Lucas Punkari
The season-opener for the OHL’s Belleville Bulls won’t take place until Friday, Sept. 23 against the Ottawa 67’s.
But for team captain and Emo native Luke Judson, he already is anxious to get the season underway.
“I think with just being here at home and getting all of my stuff packed up, it really tells you that it’s time to get going,” he remarked.
“Even getting into the workouts and getting onto the ice gets you really excited, especially once you get the feel for the puck back, and you start to get your hands back and your feet back underneath you,” he added.
The 2011/12 campaign will be the last one in the OHL for the 20-year-old Judson, which leaves him with a very simple personal goal to obtain.
“Obviously, getting a pro contract is first and foremost for me,” he stressed. “If that wasn’t my goal coming into the league, I wouldn’t be playing in it, and that has been the plan for me all along.
“If that doesn’t work out, I have other options with the CIS,” he noted. “But the main goal for me right now is to have that pro contract.”
At the moment, Judson has yet to receive an invitation to any pro prospect camps prior the regular season, and knows those offers are something older players like him might not get as much as the younger prospects.
“I was hoping for an invite right after the draft, but as of right now it’s not looking like anything is happening, though there are still a few weeks for something to happen,” he reasoned.
“Until then, I’m just going to have to make my play speak for itself this season.”
Prior to heading down to Belleville this week in preparation for the Bulls’ training camp, which is slated to get underway Monday, Judson has been spending the last three-and-a-half weeks in Thunder Bay to get himself ready for the upcoming season.
He’s been skating with a number of players from the Thunder Bay area, including recent San Jose Sharks’ draft pick Justin Sefton.
“The on-ice and off-ice training have gone really well there,” Judson said.
“I hadn’t been on the ice since March, and I know that’s a long time in comparison to some of the other guys from my team,” he admitted.
“But I like to step away from the rink for a while [because] I think that helps you to get excited for the new season and helps to give you extra motivation.”
During the off-season, one of the things Judson was focused on was how his head was feeling over the summer months. He suffered a concussion in the late stages of the regular season, which resulted in him missing the Bulls’ opening-round playoff series against the Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors.
“I think that drive from Belleville back home didn’t help my head too much as I didn’t feel right for a week or two after that,” Judson recalled.
“I just eased myself carefully into the workouts during the summer and through that there were no ill effects from the concussion, and I’m hoping that nothing bothers me through the season as I’m feeling 100 percent right now,” he stressed.
Before the workout routine kicked into high gear, Judson spent part of his summer working for his dad at M.L. Judson Trucking, where he was part of the road crew that worked throughout Rainy River District.
In fact, Judson’s summer job ended up being profiled on the Internet as a part of Yahoo Sports’ series on what CHL players were doing during the off-season.
“She [writer Sunaya Sapurji] gave me a call after reading my Twitter and she wanted to know what exactly it was that I did,” Judson explained.
“I didn’t mind it too much, though, and it seemed like a better job than what most kids end up doing during the off-season.
“But now the easy work is done and the hard work is just beginning,” he said.
Heading into the new season, the Bulls’ organization made a few moves to bolster its roster. And while Judson is excited to see the next players come and join the team, he also finds himself saying good-bye to a couple of longtime teammates.
“Steven Strong just got traded recently [to the Saginaw Spirit], and he was my roommate for the last two years down there,” Judson noted.
“A few weeks ago, Andy Bathgate was dealt [to the Plymouth Whalers], and between me and him, we were the only ones left from our Memorial Cup team from my 16-year-old season.
“You don’t like to see those guys go, but it’s a part of hockey,” he reasoned. “And we’re excited to have some of those new guys come in and see what they can do during the season.”
Among those Judson feels will have a break-out campaign this coming season are the Subban brothers (goalie Malcolm and defenceman Jordan), who will be following in the footsteps of their older brother and current Montreal Canadiens’ defender, P.K.
“Malcolm will be stepping into the number-one role for us this year, and it’s his spot to lose,” Judson noted.
“From what I have heard, he has really progressed well over the summer with Canada [at the IIHF world under-18 championships] and the NHL Research and Development Camp, and it’s his draft year, so he’ll be looking to have a big season.
“And with Jordan, it’ll be interesting to see what he can come in and do since he was drafted fifth overall in the [OHL] draft this summer.”
With the Bulls possibly being a little bit more of an aggressive squad this season (although Judson has yet to speak in detail with head coach/ general manager George Burnett about any planned systems), the fifth-year forward thinks this year could see the Bulls make some noise in the OHL’s Eastern Conference.
“Getting a top seed in definitely a goal of ours this season,” Judson remarked. “Last year our goal was to just make the playoffs, but this year that won’t be good enough for us.
“I think we are going to be a lot more competitive this year, and a top-half finish would be huge for us, especially in getting home ice [advantage] for the playoffs,” he added.
