Leisner Working Hard at Stars Development Camp
Published on July 11, 2012 under North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Texas Tornado News Release
Many of the Dallas Stars' recent top draft picks are at Dr Pepper Arena this week to attend the team's Development Camp, The camp is littered with Stars prospects, including forward Radek Faksa, defenseman Jamie Oleksiak, and goaltender Jack Campbell. Campbell, who represented the United States at the World Junior Hockey Championship over the winter, is sharing the crease with a few other goalies, including current Texas Tornado netminder Hunter Leisner. Leisner is taking the opportunity to soak in as much knowledge as he possibly can.
"You talk to each person as they come off about little things you want to improve on, like how you looked or what someone did specifically and what they're trying to make you do." Leisner said. "It's a development camp and it really is all about learning."
"There are a lot of great goalies here and Jack Campbell is certainly one of them," he added. "Every style is a little different, but we're all out here trying to do the same thing: Trying to get better and improve."
The Garland, Texas native was approached about the camp by multiple members of the Stars organization.
"I got a phone call from [Stars Player Development Coordinator] J.J. McQueen and then I got a letter in the mail from [Stars General Manager] Joe Nieuwendyk saying that I'd been invited," Leisner said. "I was nothing but excited and enthused about coming here. It's just a great experience and I'm loving every second of it.
It has been a whirlwind year for Leisner, who began the 2011-2012 season as a member of the Aberdeen Wings. He was acquired by the Tornado in a January trade, and ended his year with a national championship after a 4-3 win over the St. Louis Bandits in the Robertson Cup final. Leisner posted a record of 21-16-5 between Aberdeen and Texas along with five shutouts. He played to a 10-3-2 record in 17 regular season games with the Tornado, with a 2.32 GAA and a .910 SV%.
He also closed out the 2011-2012 regular season by starting the final 13 contests. The Tornado went down 0-2 in their first round, best-of-five series against the Topeka Roadrunners, both games started by Leisner. He did not play in Game 3, as Topeka went on to sweep Texas in the first round of the South Division playoffs. But as the host team, the Tornado had their Robertson Cup bid secured and knew who their goaltender would be. After suffering an injury in practice, Leisner had little time to recover, but did so in time for the start of the tournament. He enjoyed the title for a little bit, but immediately went back to the grind.
"I probably took a couple of weeks off after we won the Robertson Cup and then I got right back into training," Leisner said. "I was on the ice about four times a week for the two or three weeks leading up to this. I was really trying to get prepared and make sure that when I come into [camp], I can come into it as strong as I can and perform to the best of my abilities."
The '92-born goaltender will look to keep the momentum going as he heads into his final season of junior hockey. But for now, he's enjoying his time on the ice with future members of the Dallas Stars.
"It really is a dream come true to be out here with such world-class players," Leisner said. "You take something from every person you talk to and it really is a great experience."
North American Hockey League Stories from July 11, 2012
- Leisner Working Hard at Stars Development Camp - Texas Tornado
- Jr. K-Wings Leone Commits to Adrian College - Kalamazoo Jr. K-Wings
- Charles Baldwin Picks Corpus Christi - Corpus Christi IceRays
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