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Bluelines Summer Edition: Catching up with... Miles Liberati

"Bluelines: Summer Edition" is written by Ranjan Rupal (right), the play-by-play voice, and Greg Theberge (left), a former Memorial Cup winner and Washington Capitals defenseman and hockey analyst for The OHL Tonight on TVCogeco.

 

"Bluelines: Summer Edition" is written by Ranjan Rupal (right), the play-by-play voice, and Greg Theberge (left), a former Memorial Cup winner and Washington Capitals defenseman and hockey analyst for The OHL Tonight on TVCogeco.  

 

It's not very often that a defenseman pulls on sweater number 7.

Paul Coffey comes to mind as one of the all-time greats and though Blackhawks fans would be quick to point out Chris Chelios, they might also grudgingly admit that the Bruins' Ray Bourque was le meilleur de tous les sept – the greatest 7 of all.

Worthy of mention is another great defenceman who wore number 7, and you're probably sipping his coffee while you read this, by the name of Miles Gilbert Horton.  Of course, he was better known as Tim.

If all goes well, there will be another Miles in the NHL one day: our very own Miles Liberati.

He also wears number 7, and arrived in November of our inaugural season, a little late for the hoopla perhaps, but by virtue of the renovations at Memorial Gardens, he hadn’t missed much else.  He was the brilliant solution to a perplexing roster problem, a dark cloud that had formed on the horizon in the lead-up to the home opener: the shocking refusal of Battalion overage defenseman Zach Bell to report to North Bay, choosing instead to wait at home for a trade to a Memorial Cup contender.

Miles Liberati admires a crisp first pass out of the defensive zone

When the season began, Liberati, who was a seventh round selection of the Vancouver Canucks in the 2013 NHL Draft, bided his time on a crowded London Knights blueline and suddenly became the target of Coach Stan Butler’s attempts to convert his non-performing roster asset into an up-and-coming prospect, and one who could help his injury-depleted blueline immediately.

Liberati arrived to find a North Bay Battalion team with good bones, but a defense that was stretched thin...way too thin.

Though Dylan Blujus had been back in the lineup for a month, he was just finding his stride, and Kyle Wood remained out due to an injury sustained in the preseason.  The coaching staff was busy trying to plug holes on the blueline and were inconvenienced even further by the absence of Mark Raycroft, a solid, if unspectacular, defenseman who had been dealt to the Belleville Bulls in early October, ostensibly to prune an overgrowth of right-handed shooters from the point. 

Striving to answer the call of duty were two Troops: one was the tenacious forward Connor Jarvis, who gamely dropped back to defend but was, on occasion, turned inside out by proven showstoppers like the Soo Greyhounds’ Sergey Tolchinsky.  The other was a 16-year old rookie named Riley Bruce, playing in his first OHL games, eager to learn, but, at times, in deep water as he desperately tried to stay on the right side of the puck, his willowy 6'-5" frame contorted by the twisting and turning of experienced playmakers seeking to profit.

And few will recall the contributions of a pair of itinerant defensemen, journeymen who rounded out the platoon, Jayme Forslund and Steven Duda, both conscripts who stepped onto the Battalion blueline with hopes of reviving their flagging major junior careers.  Though his time here was short, Forslund did eventually move on to win two Sutherland Cups with the GOJHL's Caledonia Corvairs.

It’s no surprise then, that Liberati’s presence on the backend coincided with the team’s great reversal of fortune.  Prior to his arrival, a middling team, playing .500 hockey, had displayed a penchant for spending time in front of Jake Smith. With Liberati in the lineup, the team began to demonstrate more confident breakouts with tape-to-tape first passes out of the zone, or, if no such option existed, a determined puck off the glass and out.  Though he frequented the third pairing, Liberati, a smooth-skating defenseman with a nose for jumping into the rush, forced opponents to reconsider their options on the forecheck.  He showed a willingness to get the puck out of the defensive zone, and do it in a hurry, winning the trust of his teammates and coaches, so that by the time Blujus graduated to the Norfolk Admirals, Liberati had already earned the spot alongside Marcus McIvor.

With Barclay Goodrow and Nick Paul playing pro, Miles Liberati (left) will be in the spotlight

Today he has become a North Bay fan favourite, and is a cornerstone in North Bay’s battle plan for 2015-16.

