When you meet him away from the ice, 16-year-old Josh Anderson strikes you as not having an unpleasant bone in his body.
But put him in hockey equipment with a chance to make life difficult for opposing puck carriers and it's like someone's stirred up a wasp's nest.
That mean streak is just under the surface and it's exactly what the Prince George Cougars require of Anderson for him to be successful this season in the Western Hockey League. They picked him third overall in the 2013 WHL bantam draft for his above-average skating skills and playmaking abilities, but also because of his habit of using his body as a battering ram.
"Josh has earned an opportunity here, he's come to camp in good shape and his testing has gone well and we'll see what happens on the ice," said Cougars head coach Mark Holick. "He's got a little nastiness to him, he's got a little snarl to his game and I don't think there's any easy ice around him. I don't think we were nasty at all on the back end last year, I think we were very easy to play against. He likes to play that way and he's only going to get better."
Last season in 34 games with the South Island Royals major midget team, Anderson collected a goal, 13 assists and 72 penalty minutes. He missed 10 games at the start of the season with a shoulder injury. Anderson also played two games for the Cougars.
At six-foot-three, 215 pounds, Anderson is an inch taller but his weight is the same as it was last year for his first Cougars training camp. He's replaced the baby fat he was carrying last season for fast-twitch muscle fibres and feels he's made enough improvements in his game to prepare him for the jump to the WHL.
"I think I'm more of a skating defenceman, as well as puck-moving, and I can hit the body and block shots for the boys," said Anderson, a native of Duncan. "I'm a lot more confident in my skating and being able to rush the puck and be able to get back.
"I've always had that nasty part of me and I like it. Just slashing guys behind the play, getting under their grill, I like that. There's a lot more pressure being a No. 1 pick but I think it's a big honour and I'm ready to come here and play. It's only two years until the [NHL] draft and I want to play hockey at as high a level as I can."
In July, Anderson was invited to Hockey Canada's evaluation camp in Calgary, where he auditioned for a spot on one of the three national squads that will represent Canada at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in Sarnia, Ont., Nov. 2-8. Hockey Canada will announce the rosters in September. Anderson has also been training with other WHL players in Seattle the past five weeks to get himself in shape for camp.
The Cougars acquired 17-year-old centre Hadyn Hopkins along with a third-round draft pick they used to select forward Ethan O'Rourke in a draft-day trade with Saskatoon which sent Alex Forsberg to the Blades. Anderson and Hopkins, a native of Victoria, were midget teammates on the Royals the past two seasons. Hopkins predicts Cougars fans are going to like what they see in Anderson over the next few seasons.
"He was a little tentative after his injury, but near the end of the season he was back playing with an edge and guys were scared to go into the corner with him, that's for sure," said Hopkins, who totaled 17 goals and a team-leading 48 points in 34 games.
"He has great mobility for a big guy and moves extremely well in the D-zone and on the blueline, whether it be on the power play or 5-on-5. It was great when I got traded up here to know I have a current teammate to help my transition to this organization. It's a great organization and a great environment to be around."
The renewed optimism that surrounds Cougarville in the wake of the team's ownership change in April is obvious to the players.
"It feels good to be back with the New Ice Age here, I think it's a lot better team and organization compared to last year," said Anderson, following his VO2 max fitness test Thursday by PacificSport at UNBC. "Everybody's a lot happier and excited to get the season going."
Anderson will be suiting up with the 1998- and 1999-born players in camp for today's Young Guns game at CN Centre. The game starts at 4 p.m.
