Jeff Blashill admits he didn’t fully appreciate Mitch Callahan at the start of the season.
“I was wrong about the type of player he is,” the Grand Rapids Griffins first-year head coach said. “He’s a much better player than I gave him credit for at the beginning of the year.”
“Mitch is the type of player you win with,” Blashill said. “He’s very, very strong on the puck, he wins puck battles, he goes to the net hard, he’s got good hands, he’s physical, he’s an agitator and he’ll fight when needed. Those are all assets, that, when you put them all together, that makes you a real good hockey player.”
“He’s been a real important part of our team,” Blashill said. “He’s just a more effective player than I realized at first. That’s just getting to know your players and maybe just giving him more opportunity … and he took off with it.”