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and produce. I did well doing that." Before Weight started denting the scoresheet, he had to overcome a hurdle right out of the gate. In the season opener, a match at the Trail Smoke Eaters, he was held without a point in a performance he summarized as "re- ally bad." His play was so out of character that after the game he immediately sought advice from his dad, Doug, a former center who played 19 seasons in the NHL and won the Stanley Cup in 2006 with the Carolina Hurricanes before he entered the management and coaching ranks. "I said to him, 'I don't know what's going on. Am I not ready to play these minutes in this league?' " Danny recalled. "He told me to relax and that it was the first game." One night later, against the same opponent in the same venue, Danny recorded a goal and four assists in a Vees victory. "That one moment when my dad told me that I was OK and to relax and not freak out like it was the end of the world stood out for me," Danny said. "I followed what he told me all year. If I had a bad game, a bad shift or a bad stretch of hockey, I remembered to stay calm and confident and do my thing." Danny spoke with his father throughout the season. "I talked to him every day via text, and I called him after every game," Danny said. "We watched video together when he was there. He's like another coach for me." The experience Danny gained at the NTDP also gave him an edge during his time in Pent- icton, as it made the transition to living and playing in British Columbia relatively seam- less. The biggest surprise that awaited him af- ter he arrived on the Pacific Coast came away from the rink. "People say the area is beautiful and that it's awesome to play there, but I didn't really un- derstand it until I got there," Weight said. "All of our road trips were right by the water in the mountains, and all of the places are so beauti- ful. The weather is awesome, too." Next for Weight will be a return to the East Coast, as he's committed to play for the Boston College Eagles starting next season. He chose Boston College because of the coaches, the campus and the school's proximity to home. "The relationships you have with the coach- es are really important," Weight said. "(Head coach) Jerry York is a well-known, great coach and great guy. I wanted to play for him. BC is close to New York, which is nice. I love the fa- cility. BC is known for hockey, and I'm really looking forward to it. It should be a good time." It'll be an equally thrilling time for Weight's fellow Eagles. Not so much for their opponents, though. "On the ice, Danny is a player you don't like playing against," Harbinson concluded. "He gets under the other team's skin a lot. But off the ice, he's a very respectful young man. He'll challenge you in the right ways because he wants to get better. He wants to know why you are doing certain things, but it's always with the right frame of mind. "He's a great teammate. He's the kind of player I love to coach because of the passion that he shows away from the rink. He brings that passion in the locker room, and right onto the ice." @LeoScaglioneJr feedback@nyhockeyjournal�com www.nyhockeyjournal.com 7 Penticton Vees Penticton Vees' Danny Weight (Lattingtown, N.Y.) tied for ninth in the BCHL this season with 60 points in 58 regular-season games.