Having just been invited by the Pittsburgh Penguins to skate in their rookie tournament, Liberati is on the cusp of realizing a boyhood dream.  To learn more I found Liberati at his home in Cheswick, Pennsylvania, a small town huddled on a bend in the Allegheny River, a half-hour from Mellon Arena, home of the Penguins…

Ranjan:  Hey Miles.  What did you do today?

Miles Liberati:  Hey Ranjan! I got up around 8 o’clock and then I had a hockey camp that I’m helping one of my old coaches run, which went from 9 to 1.  Then I came home and started training around 2 o’clock. 

Ranjan: So where are you exactly?

Miles Liberati:  Cheswick.  It’s small.  It has less than 3,000 people.  It’s hard to explain.  It’s not really like Canada.  There’s a bunch of towns right next to each other.  It kind of keeps going.  It’s not really like there’s less than 3,000 people, there’s actually a lot of people, it’s just that’s how many are in the town that I live in.

Ranjan:  You grew up in the shadow of Pittsburgh.  First love: Penguins or Flyers?

Miles Liberati:  [laughs] Definitely the Penguins.  I’ve honestly never really liked the Flyers and I probably shouldn’t say that now that Brett McKenzie is going to their camp...but definitely the Penguins.

Ranjan:  Why doesn’t Pittsburgh have an NBA team?

Miles Liberati:  I’m not sure, honestly.  I think the city is obviously big enough, and the sport’s popular enough for us to have one, because we have Pitt basketball which is pretty big around here... a lot of people are into that.  We have professional baseball, hockey and football, which are pretty big.  I’ve never really been sure why they haven’t got an NBA team…

Ranjan:  For Bluelines readers who want to get into shape...what does your off-season workout look like?

Miles Liberati:  I’m on the ice two, three times a week, and in August I’ll start to hit the ice four times a week.  Monday I usually start with a leg day.  A lot of squats; a lot of lunges with weights and running up hills.  Monday’s just a normal bench press, but Thursday is a bench press with bands for resistance.  Actually I’ve gotten into pushing cars lately too, which has been...

Ranjan: …whaaaat?

Miles Liberati:  Cars! Yeah, there’s a parking lot next to my house.  I pull my SUV in there, and my buddy and I push it.  I steer, he pushes.  Then he steers, and I push, and we do it five or six times.  It’s different, but it’s a lot of fun. It’s a fun way to train for us and it’s a really good workout for power.

Ranjan:  [laughs] Hmmm...cars.  And then?

Miles Liberati:  Then Tuesday is an upper body day, so that’ll be pretty much everything upper body.  I get my program from a trainer I used to have in London, Mitch Stewart.  We used to do some workouts with him when I was with the Knights.  He has a place called TPH Canada.  He sends me some pretty good workouts over the summer. I’ve had him for a few years.  It’s a lot of bench press chest, a lot of back...I’ve been doing a lot of back lately, and some shoulders as well.  Then Wednesday I have a conditioning day, and that’s a lot of sprints.  I also do a lot of sprints on Airdyne bikes, which I think has been pretty good lately...

Ranjan: ...Airdyne?

Miles Liberati:  Yeah, that’s one of those bikes where when you pedal, and the handles move at the same time, back and forth, as you pedal.  It’s like the big fan bike.  That’s pretty much it for Wednesday, just a lot of sprints.  I actually live on a pretty big hill, so my friend and I will race up the hill two or three times, which is pretty killer at the end, so then we’re done by then.  Thursday and Friday are pretty much a repeat of Monday and Tuesday, with just a few different exercises thrown in.  Wednesday and Saturday are also core days.  A lot of core stuff: hanging leg raises, weighted crunches, and things like that.  Saturday is conditioning mixed with the core circuit.

Summer hockey allows Liberati to benchmark against Brandon Saad

Ranjan: In the weight room, is the key how much, how often or how fast?

Miles Liberati:  I think the key is to move up in weight every couple of weeks, and not necessarily how fast, or how much you do, as long as you’re getting quality reps. The reps in my program: one week it might be 8 to 10, and the next week might be 2 to 4 reps, but a higher weight.

Ranjan:  How much are you pressing?

