March 7, 2008

Kevin Wey
McKeen's Hockey Prospects Staff

As the end of the 2007-08 USHL season approaches, rookie center Michael Cichy is still leading the Tri-City Storm in scoring and is one of the top scoring rookies in the USHL. McKeen's recently had the opportunity to talk with Cichy and discussed his adjustment to the USHL, his history with the National Developmental Team, going the college route, his commitment to the University of North Dakota, roller hockey, and a certain diminutive Colorado Avalanche scorer.

McKeen's: You have got about 20 games left in the season and you're leading the Tri-City Storm in scoring so far, but what have some of the biggest adjustments been for you coming to the USHL?

Cichy: Definitely the speed of the game. Playing for the National Development Team last year in the NAHL, where we played our season, a lot of guys were bigger and stronger, but they didn't have the speed like they do in this league. So, I guess that took a little adjustment period. I'm starting to get used to it now.

McKeen's: How do you feel your season has gone overall, so far?

Cichy: Not the way we want to, as a team. Losing games where we are is not acceptable, we have a lot more talent and it shouldn't be like that. It should be like it has this year.

McKeen's: What are some of the areas of your game that you have really been focusing on improving with Tri-City?

Cichy: When I came here, I think I had a lot of work to do in the defensive end and physically. I think with their training program and coach is working with me constantly in d-zone. I've made pretty good steps, I'd say, and I think the coaches would agree, playing in the d-zone and being able to block shots and finish all your checks for your team.

McKeen's: Have there been certain defensive subtleties that they have been working with you on?

Cichy: Just, pretty much finishing all my checks. I used to spin away a little more than I should have. Now, I think I'm doing a lot better job of finishing my guy.

McKeen's: On the flipside, what do you feel are the strengths of your game already?

Cichy: Strengths? I think I can see the ice pretty well and can score. If the puck's there, I can put it in, and I can make the pass, find the open guy, something like that.

McKeen's: It was not always evident that you would end up going the Tier I junior A and collegiate route, because there was considerable interest in you by teams in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, and Halifax drafted you. What was it that made you decide to go the collegiate route?

Cichy: I think, physically, I didn't think I was ready to take that step and risk throwing away college and my education. I obviously will do anything to get to the NHL, but I think the better route for me right now would be to go to the University of North Dakota. They've got an amazing training program there, and I think the USHL this year is preparing me to get there next year. I'm looking forward to that and think that that'll better prepare me for the future.

McKeen's: Which QMJHL teams did contact you?

Cichy: We talked to quite a few. I know Moncton was really interested, and Lewiston talked to us a lot, and obviously Halifax was pretty big. I talked to a bunch of the coaches before draft day and I told them I wasn't coming, I was planning on going to the USHL. Halifax still took me in the third round, hoping they could talk me into it. They've been on us real hard trying to talk me into still going there up until the trade deadline this year, they were still on us. I said no, and said where I'm going, and just looking forward to the rest of the season and next year.

McKeen's: Last season, as you have mentioned, you played with the National Development Program. Tell me about your time there and then,also, you rejoined the Junior Bruins in February, tell me about that, too.

Cichy: I think, the biggest thing, the National Team, I liked it there. They prepared us, we got a lot stronger, but I talked to the coaches and they really agreed that it wasn't a really good fit for the type of player I was. They wanted, just a different player. We all agreed that I was better suited in the USHL on a team where I could develop more and show off a little more skill that I had. I had fun there, liked the kids, liked the coaching staff, it just wasn't a really good fit.

McKeen's: What was the type of player that they were looking for?

Cichy: They love the big hits, the big grind. There's nothing wrong with it, [I'm] just not really suited for it with my size and the way I am.

McKeen's: You also have a considerable history in the Junior Bruins program, scoring 122 points in the Empire League in 2005-06. Obviously, there are many options up in New England, so what made you decide to go to the Junior Bruins organization?

Cichy: I played for the summer teams growing up. I always played for Chris and Peter Masters, playing in summer tournaments up at Prospects and all of that. Chris talked me into it, that juniors was the route to go to get me physically ready for the next level, and I agreed at a young age to come in there and just develop the physical side of my game. I think it paid off.

McKeen's: What was your first season of juniors?

Cichy: It was that season. I played for that same team before, but we were considered a midget major team then, and it jumped to a Junior B level the next year.

McKeen's: I noticed on the Storm's website that going to the Ivan Hlinka Tournament in the Czech Republic and Slovakia was a big highlight for you. Tell me about being selected to that team and your time there.

Cichy: It was a really big honor. Whenever you get that chance to play for your country, you never turn it down. After all the National Team has done for me and given me, I was honored to go and had a great time up there. I played with Phil McRae and Nate Dewhurst on a line and had some fun with them. We didn't play as well as we wanted to, I think we went 3-3, but it was a good time. Representing your country, always good.

McKeen's: Who were some of your teammates on that team that impressed you the most and why?

Cichy: Well, Phil McRae was an unbelievable player, playing in the OHL this year, and Jordy Murray was a really hard worker, playing at Shattuck this year. A couple big defensemen, John Carlson was a tough kid and he should go high this year. It was a good team overall.

