CBJ Q&A: Checking in with Liam Foudy

The Blue Jackets are welcoming back around 30 players as training camp nears as part of the NHL's Return to Play protocol, but someone who saw just two games of action this year might be one of the most intriguing people in Columbus.

2018 first-round draft pick Liam Foudy skated in just a pair of games for the Blue Jackets in February as the team's injuries mounted, and his performance in his debut contests vs. Tampa Bay and Buffalo impressed. The center/winger had an assist in the latter contest and earned more and more ice time as the contest went on, with head coach John Tortorella impressed with the 20-year-old's speed and instincts.

"We're going to miss him, I'll tell you right now," Tortorella said after Foudy's second game vs. Buffalo as the player returned to his junior team in London per contract rules. "I really like the way he plays. We'll miss him in our line. He's playing better. He played better tonight than some of our veteran guys."

Those two games with the Blue Jackets were among the highlights of a crazy season for Foudy, who began the year on the injured list with a shoulder injury suffered when he was with the Blue Jackets at the Traverse City NHL Prospects Tournament. He recovered to dominate the OHL, play for Team Canada's gold-medal-winning entrant at the World Junior Championships, and made his NHL debut.

And now, with the chance to join the Blue Jackets for meaningful games as part of the NHL's restart, Foudy was one of the first players to return to Columbus for the opening of the team's facility for on- and off-ice workouts. Foudy, who had 68 points in 45 games with London this year, spoke to BlueJackets.com upon his return about his hopes for the rest of the season.

How does it feel to be back on the ice? It's got to be pretty nice to have a chance to go out there with the guys.

Yeah, it's been amazing. It's part of the reason I came down early, because a lot of the stuff in Toronto has been closed down. So as soon as I found out things have been opening up here, it was one of the many reasons I wanted to come down, to get back on the ice. I hadn't been on the ice for a long time, so I was excited to get out there. It feels good. Nothing was open at all in Toronto where I was staying. I can't remember if I had gone that long without touching the ice like that. It's definitely something I'm not used to.

When you're off the ice for three months, I have to imagine the first couple of times you get back out there, it has to be tough to get the skating legs back.

Yeah, I'd say they're definitely slowly coming back. The first week back, it wasn't pretty to watch out there. I was getting tired pretty quickly. I didn't have my skating legs under me. Now that we've been skating for a little bit here, I definitely feel a lot better than when I started.

You've been around the team the last few years, but you've also been with London for the most part. Has it been cool to be here with the guys? Does having a chance to come down and skate with them give you a chance to know them more?

Yeah, being down here, in my group I'm with Dubois, Riley Nash, Harrington and Elvis, so being around them for our workouts, it's a great group of guys. Hanging around them, I got to know them a little better. It makes you a little more comfortable going into camp knowing the guys a lot more.

You got to be around for two games, but from the aspect of fit, building relationships, actually getting the chance to play with the team, how much does that help with the comfort level?

That was huge. Getting to know them, even though I was only here for literally the two games and went back to London right after, just playing the game with them and getting to know them a lot better, that gave me a confidence booster for my own game. That makes you feel a lot more comfortable, and when you're more comfortable, it helps your own game a lot more.

You had the injury at the start of the season, but then World Juniors -- which I know is something that meant a lot to you -- then you had the chance to play NHL games. You really did have a whirlwind year. Have you had a chance to have that all sink in a little bit during the break, what you really accomplished?

Yeah, over this coronavirus period, I guess there wasn't much to do. It kind of all sunk in, everything that went on this year. Being hurt and missing the start of the year, it's definitely not what I wanted to do, and not being able to participate in training camp, that sucked. Just being able to bounce back the way I did and do everything I was able to do, I was really proud of myself. Playing in the World Juniors and winning that, it was a lot of fun. Then obviously playing these two games (with the Blue Jackets), it was probably a year I'll never forget.

It was only two NHL games, but did you prove anything to yourself in those games? Guys are always curious how their game is going to measure up in the best in the world. You've always played against great competition, but this is the highest level, so I'm sure you were wondering how it was going to go.

Yeah, I thought I played pretty well in both games I've played. The second game, Torts trusted me to play a lot more than I did in the first game, which is a good confidence booster. I was happy the way I played, and in the end, it's always a big jump to get to the next level. I always try to work on my game and try to get better every day to try to play in this league full-time one day.

What was the biggest thing you learned on or off the ice through those two games?

I think probably how smart the guys are. Everyone knows exactly where to be at the right time. There's very few mistakes, and if there are, there's always someone there to cover you and help you out in that sense. And then obviously how strong everyone is. It's a much older league compared to the OHL, where there's some 16-year-olds. Here, there's a lot older men and everyone is a lot stronger and a lot more compete I'd say. Playing those two games, it was good to see where I'm at compared to that.

You mentioned Torts having faith in you to play big minutes in the second game. He was very complimentary and encouraged by your play in the media. Is it good to know that you at least impressed him?

Yeah, for sure. That's what every player wants is to have trust from the coach. For him to be able to do that with me, it made me feel really good and helped me going back to London to finish my season.

Looking forward a little bit, there has to be a lot of anticipation that you could be part of what is essentially a playoff series when we restart. What's your mind-set as you come back here? There has to be some excitement.

Yeah, that's why I'm down here early. I want to get used to everything, all the protocols and everything so when camp comes, I'm adjusted and I can play the best hockey that I hopefully can and fight for a roster spot for that series against the Leafs. That's every kid's dream is to play in, I guess you can call it the playoffs, especially playing against my hometown team I grew up watching every day. I watched the Leafs all the time, so being able to maybe play in a series against them would be something pretty special for me.