Isaac Howard discusses changes he is hoping to make to his game after being demoted to the AHL
This evening, Edmonton Oilers prospect Isaac Howard spoke to the media and discussed his plan to improve after being sent down to the AHL.
Heading into the NHL season the Edmonton Oilers were expected to rely on several young players to step up and fill key roles.
Isaac Howard was one of those players that Kris Knoblauch was hoping to rely on but the young forward struggled early in the season.
In 17 appearances, Howard tallied just three points and was often demoted to the bottom-six in favor of veteran players.
This ultimately led Stan Bowman and the front office to make the tough decision to assign Howard to the AHL.
Now, after getting a couple of AHL games under his belt, Howard spoke to the media and discussed specific areas of his game he is hoping to improve.
Isaac Howard discusses key areas of his game he is hoping to improve
During a recent interview, Howard spoke about getting his confidence back during this AHL stint.
Play with confidence. I'm getting way more minutes, way more looks here. I think that's part of it. It's fun to get out there and get looks in a lot of different scenarios.
Beyond that, Howard wants to round out his game and become a key contributor on the penalty kill as well.
That was really fun. I was happy to get out there. Like I said, that's some different looks I'm getting. That would be a great area to grow my game and maybe adding that to my tool box would be great.
After his first AHL stint, Howard likely realizes that the key to playing time in the NHL with the Oilers will come through Howard's ability to play and be trusted in all situations.
If Howard can become a quality penalty killer he can fill a similar role to Oilers youngster Matt Savoie who has found a niche and run with it.
As Howard continues to get comfortable in the AHL it will be interesting to see if he can make a case to get another NHL opportunity this season.
| POLL | ||
NOVEMBRE 20 | 111 ANSWERS Isaac Howard discusses changes he is hoping to make to his game after being demoted to the AHL Do you think Isaac Howard will play another game for the Edmonton Oilers this season? | ||
| Yes | 55 | 49.5 % |
| No | 56 | 50.5 % |
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