The Sheet with Jeff Marek - Beyond the Crest: Jack Pridham on His Unconventional Path, Leafs Ties & Blackhawks Future

Starting point is 00:00:00 Jack Pridham, born into hockey. His father, Brandon Pridham, long-time assistant general manager of the Maple Leafs, worked with the NHL as well. Jack Pridham is the quintessential 24-7 hockey kid. He's all about it. Also, won the overager of the year award in the Ontario Hockey League. He's destined for big things with the Chicago Blackhawks who drafted him back in 2024. Here's my conversation with Jack Pridham of the Kitchen of Rangers in the Rangers' dressing room at the God.

Starting point is 00:00:36 Jack, first of all, thanks so much. I've been coming to this building for decades. You know, when I was at university in the early 90s, come here to see the Kitchen Rangers, Joe McDonnell's team. He was the coach then. So I'm very familiar with the building. But then I come in here to the room and I see the weight room and it's all new.

Starting point is 00:01:07 And it's first class. It's this like heritage organization, old building and this like gorgeous dressing room. kind of good for you last year in the OHL, hey? Yeah, yeah, it's awesome. You know, we're definitely very fortunate and very lucky to have the facilities that we do and experience it. Yeah, what's the sort of vibe around the team about all the, all the renovations here? Yeah, kind of like I said, we're so lucky to kind of be able to have this and experience it. And not only my last year or two, but for the younger guys, kind of, you know, who are going to kind of walk through the next few years and definitely, I'm excited.

Starting point is 00:01:42 There's a lot to get to with you. You know, your, your, your path to where you're at right now. Chicago Blackhawks drafting you as well. I do want to get a couple of things about your dad, who's the AGM of the Toronto Maple Leafs and a salary cap expert. But tell us about your path. I mean, Stovall guy, small town, Ontario. How did you get to here? Yeah.

Starting point is 00:02:07 So definitely been, been a not a traditional path, I would say, for a lot of hockey players. You know, my, well, going back to the pandemic kind of was when I was supposed to play for York Simco Express. That would have been our OHL draft year. Yep. But obviously that didn't happen given the situation. So after that, I was fortunate enough to go to St. Andrews College for two years, grade 11 and 12, play on the varsity team there with, you know, very, very skilled players and a great group there. Dean Latterno would have been, was he on your line there?

Starting point is 00:02:39 Yeah, he was on my line there. Jonathan Castania. who was recently traded to Calgary. He was, we played together as well, too. Francesco Delalche, who's at UMass now, a Colorado pick. He was there as well, too. So we had a great team.

Starting point is 00:02:52 It was a great, great place to, you know, not only kind of develop on the ice, but off the ice too with great academics. Dave Manning has a lot to do with that. You have a thought on Dave? He's a great. He's great. He's been awesome.

Starting point is 00:03:05 Ever since Day 1 there, he's, you know, kind of runs the ship there. And it's, it's been great. It's been a great program. Yeah, I mentioned Letourneau a couple of seconds ago. First round traffic, Boston Bruins, playing at Boston College. What was your relationship like with him?

Starting point is 00:03:19 I mean, I've talked to Dave about you and him before and how much you helped him along the way. First of all, he's massive. Oh, yeah, big boy. What was the relationship like between you two? Yeah, great relationship. Dean's a great guy, great player as well, too. He's a beast. He's a big boy.

Starting point is 00:03:39 But no, we spent a lot of time together. We actually live in the same house. on campus there, Sifton House. We would go on the ice together during our spares, just kind of just always be around each other and be together. And, you know, he's having tremendous success at Boston College. So he's a great player. At what point was, did you look at hockey and say,

Starting point is 00:04:00 this is more than maybe just a hobby for me? This could actually be something that I could take a road down to maybe make it to the NHL. Yeah, I think, you know, growing up, every kid's kind of got them in the back of their head. That's kind of what they want to do and stuff. But it's obviously so hard to make it. And there's a bunch of great players out there.

Starting point is 00:04:19 So I think just kind of just being focused all kind of throughout my career growing up and St. Andrews. And then after that, went to West Colona and then eventually to Kitchener, kind of just kind of keeping the same focus and kind of staying level-headed as kind of, you know, brought me success today. What was that transition like from West Colon to the Kitchener? He was great, great transition. Obviously, you know, the rule change that happened.

Starting point is 00:04:41 I was able to come here and West Cologne was great. It was great to experience kind of living away from home out there and playing in the BCHL. And when the rule change happened, it was something I wanted to do, just, you know, kind of play against older and players and stuff. So be able to come here. It was great. What have you found about the OHL and a couple of seasons that you've played here as far as, you know, tendencies, what it's like? I mean, all leagues evolve, players evolve, et cetera. How would you describe the OHL right now?