Miles Liberati: I’m not actually sure.  I did it a couple of weeks ago and it was around 275 pounds, but I’m not sure what it is now.  I’ve never done the max at a camp before, usually at camp they just do 155 pounds as many times as you can.

Ranjan:  Many players link up with other athletes in the off-season, what’s your approach?

Miles Liberati:  I’m linked up with one of my best friends who lives up the hill from me, he’s about two minutes away.  Him and I, and my Dad, have turned my garage into a full gym, and we have pretty much everything you need in a regular gym here.  Him and I train together and he’s training for Division I soccer at Slippery Rock.

Ranjan:  Let’s go from the garage to the kitchen…what are you eating these days?

Miles Liberati:  I have a strict diet that’s been sent to me from the same trainer I get my workouts from.  I’m working on the golf course this summer, so this hockey camp that I’m doing is not normally what I would do every week, I usually work on the golf course from 6 to 11am.  At 6 o’clock I get up and have 3 hardboiled eggs and two cups of berries - whether it’s strawberries or blueberries - and then about 8 o’clock I’ll have a handful of mixed nuts.  Then around 11:30 is when I’ll eat lunch when I get home from work. I’ll have a stir-fry with chicken and vegetables mixed in, and some more fruit, just to get some carbs after work.  Then I work out around 2 o’clock and before my workout I’ll have a banana, maybe with some peanut butter.  Then after the workout, around 3 or 3:30, I’ll have a stir fry again with chicken and vegetables, but this time I’ll add rice, or quinoa, or a sweet potato, just to get the extra complex carbs.  For dinnertime, around 6 or 6:30, I’ll have either a salad with chicken or I’ll just have some fish and vegetables. Usually my Dad’s pretty good at making dinner for everyone, and he keeps it pretty healthy.

Ranjan: ...so no Rolling Rock?

Miles Liberati: [laughs] No, I don’t really touch that stuff in the summertime too often.

Ranjan:  In the playoffs against Kingston, you showed us something new... a willingness to drop your gloves and mix it up.  You were fired up and put on a fine display.  What happened there?

Miles Liberati dishes out punishment during the 2014-15 playoffs

Miles Liberati: I don’t know, I just remember being really, really excited to be in that series, and I know Marcus McIvor and I were really excited to be matched up against Sam Bennett.  I think emotions were flying in those games, and two teams started not liking each other, and at that moment I saw a couple of cheap shots, and some stuff like that and I figured I should get in there and help out my teammates.

Ranjan:  Is that kind of emotion something that comes naturally to you?

Miles Liberati:  I’m not really one to look for a fight, or be a fighter, but if it comes down to it, I’m not afraid to mix it up and get into a fight.

Ranjan:  Jake Smith and I shared a chuckle about your performance in that game.  Should the AJ Jakeman, the music-meister at Memorial Gardens, be playing Wild Thing when you hit the ice?

Miles Liberati: [laughs] That’d be kind of nice, maybe come out for the first game next season to Wild Thing...

Ranjan:  The Battalion started out the Oshawa series with a resounding 6-1 win at the General Motors Centre.  Looking back, describe how the tide turned in that series...

Miles Liberati:  In game 1 we obviously had a strong first game.  I think it was Game 2 that they scored that overtime winner on us, pretty early.  I think that’s what turned the tide there, because I think we dominated that game as well, and we deserved a better result than that, and for them to score that overtime goal so early, I think it brought our spirits down a bit.  I don’t think we fully recovered from that.

Ranjan:  From an individual perspective, did it change how you stepped on the ice in Game 3?

Miles Liberati::  Well, personally it didn’t change anything.  We were in really good shape with the series being tied 1-1, especially taking one in their barn, and taking the first game definitely put a lot of pressure on them.  And going back to our barn, I know all the boys were confident and ready to go, and I think that after we lost Game 4 at home, there were some questions, but Game 5 we were ready to go again, and I think we battled hard in Game 5, we just didn’t get the results we wanted.  Oshawa had a lot of confidence, especially after the trades they made, and got some stars.  They were a powerhouse throughout the season.  I’m pretty happy the way we battled against them, we definitely matched up well against them.  Sometimes that’s how it goes.

