Minten made the Maple Leafs out of training camp last year, playing four games and averaging 11:26 of ice time.
When Fraser Minten enters Toronto Maple Leafs training camp next week, he'll be controlling only what he can control.
Those were the words from the 20-year-old after the first skate of Toronto's rookie camp on Wednesday afternoon. Minten is entering his third season as a member of the Maple Leafs organization and has an opportunity to make the team out of training camp again.
"I think just control the things you can control. And for me, it's work ethic, your compete, your attention to detail," Minten said of how he's approaching this year's training camp.
"And there's no point in worrying about results or what other people think or what just happened or what's going to happen. Just control what you can control right now."
Minten is a very well-balanced athlete. He loves to read and brought two books to Toronto's rookie camp: 'Champion's Mind' by Jim Afremow, and 'Ego is the Enemy' by Ryan Holiday. And as his teammate Easton Cowan said on Wednesday, he's incredibly diligent about his pro habits.
"He's definitely a pro. He reads, he watches highlights, he stretches," Cowan said. "I'll get out of the shower and all of a sudden he's on the foam roller that's vibrating the whole time. I'm like, 'What's that noise?' Yeah, but like I said, just a pro and it's very impressive when he's 19 years old."
Minten is currently centering Toronto's top line at the rookie camp, with Cowan and Nikita Grebenkin on his wings. However, when the forward steps onto the ice for the NHL camp in a week, he'll be lower on the totem pole, fighting for a spot on the Maple Leafs roster.
There aren't many spots up for grabs, especially at center, but Minten admitted that he's not focusing on the depth chart and where he might end up. The Vancouver, BC, native wants to show his capabilities.
"I think you're aware that they've got super high-end offense up front there and you're probably not breaking in that role. So it's probably going to be in one of those lower roles in the lineup," Minten said.
"And so you're going to have to play physical. You're going to have to show that you can make safe and smart plays consistently and do that sort of thing."
The forward surprised many last year when he made the Maple Leafs out of training camp. Minten played four games, and although he didn't register a point, you could see the beginnings of a useful player for Toronto.
That experience of making the team will do him well when he enters this year's training camp. And this time, if he doesn't make the Maple Leafs, Minten's not going to junior, but to the AHL's Toronto Marlies instead.
He'll be playing his first full year of professional hockey — something he's dreamt of since he was young.
"It's been a goal for a long time, like you want to play pro hockey so getting the opportunity to do that in one way or another is going to be awesome. It's just fun, high-level hockey which is what I'm here for."
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