Coralville, Iowa - Forward Will Calverley has emerged early in his second professional season, tallying a few important, early-season goals and serving as an alternate captain with the Iowa Heartlanders.
The start to this season is all the more impressive considering he suffered a a scary season-ending injury as a rookie; in late February he was slammed into the boards and taken off the ice on a stretcher. In the months following the injury, the native of Scarborough, ON contemplated not returning to hockey.
Calverley caught up with Dir. of Communications David Fine to chat about his road back to Iowa.
Will Calverley Q+A
David Fine: You had surgery in the offseason in St. Louis and you were able to go home while you were recovering from surgery. How beneficial was that for you to be around family at that time?
Will Calverley: It was awesome, I hadn’t seen my family since before Christmas, probably about five months without seeing them. They understood, they took care of me. Everyone in Iowa did a great job looking after me but it’s different with family, the love and support you get from them. It was awesome to be back with them.
DF: I want to talk a little about how your season ended last year. It was really scary, you were stretchered off the ice in Cincinnati. But the next day you were at morning skate, smiling with the big thumbs up. I don’t know how much you remember, might be a little hard to recap, but tell us about that night.
Calverley: I don’t remember much. I remember we scored the shift before I got out there and then the next memory I have is laying on the stretcher, getting carried off the ice. The athletic trainer in Cincinnati, our athletic trainer Jason, they did a fantastic job taking care of me. I knew I was in really good hands. Jason did a great job, he reached out to my family and made sure they knew everything was fine. Like you said, it was a scary scene for everyone watching and the broadcast couldn't say much, so my family were left in the dark, but Jason made sure they were updated.
I was in the hospital for about three hours, just running all these different tests. Thankfully, everything came back negative. I had a concussion and I just had to deal with that but being at the rink makes me feel at home, so I think the best thing for me, the next day was going to the rink, seeing everybody. The hockey world is small so you hear from a lot of people. It was scary but I was able to work through it, and didn’t know what was gonna happen but I've played three games since and everything feels comfortable.
DF: That’s great to hear, that was a really scary situation. An injury like that can really change your perspective. It's great that you're back to normal, you’re smiling, back in Iowa.
Calverley: Yeah, exactly. I’m excited to be here. I had to take some time to think about it. It really puts everything into perspective but I knew I wanted to come back. I love hockey and I love being in Coralville, so this is a perfect fit for me.
DF: You’re back for your second season with the Heartlanders, Derek Damon has been talking a lot about culture and identity. What have you heard from Derek this year about the identity, the culture, and the things he wants to extract out of you and the rest of the team?
Calverley: That we’re all in and we all want the same thing. His biggest thing is that we compete every day, obviously in games, but also in practice against each other. We want to make sure we’re pushing each other to get better. His biggest thing is that we get there and we work hard, and we know we have a job to do: not only make ourselves better and make our teammates better. That’s the culture he wants.
DF: It’s really easy to want to slack off a little sometimes, but to really bring it every day is a new level of commitment that you guys are striving for. How hard is it to do that on a day-to-day basis?
Calverley: Like anything else, it’s tough. We’re grateful, we have one of the best jobs in the world, we get to play hockey for a living. You just have to be the best you can be that day. Obviously, some days you’re not gonna feel it, might be a little sore, a little tired, but at the end of the day you have to come in and be true to your teammates. Derek wants the team to be a family, so you’re letting your brothers down, in a sense, if you come to the rink and just go through the motions. You're not only letting yourself down, but you’re letting down the 21 other guys in the locker room with you.
DF: Before the end of the season, you scored 8 goals and 21 points as a rookie, and played about half the season. How did you feel that you fit in?
Calverley: Everyone takes their time to get adjusted and get comfortable and I think that’s one of my big struggles, is that it takes me a little bit of time to get comfortable so I don’t think I found my stride until the end of November, beginning of December, and from there it was injury after injury. I hadn’t played a game since February but I think my style fits great with how Derek envisions this team and the systems he puts in. I’m a hard worker, I go out and just want to get to the net, do anything to score a goal, and I think that’s the way Derek envision it. He wants us to be a hard team to play against and that’s perfect for me. I’m comfortable now so I think this is going to be a great year for me and the team.
Introducing our REVAMPED 5-Star Ticket Package
If you missed out on the original 5-Star Ticket Pack, don’t worry! We’re excited to offer a revamped version, ensuring the fun continues. With this new package, you’ll receive tickets to all remaining 5-Star games this season and enjoy up to $40 in team store credit!
Mark your calendars for our next 5-Star game on November 30th—grab your revamped package before then and join us for more tailgates and exciting events throughout the season. For more information, click HERE.
Next 5-Star Night: November 30th: Crispy Bacon Night
This night will be one to remember! It’s CRISPY BACON NIGHT! On November 30th, at 6:00 p.m. we will be taking on the Bloomington Bison. But first, make sure to stop by for the Pregame Party at the Hyatt Hotel Exhibit Hall for lots and lots of pork and bacon. Want more bacon? We’re giving away Bacon Thunder Sticks. Your Crispy Bacon experience doesn't end when you walk in the door... in fact, it's just beginning and will carry over into the game, with specialty concessions, in-game bacon activities, and pork eating contests. Don’t miss out, this is sure to be one of the most unique nights in Heartlanders history.
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