After last spring's disappointment, J.T. Compher is zeroed in on correcting the failure to qualify for the playoffs before the season begins in his second season as a Red Wing

J.T. Compher knows he can't change the past, that there's no point lingering on points that slipped away a year ago.  Instead, the sting of last spring has intensified his focus and cast it forward.  "With the battle that we gave at the end of the year, it's tough to come up short," Compher said yesterday.  "The whole room felt it, the coaching staff, management, and we know the fans felt it.  Definitely something you think about it in the summer, not as much trying to go back and re-write it, but focus on doing a little bit more this year, knowing that any game could be the difference."

Asked if there was a silver lining to the early exit in terms of physical fitness and wellness after repeated long playoff runs during his years in Colorado, Compher was quick to note his dissatisfaction at extra offseason leisure.  "It's definitely a longer summer," he said.  "Didn't really like it to be honest. I want to play hockey. I'm more than willing to train for as long as I need to train, but I wanna be playing playoff hockey, whatever it does to my body. I take care of my body as good as I can during the season and the offseason. I think that's something I learned in Colorado is super important: If you're gonna play into the playoffs like you did...you can't just take care of yourself in the summer. You've gotta take care of yourself 365 days a year...Last summer was too long. Definitely don't wanna do that again."

In the last two regular season, Compher scored 52, then 48 points.  His previous career high in five full seasons was 33.  The 29-year-old University of Michigan product explained that a variety of factors have contributed to the uptick in production.

"I think part of it is confidence," Compher said.  "Part of it is the game slowing down a bit and seeing the ice better, trusting myself. Part of that comes from coaches trusting me, and part of it's trusting myself. I felt like in Colorado I was asked to do a lot of different things throughout my career there. It was different parts of the lineup, wing, center. Two years ago got a little more of an opportunity to play pretty solid second line minutes with a little more skill guys. Something that happened earlier in my career but maybe I wasn't as ready for. The last couple of years I've felt more comfortable in those positions, trusting myself, and maybe not just deferring to line mates, playing with them and not just trying to give them the puck, and really trusting myself. "

One player who might Detroit take the steps Compher has in mind is newcomer Tyler Motte, his old U of M teammate, now the Red Wings' fourth former Wolverine along with Compher, Dylan Larkin, and Andrew Copp.  As Compher sees it, Motte's game ought to mesh perfectly with the defensive strides Detroit aims to take up the standings.

"He's a very hard working player," Compher offers of Motte.  "He has a good amount of skill.  He can really shoot the puck.  It's his skating and his work, his forechecking, blocking shots.  He does all the little things right.  That's what we need throughout our lineup, and you can never have too many guys that do those things, and I think he's going to bring a lot of competitiveness to our lineup and physicality and speed."

In the end, Compher doesn't see last season's finish as cause for consternation, but rather as motivation.  And for Compher, that's something to relish rather than fear: "There's still more. I think that's always what you should feel as a player, that there's still more that I can get out of myself, and that's why I'm really excited for this year and just another opportunity to up my game and continue to prove myself."

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