McKeen's: Now, you also played for Team USA at the World Junior A Challenge up in British Columbia. How did that tournament go for you personally, who were your linemates, and how did it compare to the Hlinka tournament?

Cichy: It was a big difference, playing in Canada against Canada. There were a lot of people, a lot of people cheering you on. I had fun there. It was just a great bunch of guys there, again. Barry Almeida, just played against him here in Omaha, an unbelievable player. I think he got two overtime goals for us in that tournament. I enjoyed it, same result. I didn't have as big of a role as I did on the Hlinka Tournament team because I was a younger guy going to this tournament. But still, I did what I could and had fun.

McKeen's: Tell me a bit more about that, because the Canada West guys especially play a different style. How did the Canada West and the Canada East guys compare to what you play every night here?

Cichy: The Canadian hockey, it's a big difference. They do play, like, a North American style. They hit, they're physical, but man, they see the ice, they could find that open guy and the puck's in the back of the net before you can see. A great bunch of players in Canada up there.

McKeen's: As you have mentioned, you are committed to North Dakota. When did you first start talking with coach Hakstol, I'm assuming he was the coach at that point, and what was the recruiting process that his staff led you through and what made you make that decision?

Cichy: Well, I played in a tournament up in North Dakota with the Junior Bruins, and I think Cary Eades was the first one that saw me, and I talked with him once. I guess all the coaches kept watching me throughout the tournament and we talked shortly after that. Wasn't offered anything, just started the talking process there. Then, the next year I went to the National Program, and that's when they finally threw out the offer. It just excited me, loved the program, loved the school, because I got to see it when I went up there. You can't not like that rink up there.

McKeen's: "The Ralph" is definitely very nice. What were some of the other schools that showed some interest in you and that you also had a little interest in?

Cichy: I think the biggest ones were Denver, CC (Colorado College), and UNH (New Hampshire). I wasn't real interested in the East Coast, but UNH pushed a little bit. I loved Denver, I loved Colorado College, I just liked the style of play there, and I love North Dakota, too. When they threw out that offer, it didn't take me long to accept that and just be ready to play there.

McKeen's: That's interesting, as a New Englander, why were you not interested in staying out East and interested in going out West?

Cichy: Yeah, it was. I think I'm one of the only guys to kind of do that. I guess you can put a little bit on roller hockey. I played roller hockey with a bunch growing up. North Dakota said they encourage roller hockey players, same with CC and Denver. They like the play style, it encourages hands and all of that. I think the East Coast is a little more like the National Development program, where there's a lot of grinders and hard play like that. The more open style of the West schools was more suited for me.

McKeen's: That was one of my questions down the line, but we'll go to it now, because you are fairly well known for your roller hockey exploits. Tell me more about your roller hockey history and how that helps you with some skills and maybe some ways in how it complicates things.

Cichy: I played roller hockey my whole life, growing up, just tournament and nationals every summer and teams would pick me up, you know, bounce around. It does teach a little bit of bad habits where you don't stop on the puck, you want to circle a little bit, which I have been working on, because I didn't play roller hockey at all this summer, so I think I improved on it a little bit. I've definitely got to keep improving there. But it does, on the flipside, help you with your hands and vision, because things happen pretty fast and you've got to be able to see things quick. So, I think with hands and vision, it does help out a lot, and you can use that to your advantage on ice.

McKeen's: What are some of the highlights of your roller hockey career?

Cichy: Two summers ago, I got selected to go to the tryout for the world men's team to go to Budapest. They ended up winning that tournament. I didn't end up going, but I was one of the youngest guys, I think, ever selected to the tryout before that. Going to Winter Nationals with Black Ice, a high scorer in a couple nationals, all-star teams, stuff like that, just basic stuff.

McKeen's: It is your NHL draft year. Do you ever think about that?

Cichy: Oh, every day. You try to push for that every day. If you ever get out there and want to quit on the ice or something, it pops in my head that this is a huge year and I want to do whatever I can to raise that draft status up.

McKeen's: Now, unless my printout was wrong, and I kept checking, but I didn't see you on Central Scouting's Midterm Rankings. What was your reaction to that?

Cichy: Really frustrated. It was frustrating, but it's more of a stepping stone to improve in games to come. I know I talked to my advisor, Eddie Ward, and wasn't too thrilled about it, thought there was a lot of guys that shouldn't be on there. There's a lot of conflict about it, but you can't argue. I was on the preliminaries at the beginning of the year as "B", and right now it's a little frustrating, but we're going to try, obviously, to get back up there.

McKeen's: Plus, that's one organization's opinion; there are 30 NHL teams out there. CSS is only like a 31st team. I noticed on the Storm's website that Marek Svatos is your favorite player. When did you pick Svatos as your favorite player and why?

Cichy: His rookie season, he jumped out pretty early for the Avs. He's a pure scorer and he was exciting to watch for me. I remember seeing one game, watching him, he threw a guy over the boards. A guy that little that scores goals like that, just toss someone over the boards like that, kind of turned me on to him and I've liked him ever since.