Fraser Looks To Grow In More Ways Than One

Feature Stories 2008-09

Jun 16 2009

Fraser Looks To Grow In More Ways Than One by Andy Neal

Fraser Looks To Grow In More Ways Than One Many fathers and sons have competitions with each other during the latter’s teenage years.  For Greg Fraser and his father, Ian, the battle is to see who can reach a weight of 210 pounds first.  A mark in which is Greg going up and Ian is coming down towards reaching.  “I’m going to the gym six times a week, my dad’s helping me out, pushing me hard,” said Fraser, from his home in Nanaimo.  “We’ve actually been making our own work-out plan and it’s going pretty well.  I’ve gained six pounds since I left Prince George to begin the off-season.”

Fraser still has a ways to go, currently tipping the scales at 168 pounds.  All the hard is going towards building on last year’s improvements and playing a physical style more effectively.  “I’m trying to get that big physical position, but it’s also to protect myself if something happens.  Be able to not just be knocked off the puck but be able to actually push back.  Basically protect myself and the puck better.”

Last season was a bit of a surprise for Fraser making the Cougars squad as a 16-year old.  If the 2007 WHL bantam draft was the National Football League draft, Fraser would have been awarded with the tongue and cheek title of “Mr. Irrelevant”, a tradition since 1976 bestowed upon the final pick of the NFL draft.  Fraser was the WHL version of “Mr. Irrelevant” in the ’07 bantam draft, taken in the 15th round, 318th overall.  But in 2008-09, Fraser was hardly irrelevant to the Cougars success, scoring 7 goals and 10 points in 51 games and adding 1 more tally in the playoffs against the Vancouver Giants in four games.  Fraser also had a role in parts of the season on the Cougars top line, with fellow first year players Brett Connolly and Marek Viedensky.  With the depth of now 17-year olds for the upcoming season, Fraser sees 2009-10 as another building block year, but even better than last year’s performance, which saw the Cougars qualify for the playoffs with eight 16-year olds on the playoff roster.

“A younger team, but we’ll have that skill gained from last year,” adds Fraser.  “We’ll all be together because we’re in the same age group.  I think it’s going to be really good down the road.”

Fraser is looking forward to meeting new Cougars Head Coach Dean Clark, whose previous success hasn’t gone unnoticed to the Cougars #9, who wants to make an immediate impression on Clark at training camp.  “It means I have to show myself again, where last year the coaches saw who I was and saw what I was capable of.  Now I have to prove to him that I am what they say I am.”
>Print^Top