Starting point is 00:05:13 It's a great league. There's a lot of great players out there, a lot of great teams. It's, you know, very exciting to be in a spotlight kitchener and kind of have the staff we have from starting of Joe Birch, Mike McKenzie, all our coaching staff. You know, they truly care for their players, which is great to see. Let me ask you about your coach. UCOHocus. I was talking to Mike McKenzie, your general manager. Rare to see European coaches come to junior hockey or really even.

Starting point is 00:05:41 come overseas to North America to begin with. And he's a different kind of thinker as well. We've all heard him talk about positionless hockey, et cetera. What's he meant to you? Like, what have you picked up from, from UCO Hocus? He's been a lot to me. You know, he's always kind of honest on like the little details. I think those are, has been really important to our team and our team success.

Starting point is 00:06:01 I remember my first day last year here after team practice, we sat down for a good 30 minutes together and just going over kind of the structure and how he wants his players to play. So he's been great for me. How does he want his players to play? How does he want you to play? Yeah, he wants to play hard, structured game, not, you know, not hoping plays, just making the hard and right play.

Starting point is 00:06:23 Your shot is elite. That's one of the calling cards for Jack Purdam. Has that always been in your golf bag? Or is that something you've had to work on for a long time? Yeah, I think just I've always worked on it growing up. I'm continuing to work on every day. You know, when I was younger, we had kind of a, unfinished basement. So my dad actually painted all the lines in our basement. He did not.

Starting point is 00:06:45 The big circle in the middle, blue line, red line, two nets on each end. So be down there with him on the rollerblades, just shooting pucks as well as my sister. So it's, you know, definitely something we've worked at. You know, I mentioned off the top, you know, your father, Brandon Pridham, assistant general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs. I would always hear the stories about your dad when he worked at the NHL having to, for lack of a better term, babysit something. general managers and sort of hold their hand through how the salary cap works. Like your father's one of the smartest people in the NHL. What was it like growing up with him as a dad?

Starting point is 00:07:21 He played when he played in Stowville, that team won the Quebec Peewee Championships. I'm sure you've heard those stories a million times over the dinner table. But what was it like growing up the son of Brandon Pridham? It was great. You know, definitely a huge honor to call him my dad. He's been, you know, not only mentored to me, but it's my sister as well, too. I think, you know, from a young age, he's always been kind of a parent that, you know,

Starting point is 00:07:46 he's just going to be honest with us, kind of honestly, how we, like, stand in hockey as well, too, and just wanted nothing but the best for us. So are you the guy that everyone comes to for salary cap advice? Like, you think, like, you know, your dad's, like, the smartest guy with the salary cap, like, it's going to rub off on Jack? Yeah. Yeah, I get told nothing. So he's, uh, he's a vault.

Starting point is 00:08:05 I get told nothing. Um, how much of a, I mean, everyone's a hockey fan, but like, there's, like, sort of varying degrees too. Are you someone that was sort of always glued to the television watching hockey like hockey 24-7? Was that always your jam? Yeah, that was always my channel. Just always watching kind of the Leafs growing up too. Um, you know, with obviously him being a part of it as well. Definitely got to experience some, some cool events and stuff out of that. But yeah, just always kind of been the hockey nerd. Favorite players for the hockey nerd, who would they be? Favorite player growing up was Ovechkin. I was actually number eight growing up kind of all the way throughout. Because of him? Because of him.

Starting point is 00:08:40 Because of him. Yeah, just love the way he could shoot the puck. Tongues out, yellow laces, whole deal, all that, tint advisors. Yeah, just love, yeah, I love the way he could score goals and shoot the puck. So always kind of rock number eight. It's a, he's a fascinating guy. Like, he's one of obviously, like, the greatest goal score of all time in the NHL and one of the more, you know, stylish players, too. I don't know if, you know, from watching Ovechkin your whole life and if you sort of glean

Starting point is 00:09:09 anything from him that you try to bring to your game. I mean, there's only so many guys that can just flat out blow pucks past goalies, but he's one of them. He is, yeah. I think kind of something I picked up from him is he's able to hit his shot, especially his one time or from anywhere. Kind of anywhere on the ice, too. He just doesn't, you know, dust it off and try to set it.

