Tomáš Prokop - A few quotes from my interview with Filip Mesar for @DennikSport
"I'm leaving for Canada on August 8th. I should join the Canadiens in mid-August. They called me and said they would like me to come earlier and prepare with the coaches before the camp."
"I have no idea where the information about Winnipeg came from or who wrote it. On the same day that it was being discussed, I was arranging my flight tickets to Montreal. No one from the club talked to me about a trade. Of course, it can always happen, the NHL is a business first and foremost, but I don't have any such information. Interestingly, nothing is mentioned in the Canadian media, and in Slovakia, we know about the trade..."
"I wanted to make the AHL last year. In the end, it turned out to be the same situation as in my first season after the draft. After the camp, I had many meetings with the Canadiens' management. We discussed many things. When they decided to send me to juniors, I didn't have a problem with it. I took it as motivation to show that I no longer belong in juniors. The season was more successful than the previous one, although it could always be better."
"People and players who know me understand that I'm not like that. I was the first to help if younger teammates were struggling. You shouldn't believe everything on the internet. I experienced what it was like to play with older players when I joined the A-team in Poprad as a junior. I'm not the type of person to criticize. It's sad."
"I had a call with the development coach. He told me I didn't even need to come to the development camp; the priority was to have good summer training. I focused on strength training. I believe that I am now well-prepared for men’s hockey."
"I definitely have it in my mind that I want to play games in the NHL, but I'm not overly focused on it. I'm trying to work hard and do everything to seize my chance in the AHL. I'm not prioritizing the NHL right now."
"They remind me that I should take more responsibility myself. I try to work on it, but when you're a playmaker, it's hard to change. I admit that in some situations, I could have taken a shot but instead passed unnecessarily."
