Dane Lauridsen: European d-man in Denver
Eurolanche fan club made an interview with the Danish defenseman, currently playing for the new Avalanche affiliate Denver Cutthroats.Markus
Lauridsen, 21, spent two previous seasons in the USHL, playing for the Green Bay
Gamblers. He gained 30 points in 58 games of the last season. Green Bay won the
cup and broke many records. It was nothing but the winning and very successful
season for Lauridsen. At the end, he was told he would be a part of the
upcoming camp of the Colorado Avalanche in September 2012.
Before the start of career in North
America, Markus was playing in Denmark and later moved to Sweden. He
represented national junior team of Denmark on two tournaments and also
appeared in 37 games of the elite Swedish league. He has lived in the USA since
2010.
Due a lockout, the Avalanche camp was
canceled. Markus participated in the Lake Erie camp and finally signed 2-way
contract with the Monsters. For now, Markus is a member of the newly
established Avalanche affiliate Denver Cutthroats of the CHL. Ha played in the
inaugural game and scored one goal. According
to this statistics, he could become only eighth NHL player of Denmark.
Nothing is impossible. And he knows it.
We
have heard you were invited to the Colorado Avalanche training camp. Is it
true? If there was not a lockout, would you come to Denver for the training
camp?
Yes, I was invited to the Avs training
camp, but because of the lockout there was no camp. So I was invited to Lake
Erie's training camp instead. If there wasn't a lockout I would have been in
Denver for camp. I signed a 2-way AHL contract with Lake Erie after camp.
When
you got the invitation to the camp? Did the Avalanche scouts follow you in the
USHL?
They invited me after the season and
I talked to one of the scouts who said they had been watching me throughout my
season in the USHL.
With
whom from the Avalanche organization have you been in the contact? Did somebody
from the scouts tell you what is his expectations?
I have talked to pretty much everyone
in the organization, and they just want me to develop and get bigger and
stronger. They didn't have any expectation going in to camp really.
What
are your feelings now? There is a lockout which has caused the cancelation of
the training camps... It must be hard for you, is not?
Obviously it would have been a great
experience to be a part of an NHL camp, but there was nothing I could do about
it, so I was just excited about the camp in Lake Erie.
What
are your goals and the expectations for the upcoming season in the NCAA? (We asked him this question before he has signed
a contract in the AHL)
I am not going to play in NCAA since I
have signed with Lake Erie. I will start my season for the Denver Cutthroats in
the CHL. Hopefully I can develop and learn a lot of stuff here this year and
maybe get called up to Lake Erie. Then we'll see where I am at next year.
You
played in Europe until you were 19. How did you get to the USA? Was not hard
for you to leave family and friends?
I moved to Sweden from Denmark when I
was 16 to pursue hockey. I have been away from home for a while, but it wasn't
that hard. It was something I wanted to do so that made it easier. But moving
to the States was a little bit different, but I liked it though.
You
had great season last year. 30 points in 58 games is very solid for the
defenseman.
Yes, I had a good season individually,
but the greatest thing about the season was winning the cup. We had a great
team and broke a lot of records, so it was a fun year.
What is
your next objective for the season 2013/14? Playing in the minors, AHL, try-out
in the camp or come back to Europe?
My goal is to do well here and maybe
get called up for some games this year, and then we'll see what happen after
this season.
What
the Avalanche management told you about the current situation? Will you get a
chance next year again?
I don't know really, I think it
depends on how I am doing this year. I hope so.
How
it is going when the player is invited to the camp by the NHL team? This team
pays all costs from the travelling to the accommodation?
Yes, the team pays for everything.
What
are your hobbies? How do you spend your free time?
I like playing golf, and watch TV shows, hang out with friends and family.
Do not miss other
Eurolanche exclusive interviews with the following players:
David Puchovsky, Slovakia, eurolanche@eurolanche.com
22/10/2012 - 15:00