Starting point is 00:09:29 He'll just shoot anything, rolling pucks, flat pucks, hard passes. So that's kind of something I like to, you know, put towards my game. Is that the philosophy is no bad shot? There's no bad shot. on that. He's a, he's a fascinating guy. Um, when it, when it comes to your game and, you know, I know, like as we're recording this, you know, Tamori, you're opening up against Saginaw and in the, in the O HL playoffs. Um, I am curious, like at what points you drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks, how far ahead do you allow yourself to look? Are you one day at a time, but I'll allow myself to look like a month from now or a year from now or two years from now, like, how often do you allow your, yourself to think what's what's further than the next game yeah i think you just said it best just kind of just one day at a time i think that's kind of a lesson you know not a lesson just something my dad's always kind of said to my sister and i grown up too it's just one day at a time that's kind of all

Starting point is 00:10:25 you can do in this business is you know you don't know necessarily what the next day will bring just kind of focus on kind of where you are right now and where your feet are just due to the best of your ability you buddies with another i mean i think like merrick van acer um for one there's a lot of you know Spellacy in Windsor. Like there's players that have been drafted by the Blackhawks. They've taken a lot from the Ontario Hockey League. I don't know. Maybe Bond is too strong a word. But is there something amongst Hawks prospects in this league? Yeah, for sure. They're, you know, they're friendly guys, good guys. You know, definitely got to create some good friendships down at development camps and kind of main camps with them. But when we're playing as each other, just focused obviously on

Starting point is 00:11:05 our team and want to win. So what do you want people to know about you? When they think Jack Purdom, what do you want them to think or say? I think just someone that's going to do everything they can for their team to win. I want to win and I want to be a winner. Walk us through a regular day. If there is such a thing in your life, what's it like? Yeah, I'll start maybe on a game day for tomorrow. So get up, have a smoothie at the house and a yogurt.

Starting point is 00:11:33 Parfay, kind of come in here. We'll do a warm up before going on the ice, do a team morning skate. and then stay on the ice, shoot some pucks, get some pucks on net, come off, cool down. Some of us will go for breakfast after the Daily Grill. It's kind of like a breakfast spot here in Waterloo. So we'll go there and then I'll go home, have a nap at at 2 to 314. It's always 314. 314.

Starting point is 00:12:00 You're that guy. Yeah, that guy. Right to the. Yeah, we're going to set time. Now I'll go in the shower, get dressed, always wear my suit during my pregame meal. It's a weird, weird superstition. I don't know. I've always done it.

Starting point is 00:12:12 Where did that start? I don't know. I don't know, to be honest, but yeah, always wear my suit, pregame meal, two chicken parms and pasta with olive oil, no sauce. And then come to the rink and take my stick in the room before, before 5 o'clock, the meeting, and then set to go. Okay, so what about when you go home? After the game?

Starting point is 00:12:32 No, like, no, when do you go home? Like in the off season. Oh, in the off season? Like, you're home. Is it like, okay, two to three, 14, mom? Like I'm napping and no? No, none of that. Can you get dressed up for dinner?

Starting point is 00:12:41 Suit and tie for dinner? No. Yeah, the off season just, I feel like it's kind of just like a built-in routine. I don't really think about it too much. It's just kind of happens naturally now, especially after doing it for all year. But off-season, nothing like that. We just celebrate it as we record this, we just celebrated a couple of days ago, the anniversary of the Michigan with Mike Legg.

Starting point is 00:13:02 You've scored one against Guel. Roll it in even further behind the storm net. Humphrey's got take. down. Now here's Pridip. Pridim. He'll try the Michigan score. Well, he'll play near the Black Hawk Crockback. You'll be seeing for ages his second of the game and best of his OHL career. Is that the only one you've scored? Yes, it is. And what did you think at that moment? Do you think, like, I'm going for it? Like, what's the thinking behind it? It was pretty crazy. I remember, you know, got a puck down low from Swicky behind the net and had a little bit of space. I was like, I'm trying it.

Starting point is 00:13:44 I'm going for it. I'm trying it. So got it up. And then I was like, I'm like, oh my god, it's in. I didn't even,

Starting point is 00:13:50 I didn't even know it was in at first. Like, it was like a delayed reaction. Yeah. Like back in the celebration, but just heard like the ring just a rough. And I was like, that just happened.

Starting point is 00:13:59 Like, that just went in. So it was pretty cool to see. But definitely, you know, my teammates get me to pot credit to them. What did the bench do and what did your coach say? Once upon a time.

Starting point is 00:14:09 Yeah. The bench was like, everyone was in shock. Like, kind of like, was that even real? like what just happened, but yeah, the coaches were definitely excited. It was obviously more important to get the win.

Starting point is 00:14:18 So it was definitely special. Said like a pro, more important to get the win. Thanks so much for this. Thank you. Appreciate it.

The Sheet with Jeff Marek - Beyond the Crest: Jack Pridham on His Unconventional Path, Leafs Ties & Blackhawks Future

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