Content Provided By: Dave Anthony – Voice of the Pistons
Former Pistons forward Kyle Bettens is dawning the blue and white of the Toronto Maple Leafs for development camp taking place in Toronto.
“I was playing a weekend in Miami, Ohio,” explains Bettens on how his invite came about. “After the weekend, I got a text message from one of the scouts, Chris Bourque, inviting me to their main camp. I was excited to hear about that early in my season, and it gave me confidence for the second half of my year. It was a no brainer to come here. Being at Maple Leafs camp is super special and only a certain number of kids get to experience this. I’m honored to be one of them.”
Bettens suited up for 90 regular season games for Steinbach scoring 28 goals and adding 57 assists.
Having spent the last two seasons at the University of Minnesota-Duluth, Bettens says he’s used to a routine and that’s what he’s getting at this camp, as well. “Our schedule is simple, it’s a lot of on-ice and off-ice. I think it’s mainly to get to know the guys, the staff, and the management. We only play one game on Sunday to close out the camp. Really looking forward to that. They have told me that they are looking for players with my size and skill, and they’re looking for always complete players that they see in the future that can help the team win consistently. Hopefully, I can show that I’m a player that can do that. I want to use this camp to prove I can be an asset to a winning organization.”
Bettens knows it will be a lot of hard work, but he’s focused on soaking up the experience and taking what he learns with him moving forward. “What I hope I can take away from this week is just what it means to be a Maple Leaf. I attended Vegas Golden Knight’s camp last year and learned a lot, I mean, they were coming off a Stanley Cup, so everything was super fun, but I think growing up as a Leafs fan, it has a different level here. They have so much talent on and off the ice, it’s incredible. A big thing is what it means to be a Maple Leaf day in and day out, from how they eat, train, practice, and go about business.”
It’s not a lot of time to showcase his talent but the now 23-year-old says he plans to do everything he can to stand out. “A camp like this only comes around once a year for some guys and I’m just here going to enjoy my experience but also have the mindset I want to show them what I can bring to the table. It’s always a competition and to separate yourself from the others, I’ll do whatever it takes. I want to show them that and hopefully, they can remember a player like me. I’m excited to put on a Maple Leaf’s sweater and I can’t wait to keep working with the amazing staff they have here for us.”
As for the future, Bettens knows a good camp can make the road to the NHL a little more of a reality. “I plan on going back to Minnesota-Duluth for my junior year. We have a great group coming back, so it’s easy to be hyped about what we can do. I feel like we’ve been short success the past two years, maybe deserved a bit better but we’re going to use that going into this year. I’m looking forward to taking a leadership role. I want to be someone always viewed as doing the little things right, never cheating the game, bringing my best each night. I want to show guys what it means to be a Bulldog and play Bulldog hockey.”
Meanwhile, Warren Clark is in Tampa for Lightning camp, Riese Gaber is attending Stanley Cup Champions Florida Panthers camp, and Matt Radomsky is in Calgary for Flames development camp.