on former players, canadiantiremustangs.com had a chance to catch up with former Mustang Jacob Conrad over email.

Jacob was the teams leading scorer in 2008/09 finishing tied for third overall in the league with 45pts and currently plays in the QMJHL with the Gatineau Olympiques.

1.   1. How is life in Gatineau? Billets, Culture, Ottawa etc.

Life in Gatineau is great! It is tough at times with the language, because most people start to talk to you in french but once you learn some basic words you can understand some of what they are saying. Most people are bilingual so once they can tell I’m English they will start talking to me in English. The fans in Gatineau are the best in the league. They make our arena one of the loudest in the league and you can tell that most people in the city follow the team because they always are asking about the team and talking hockey. Also only being ten minutes from Ottawa helps for my spare time because whenever I get bored I just go there to waste time with the team. This is the second year I’ve been with my billets and they are like family now. They give me everything I need to be successful as a hockey player. They always cook my favorite meals and having a hot tub and a big screen tv doesn't hurt either. I have my own room where I spend a lot of time and I really call this my home away from home.
 
2. What is it like playing for one of the league’s top and most respected coaches in Benoit Groulx?

Playing for Benoit Groulx can be very demanding sometimes. He is a very tough coach and likes to have everything perfect whether it be in practice, off-ice, school or even just being respectful to others in public. He likes to have it his way but that is everything you want in a coach because he gets the best out of us every day. He is the best coach I’ve had in my hockey career and the team respects him because he has coached this team to many championships. The best quality he has is his teaching ability. He is always stopping us and telling us what we did wrong and what we need to do next time instead of just yelling at us and not telling us what to do next time.
 
3. What is the biggest difference in practices that you immediately noticed from Midget to Major Jr?

Practices are the biggest difference I’ve noticed when I went from Midget to Major Jr.. Practice intensity is ten times higher than midget and everything is like a game situation. You need to be sharp all the time and we work on your weaknesses alot to make yourself better. The coaching staff is always watching to see who is working hard during practices and if you practice hard you play games hard, and coaches will see that and reward you with playing time.
 
4. How did your time with the Mustangs properly prepare you for Major Junior? 

My time with the Mustangs helped me out with a lot of things. It gave me a chance to play at the highest level available to me at that time. I lived at home when I played for South Shore and that was great because it gave me a chance to stay at home instead of having to move away at such a young age. The team took us to one of the highest scouted tournaments for this age group in the Monctonian and it was great for exposure because many Major Jr. teams were there to see me play. The coaching was always excellent the whole time I was there and they always took time to teach us a few things here or there to help us improve and they were always like friends to us so we were always relaxed and able to play the best we could.
 
5. Do you feel Major Midget is the right path for players interested in playing Major Jr over Prep school and Tier 2 Jr A?

I believe Major Midget is definately the right path to take over Prep schools and Tier 2 Jr.A to get to Major Junior. I had the chance to play Jr. A my second year of Mustangs but i decided to play Midget because I knew if I went to Jr. A I wouldn’t of got as much playing time compared to Midget. I only got better with more playing time with the Mustangs that season and it paid off as I got drafted that late spring to Gatineau.
 
6. Are you still going to school?  If so, where?

Last year I graduated grade 12 and this year the team has placed me in one University course at Ottawa University. We play almost every day here so it’s really tough to take full time school but they make sure you are in at least one course when you are with the team. Last year I took a Nova Scotia correspondence credit with a tutor and this year I go to class every week at Ottawa University.
 
7. There is a pretty good fight clip of you circulating on YouTube.  You were known as a goal scorer in Midget.  Was this your first fight and was it something you thought you would be pretty good at?

I always knew there was always going to be a time where I would have to protect myself or my team mates so I knew the time would come eventually. Last year I had two fights and this one was the first I had this year and every time I fight I learn more things about fighting. I didn’t really know what to expect the first time but it didn’t end too bad and it was actually pretty fun.
 
8. Do you have a favorite memory of your time with the Mustangs?

I had many memories with the Mustangs. The whole time I was there the team was always having a good time together. My favorite memory would probably be just arriving to the arena on game day and feeling great about playing hockey. I loved walking in and greeting everyone already at the arena and then up to the room with the music blasting, sharing a few jokes with the guys and then taping my stick and start focusing for the game. Some games we would play the inspirational speech by Al Pacino from the movie 'Any Given Sunday' and turn off the lights and it would just get us so pumped up. We always seemed to play our best hockey after that moment.

We'd like to thank Jacob for taking the time to catch up with us and wish him all the best this season!

Stay tuned for more interviews with past players.

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