CATCHING UP WITH THE 'CUDA: ADAM HELEWKA
Aug 21, 2017
Once the 2016-17 season concluded, each Barracuda player returned to his hometown or offseason hangout. Moving forward, each week sjbarracuda.com will check in with a different Barracuda player and see what he is up to this summer. This week we catch up with Adam Helewka.
What have you been up to this offseason? My parents have a place in Kelowna, so I train five days a week, Monday through Friday, and then I go up to Kelowna for the weekend. It’s a chance to relax on the lake and get away for a bit.
Troy Grosenick trains in Kelowna with his goalie coach Adam Francilia, are you guys going to hang out while he’s in town? Yeah, it's funny you ask. He’s planning on staying with me while he’s here.
Kelowna is known for it's lake, does your family have a boat? Yeah, my parents do. The lake is pretty mangled right now. The water is too high, so you can’t have boats on it yet. We got a ton of rain and snow this past winter, but by next week everything should be getting back to normal.
What’s your favorite summer destination? It’s 100% Kelowna.
What’s your favorite summertime activity? I’d say being on the lake and being on the boat. I do a lot of wake surfing, which is a blast. Just hanging out and enjoying the outdoors is the best.
What type of training have you been doing this summer to stay in shape? I’ve been training in the gym from Monday through Friday, and I skate on Mondays and Fridays. The goal this offseason is to put a little more meat on my upper body and work on my foot speed and explosiveness
What did the coaching staff want you to improve on this offseason before you enter your sophomore campaign? They wanted me to be a lot harder on pucks, so I've been trying to build up my strength and size. Also, continue to improve my foot speed.
You came back for development camp again this year, what were you trying to accomplish during that week? I tried to take a leadership role this year, and help out the young guys, but I also wanted to open some eyes with the big team.
What was your fondest memory from last year? Our final trip to Tucson in late March really sticks out. We had just gotten some new guys, so we all went out for dinner as a team and it helped us bond before the playoffs. We had an incredible comeback after Goody (Barclay Goodrow) scored a hat trick on March 26th. It set the tone for the remainder of the season and the playoffs.
Last year you got a bit banged up in training camp which forced you to miss some games early in the season. Are you excited going into camp being 100% healthy? Yeah, absolutely! I feel better than ever, right now. Physically and mentally I’m ready to go, so I’m excited about camp.