For a guy who plays a physically punishing game on the ice, Elliot Arnett is as easy-going as they come off the ice. He made the team straight out of his first training camp at age 16 and quickly became a solid presence on the D line for the Owen Sound Attack. I caught up with Elliott to chat about the team’s playoff aspirations, the upcoming NHL draft and that time he dropped the gloves with now teammate Noah Roberts.

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First of all, thanks a lot, Elliott, for sitting down with me today. I appreciate it. We’re going to start at the beginning because, honestly, I don’t know your story. How did you get started playing hockey in the first place?

Well, at a young age, my dad wanted me to play hockey. He grew up playing hockey at a young age, so obviously he wanted me to as well. I started out playing Double A when I was pretty young, and then by the time I was 12, I went up to Triple A. I played in Barrie for most of my minor hockey, played one year in Newmarket, and then at U16 I got drafted here, and I made the team my first year.

Around AAA in Barrie, did you know you might want to go the OHL direction?

I really didn’t decide until my U16 year whether I wanted to go to school or commit to the draft. It was more based on where or when I got drafted—like what round. That was going to help decide whether I wanted to try to go the school route or try to make the OHL.

Right on. And your dad played here in Owen Sound back for the Greys way back. Did that time for him in the city have any influence on you coming here?

A little bit. I’m always meeting new people who somehow know my dad. So there are always new people around who knew my dad in some way. Also, he grew up close—he lived in Durham—so that helped a lot too.

I know you played a lot of minor hockey in Barrie. Did you have connections growing up with—there’s kind of a cluster of you guys—like Crawford, Zurawski, Royston?

No, none of those guys. I never played with Zurawski. He was always in Toronto. And then Royston and Crawford are older than me, so I never ran into them.

That’s funny. But now when you guys play in Barrie, it’s kind of like a mini home game.

Yeah definitely.

I was reading scouting reports, and the phrases they use about you are pretty fun. “Arnett’s game is built around physical imposition. Arnett’s physicality remains his standout trait. Mean and mobile. Arnett has a clear pathway into the NHL.” What do you see as your role with this team?

I think just being a defensive, lockdown defenseman—keeping the top lines from producing in games and making sure I’m always a great first-pass defenseman. Just simple things like that.

Do you have an NHLer that you feel like you model your game after?

McCabe on the Leafs. He’s around my size, and we play similar, so I try to model it around him.

Cool. I took a minute to check out the Hockey Fights website—I figured you might be on there. I was pleased to see there were seven fights. But I was like, “What?” The first person you fought in this league was Noah Roberts. It made me laugh. Have you guys had some laughs about that?

Yeah, all the time. I still tell him that I beat him in that fight, and I was three or four years younger than him. So it’s always jokes.

I wouldn’t call you an enforcer because I think you have a lot more skills to bring to the game than that. But how would you describe the physical part of your game? If someone has to answer the call for something—is that your job? Or does it just depend where you are?

That’s one of my traits—that I can step up for the call at any time. If something happens and I’m right there, I’m going to step up. But if I’m on the bench and I see, say, Roberts out there, he’s one of those guys who can step up too. So I think it’s more of a time-and-place type of thing.

Right on. I was going to go back to that training camp the first year you were here. At that time, you were committed to the Listowel Cyclones, I think, for that season. So when you came in here and had to kind of get a feel for the landscape and whether or not you would make this team, how tough of a decision was it which direction to go?

Well, I wanted to make the team. But to be honest with you, I didn’t think I was going to make the team. At the time they still had eight—or seven—returning defensemen. So I was thinking, okay, if I make the team, I might not play that much. I might get scratched. So I was going to sign with Listowel just in case, so if the year turned out like that and I wasn’t playing a lot, I could go back and play Junior B and develop. But I ended up making the team and actually developed really well.

I still remember that training camp, actually. I met your dad in the stands and we had a little chat. I think I knew that you were committed to Listowel, so I remember saying to him—I think he had asked about playing time, what I thought it would be like—and I said if there was ever a window for a skilled young defenseman to grow here, it was that year. I said if he stays, I think he’ll be in the lineup. And you have been. What do you think the coaches have seen in you that have kept you in the lineup?

I think the simplicity in my game. I don’t try to do overly skilled things. I’m very big on puck protection and just keeping possession of the puck. I don’t like to throw it away. I think that’s one of the biggest parts of my game and why they want to keep me in.

Awesome. The NHL Draft is fast approaching, and we’ve seen your name on Central Scouting lists and whatnot. How much is that on your mind as the season goes?

Not at all. No. I just want to play. Obviously I go through my emails every day and look for interviews and everything, but the draft itself—I don’t care about it until the day of. I just don’t think about it at all.

Do you have any dreams about where you could end up?

I would love to play anywhere. If I got to pick… I don’t even know where I would pick. Just anywhere.

For sure. Are you guys traveling down there, or are you just going to be—

I’ll most likely be at home. I haven’t decided yet, but most likely.

Tell me a little bit about the team right now and what the belief is like. I know there have been some ups and downs, but now playoffs are coming and it seems like the last little while things are clicking again. What does it feel like in the room, and what do you think you guys can achieve?

I think right now the room is very positive. I think everybody—we’re in a good position right now to have a good spot in the playoffs, and we have a chance to climb even higher. So right now morale is high.

How far do you think you guys could go?

I think we’re capable of—making an upset in the first round. And if we do end up making an upset in the first round, then it just spirals and we keep going all the way. So I think if we make that upset in the first round, we can go pretty far.

Awesome. I know you have a big game Friday night. Some points are on the line for sixth place. Is that talked about in the locker room?

It will be. I haven’t heard much yet, but it will be.

Tell me a bit more about your family. I know you said your dad has obviously been very involved, and I think your grandpa is also involved. Your mom, for sure—I see her here. What kind of role has your family played in getting you to where you are?

The biggest role I could ever dream of. They’ve done so much for me. We have a farm in Durham, and they’ve helped friends out with some of the sections just to help pay for hockey a lot of times. So I think a lot of my grandparents, my mom, and my dad—just pushing me to do all these things when I was younger—really helped me out.

Awesome. What do you love most about playing in Owen Sound?

I love the small town. I come from a small town, so it feels like home playing here. Seeing all the small-town fans and all the people coming out to the games—it’s just great.

Thanks for your time, Elliott.
Of course. Thank you.

This season’s player interviews are sponsored by Burke’s Brick Work. Burke’s Brick Work is a full-service masonry company offering new home construction, as well as restoration work. We service both Grey and Bruce County. We work with all types of materials – brick, Block, and stone. We are available by phone at (289) 200-8290, by email at  burkesbrickwork@gmail.com You can  learn more at our website at https://www.burkesbrickwork.com and you can follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/burkesbrickwork and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/burkes_brick_work