Cammalleri's Struggles Overshadowed by Team's Performance

Acquired before the start of this season, Mike Cammalleri came to Minnesota in hopes of becoming the star player he could never be in Niagara Falls. Cammalleri had been overshadowed by the top-tiered talent on the Icedogs’ roster and complained his way into a trade that shipped him to Minnesota. With a fresh start, Cammalleri figured to be a fixture on Minnesota’s top line and many in Minnesota hoped to see a near 40 goal season out of the talented young forward, but he’s struggled to find the back of the net as much as everyone would’ve liked. He’s currently 3rd on the team in shots but 9th in goals scored with a 9.8 shooting percentage. Still though, the team is pleased with his output and the fact that others are performing ahead of him is only a positive.

“Last season we had 2 guys that scored over 30 goals”, stated Derek Roy. “This season we already have 6 and there are a couple of guys that are close. Everyone on this team has a role and we know that role. Mike’s role is to provide scoring and he’s done a good job of that thus far. He puts a lot of shots on goals and creates chances. It's tough when they don't go in but the fact is Mike's a great player and hopefully they'll go in when it counts. Fortunately, when they don't go in we don’t have to rely on just Mike to get the job done; we have 3 lines that are able to contribute and that’s something a little different from last year’s team.”

Head Coach Barry Melrose added, “This is the most talent this organization has ever had on one roster. We’re very fortunate to be able to move guys around and not count on one guy to score all our goals. Langkow has been on fire as has Brent Burns & Derek Roy. Now we need to capitalize on our chances and make the most of every game. I want to start a little winning streak going into the playoffs and that needs to start tonight in Dubai – a place we haven’t had too much success in. It’s a tough place to play especially after the long travels but we need to get up for this one and gain some ground.”