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CRANBERRY TWP. — Steve Oleksy wanted to make a statement during Saturday’s intra-squad scrimmage, and he used Reid Gardiner to do it.
During the first half of the scrimmage, the 20-year-old Gardiner skated the puck through the neutral zone and was blasted by an open ice hit from Oleksy.
So much for taking it easy on teammates.
The way Oleksy sees it, he laying back on the physical play isn’t an option during training camp.
“No matter what you do in the summer, it’s hard to just jump in and play your best hockey. For me with the physical side, it’s good to get your timing back in a scrimmage,” said Oleksy, who is battling for a job on Pittsburgh’s blueline.
Not only are the scrimmages a chance for Oleksy to show his physical abilities, they’re also a good opportunity for all players to brush up on the skills that just can’t be honed during training in the summer.
But the days of players fighting during training camp scrimmages and exhibition games have changed, Olesky said. No longer is it as important to use fighting to make yourself stand out.
“It’s less about going out there and beating somebody up and more about standing up for your teammates,” Oleksy said. “I think management understands who can do it.”
Pittsburgh didn’t run intra-squad scrimmages the last few years, and Oleksy said it’s been a while since he’s played in any. The last time occurred during his second year in the Washington organization in 2013. The scrimmages replicate game situation, he said, allowing players to get their timing back before the exhibition games begin.
“When they did it in Washington I thought it was awesome. I haven’t had it again until this year and I think it’s something that’s good for everybody,” Oleksy said. “I talked to Tom Sestito about it and for guys like us it’s a lot easier to play our game when you have a chance to do it before heading into an exhibition game.”
Still, that doesn’t mean the 6-foot-5, 228-pound Sestito is going to let loose on his teammates in a scrimmage.
“These games are tough for me to play in. These guys are going to be my teammates,” Sestito said. “There were a couple of times I could’ve ran a few guys, but you hold back. I’ll save it for the exhibition games. They know what I can bring.”
After attending Pittsburgh’s training camp last year as a tryout, Sestito said things have changed this year, starting with the contract he signed in the summer.
“I’m in a lot better shape than last year, I’m healthy and having a contract does a lot for the mental aspect of it. You’re not worrying that every day could be your last and you can focus more on playing,” Sestito said.
A key factor in Sestito’s decision to return to the Pittsburgh organization was the way both Pittsburgh and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton utilize him on the ice.
“They know what I bring and they put me in situations where I’m going to succeed,” he aid. “I’m happy with that and that’s the main reason I came back.”