Steven Lorentz 2016-17 season capsule

Steven Lorentz was drafted by the Carolina Hurricanes in the 7th round of the 2015 NHL draft. Lorentz is a 2-way center with NHL size and some offensive ability. He is a veteran leader and alternate captain on the 2016-17 Peterborough Petes team that is currently in a playoff spot. Lorentz has 29 goals and 29 assists in 51 games this season.

Mid-season interview on Steven Lorentz with Dan Malta from Cogeco TV in Peterborough, Ontario

Dan Malta is a sports producer & anchor with Cogeco TV in Peterborough, Ontario. He started covering the OHL five years ago while working as a sports reporter and anchor in Oshawa, Ontario. Dan now produces and hosts Peterborough Petes broadcasts, hosts a weekly Petes update show called “Petes This Week” and works as the pxp voice of the Cobourg Cougars (Petes Affiliate team) of the OJHL. You can follow Dan on twitter @danfromcanada for Petes updates throughout the season.

Canes and Coffee: How would you summarize Steven Lorentz’s play in 2016-17 through just more than half of the season?

Dan Malta: He got off to a slow start to the season, maybe looked like he was trying to go through the opposing team all by himself. For me it just looked like he was lacking chemistry with his line mates. The guys he had the best chemistry with are no longer on the team. About mid way through January Steven really got his stride back and started looking more like the player we were familiar with. He has four-game winning goals for the Petes and scored four in a game (all in the third period) just a few weeks back. He recognized his slow start but talked about how his confidence is up since the big four-goal game. Lorentz has started putting the puck on net more recently, and with his ability to be in the right areas, goals keep coming. A new line mate (Leafs draft pick Nikita Korostolev) also played a big factor in the success of Lorentz.

Canes and Coffee: Comparing Steven Lorentz from the 2015-16 season to the current season, is there anything that jumps out at you as significantly improved or different?

Dan Malta: He has more power in his stride this season. He really seems to be able to separate himself from opposing players more than he could in the past. I don’t think I noticed “breakaway” speed from him until this year. His type of speed is effective in long puck races, the length of his stride takes over.

Canes and Coffee: What areas do you see for necessary improvement as Steven Lorentz continues to develop his game and ready it for the NHL down the road?

Dan Malta: Some acceleration and agility would help and obviously just getting stronger as well. This is something he’s aware of and is constantly improving on. I also expect when Steven is playing at the next level he will be in more of a shutdown role. That’s not something he’s used for very often with the Petes; it’s just not his role right now. I don’t think he’d ever be a problem for a coach though. He is one of the most mature young men I’ve encountered in junior hockey.

Canes and Coffee: Steven Lorentz will have had a successful second half of the 2016-17 season in terms of helping the Petes and also preparing for the NHL if he _______________.

Dan Malta: Keeps putting pucks towards the net. He has a tricky and accurate shot. But most importantly, he would gain additional exposure by taking the Petes on a long run into the playoffs. I don’t think he has much left to prove in the OHL, but like it or not some name recognition and notoriety can go a long way.

Canes and Coffee: Is there anything else about Steven Lorentz that Carolina Hurricanes fans might be interested to know?

Dan Malta: He’s great with fans and generally a fan favourite in Peterborough and is great at keeping his emotions in check during the game. As I mentioned before, he is very mature.

Video features on Steven Lorentz

These 3 great short video features that Dan shared offer a view into Steven Lorentz off the ice and also an inside look at the life of a Canadian junior hockey player living away from home.

Interview with Steven Lorentz and his billet brother from last season, Eric Cornell (5:59).

Feature on Lorentz from last season with highlights and short interview clips (4:27).

Feature with Steven Lorentz’s billet parents (5:00).