 

Season Team GP G A P +/- PIM
2014-15 North Bay Battalion 67 11 27 38 +21 41
2013-14 North Bay Battalion (acquired) 43 8 1 9 -5 19
  London Knights (traded) 22 1 3 4 +5 18
2012-13 London Knights 42 3 6 9 +5 25

Career regular season stats for Miles Liberati

Ranjan:  In your three OHL seasons, you’ve been involved in deep playoff runs each year.  You even played in a Memorial Cup game during your rookie season with London.  What does it take for an OHL team to go all the way?

Miles Liberati:  Last year when I got traded to North Bay, the coaches were in the locker room saying that I knew what it took to get there.  Now, I didn’t play too much in my rookie year, but I was observant of everyone, and what the mentality was like, and how the coaches were acting on the win streak, and at the Memorial Cup.  I think it’s something I can continue to bring to the team and show some more leadership this year, and help us get as far as we can again.

Ranjan:  What were some similarities between your playoff run this year, and certainly the playoff run last year, from that London Knights team that you were on, that went to the Memorial Cup?

Miles Liberati:  I think in the way our team battled.  We battled hard every game, and we have a lot of guys who gave 110% and never gave up.  I think that’s a big reason why we made it so far, and obviously our goaltending with Jake Smith was really good, and everyone was really happy with the way he was playing.  That’s a big momentum booster right there.   We’ve battled and not given up throughout the entire season.

Ranjan:  Looking back, a few months into the 2013-14 season you were traded to the North Bay Battalion.  How did that come about?

Miles Liberati:  I actually had no idea that was happening.  I’m pretty sure it was on Twitter the night before, but I’d already fallen asleep.  I woke up at 8 o’clock in the morning, and I got a call to go into the rink, and they told me I was traded to North Bay, and I didn’t expect it at all. I didn’t know it was coming, but I think it worked out for the best.  They told me I was going to a team that was struggling, and that needed help, and that I was going to get a bigger role there.  When I came to the team, I actually didn’t think they were struggling at all and I think it showed because we went to the finals that year.

Liberati (second from left) spends summer mornings assisting at hockey camp

Ranjan:  In the summer before the trade, the Vancouver Canucks drafted you.  Tell me about that...

Miles Liberati:  That was really exciting.  I didn’t go the Draft, I wasn’t sure what would really happen with that.  Seeing that I didn’t play too much that year so I wasn’t 100% sure I was getting drafted so I didn’t go.  I went and played golf that day with a couple of buddies, then got home and got a call from the Canucks saying they drafted me and a week later they flew me out to their development camp.  It was a really exciting feeling.

Ranjan:  Greg Theberge has been watching you carefully these last couple of years.  He himself was a rushing defenseman and finds a lot of similarities in your game.  He wants to know who has been guiding your development since you arrived in North Bay.

Miles Liberati:  I think all three of our coaches get really involved with me.  When I first got here, Ryan Oulahen really helped me out with a lot of that, and Stan Butler, especially, would talk to me a lot, personally, about my defensive game, and being smarter about jumping into the rush.  I think it showed last year at the halfway mark, and it definitely started to pay off.

Ranjan: Would you say it’s a different philosophy than London?

Miles Liberati:  I think it’s a lot different. London was great, the coaches were great there, but I think here in North Bay that they’re more personal with the players, where they’ll pull them aside and talk to them, whereas in London it was more of a team environment where you had to figure it out for yourself amongst the team.  I think in North Bay they’re more personal about it.

Ranjan:  Greg likes your skating, your poise, decision-making and your first pass out of the zone.  He adds that all defensemen in the OHL continue to work on reading the play, angling, and being able to dish out punishment.  He really believes in you as a defenseman...

Miles Liberati:  I think I need to work on my physical game this year, being a little more aggressive on the puck, and taking the body a lot more.  I do think I have the strength to do that.  I’m progressing with my timing.

Ranjan:  Describe the type of defenseman that you want to be known as in the upcoming season?

Miles Liberati:  That’s a good question.  I want to be known as an all around solid defenseman - no weak areas.  I want to be able to be in the rush, to score goals, and help my team get points.  I want to be a guy who is relied on in the back end as well, and really improve my defense.  I would say like a Duncan Keith kind of player, or Drew Doughty, where they’re just all around solid, and they don’t have many weaknesses in their game.

