Trott 'the pulse of our team'

He quietly goes about his business and has turned into one of the Soo Greyhounds most important players.

In his third season with the Greyhounds, veteran forward Zack Trott has found himself earning key responsibilities from coach John Dean.

“Zack Trott is the pulse of our team,” said Greyhounds coach John Dean. “When he’s going, everyone else is going. He’s one of those players that is crafty. Just when you think a play is finished, he has something else in his toolbox to make sure the play stays alive. That brings a lot of energy to the bench.

“Anytime second-effort hockey is applied, it brings a ton of energy to our bench,” Dean added. “When you see a guy go win a second-effort battle, when you see him lose the puck and then go strip it and do something with it, your bench gets excited about stuff like that. It’s a skill. It’s not just about effort.”

The veteran forward had been playing on a line with Jaromir Pytlik and Tye Kartye prior to Pytlik leaving for the World Juniors.

Trott’s offensive game has taken a step this year.

Heading into the Christmas break, Trott had 12 goals and 34 points in 33 games, good for a tie for third on the team with Rory Kerins. That includes a 13-game point streak that was halted in the Greyhounds final game before Christmas against Kitchener. In that stretch, Trott had six goals and 17 points.

Trott’s career highs, set last season, are 13 goals and 24 assists in 68 games.

“I’ve gotten lots of opportunities and I’m scoring on my chances,” Trott said. “I’m playing with some good people, which is great.”

Dean called Trott’s offensive ability “underrated.”

“With the puck, he’s highly skilled,” Dean said. “He’s very underrated. I think because he doesn’t blow by guys and he’s not going to dazzle you with his speed, so he doesn’t really jump off the page that way. You really have to watch him, and you watch the things he does with the puck and the way he’s able to create something out of nothing, he has underrated hockey intelligence as well. He’s very good at protecting the puck and drawing guys in and then finding the open guy. Those are things that are very difficult to teach.”

On a team that’s seen its share of ups and downs this season, Trott said the struggles have helped the team mature.

“When you go through a tough time like that, you learn about each guy and how to deal with every circumstance that comes in a game because you’ve been through it,” Trott said.

“We got more mature as a team and learned how to deal with every situation,” Trott also said. “We lost a lot of games in a row, so you know what it feels like and you just don’t want to lose anymore.”

What do the Greyhounds need to do to maintain a solid stretch of games prior to the Christmas break?

“We just need to keep working hard,” Trott said. “When we’re working hard, that’s when we’re at our best.”

Fitting words from a player who has made a name for himself by doing just that this season.