Canadian Montreal: In Slovakia, Miguel Turrini had “work worth listening to”

Despite his role as a defender, Miguel Turrini has always had a penchant for attacking. So much so that his playing partners in the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada were often under the impression of being left to their own devices. Moreover, last year, at the Rookie Championships in Buffalo, that deficiency was glaring.

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“Let’s just say that when we were in our zone, I often wondered what was going on,” admitted Tourigny, who met Saturday at the Canadiens camp. Once we left for the other area, I was gone, but in our area, I was so lost. »

After being cut short by Laval, mainly due to this shortcoming, Victoriaviloa exiled himself to Slovakia, where he wore the colors of Dukla de Trencin. At the age of 20, Turrini truly understood what the old saying that travel shapes youth meant. On and off the ice.

“There, I was really the youngest on the team. I was like a kid and all the guys were like my father. Besides, the one I played with (Tomas Starosta) was 41 years old. »

In short, he had “something worth listening to,” as parents of the 1970s and 1980s would tell him. Which he actually did. For his own good.

“I’ve matured a lot there. I’ve developed a pride in playing well defensively. That aspect of my game has improved a lot and I think that was evident from the beginning of the camps.”

“Now, when I’m in my zone, I focus on my defensive game first. Then, I start attacking,” explained the defender, who is aiming for a position at Laval this season.

“I missed my mom and dad”

Obviously, arriving in a foreign country at the age of 20 requires a fairly significant ability to adapt. Let’s just say that learning how to play good defense may not have been the worst of the challenges he faced.

“When I had surgery at Laval, my agents and I made the decision (to go and play in Slovakia). At that time, I was at my highest level. But after a few days, I hit a wall. I missed my mother and father,” he said.

If he laughs today when he thinks about the situation, he might have found it less funny at first.

“When I went shopping for the first time, I didn’t understand anything at all. I walked around using Google Translate to find out what I was buying. It’s not famous, it’s famous,” he added. “I ate the sandwiches I bought before the matches. The guys looked at me strangely.”

One thing led to another and he became friends with Phil Petronero, another Quebecois national who played in Trencin, and then things went back to normal.

Don’t worry, the young man ended up eating his fill. He now tips the scales at 186 pounds, up from 168 last year.

“I ate a lot of protein over the summer, so I gained a lot of weight. I gained 10 pounds last year, but I didn’t feel as good as I did this year.”

Although heavier, it has lost none of its speed and flair.