Ranjan:  Do you get feedback from Jake Smith during the season, or during the game?

Miles Liberati:  Yes, definitely a lot during the game.  If he sees something, and we don’t, where there’s a set play and someone going back door, he’ll pull us aside during the whistle and tell us what’s going on.  I think that’s helped us a lot.

Ranjan:  Things are going to change next year. You’re no longer paired with number 4.  What does that mean to number 7?

Miles Liberati:  I think I’ll have a bigger role and I’m ready.  I want to be the go-to guy next year and I think I have a good chance at that.  I’m not sure who I’ll be playing with, whether it’s Kyle Wood or not, but I’ll have a bigger responsibility to fill Marcus McIvor’s shoes, even though that’s really tough to do.

Ranjan:  Marcus McIvor was Mr. Reliable back there.  Was that a security blanket for a young defenseman like you?

Miles Liberati:  We had good communication together.  He knew that I was offensive and that if I was going, he’d stay back.  Even at times last year, he would jump into the offense and I would stay back for him.  I think that’s why we both finished our seasons in the high plus-20s and 38 points.

An innovative Liberati searches for ways to make it to the next level

Ranjan:  Your progress with North Bay has been steady and you’ve become a trustworthy defenseman back there, yet, the Canucks declined to offer you an entry-level agreement, making you a free agent.  How does that sit with you?

Miles Liberati:  To be honest with you I wasn’t that disappointed, except for that I think I could have made more of an impact.  I was actually more relieved than disappointed. I felt as if I didn’t fit in as much as I might somewhere else, but I’m happy to get another opportunity with Pittsburgh.  It’s awesome to be able to go to a hometown team and have this kind of opportunity.  I think the mentality for me is to keep working really hard and hopefully something comes out of it.  That’s all I can do: keep a positive attitude.

Ranjan:  When you look down the bench and you see number 22 – Miller, and what he’s done, just recently signing a contract with the Toronto Marlies.  What does that tell you?

Miles Liberati:  I think that’s awesome for him.  I heard about it and I was really excited for him.  I think that’s motivation, not just for me, but everyone on the team.  I know there’s a lot of guys who looked up to Miller, and used him as a leader on the team, so that’s a motivation for a lot of people.

Ranjan:  It seems that both Barclay Goodrow and Brenden Miler have created opportunities for themselves…

Miles Liberati:  I don’t know if anyone expected Barclay to go and make the team right out of camp.  For him to do something like that is a huge accomplishment.  That got a lot of the guys excited.  I know Miller was really excited about that, and Marcus too.  I think that Barclay helped Miller get to where he is by doing something like that, and motivating him to keep playing the way he was this season.  He had a great year.

Ranjan:  What advice have you received regarding getting to the next level?

Miles Liberati:  In terms of advice, it was improving the physical side of my game, which is something I’ve recognized, and recognition is the first step in improving your game.

Ranjan:  Is there a defenseman in the OHL who you admire?

Miles Liberati:  Darnell Nurse comes to mind, right now.  Playing against him, seeing how physical he played, but he was also not afraid to jump into the rush.  I think his physical game was above average.  I think something I can take from that is that he’s really physical but can jump into the rush as well.

Ranjan:  How do you aim to prepare both physically and mentally for the Penguins’ prospect tournament in London?

Miles Liberati:  For physical preparation I’m going to keep training as hard as I can this summer, and hopefully go in there and impress them with my conditioning and strength.  Mentally, I need to go in there and act like a veteran, like I’ve done this all before, because I have, in Vancouver.  I think the key is confidence, and showing that you belong there.

Ranjan:  Young defensemen in North Bay admire you.  What would you suggest to a boy or girl who wants to improve their skills on the blueline?  Should they come out and watch Miles Liberati at the Gardens?

Miles Liberati:  I would hope a young kid could watch me and learn a thing or two. When I want to improve my skills, I watch a lot of NHL games and watch the specific defensemen who are my favorite players.  I’ll watch what they do, and how they act when they have the puck, how poised they are, and I’ll take parts of that from their game, and add it to my game.   I don’t think anyone will ever be as good as Nick Lidstrom, but I’ve tried to improve myself by watching YouTube videos of him, and things that he does, and try to add it to my game.