Article content continued

“I want to be the player I am and not the player he (Green) saw last year,” added Cassels. “I want to get back to my two-way style — smart hockey and tough hockey — and I like to win whether it’s a battle or a game. I’ll put it all on the line when I’m playing my best and I’ve got to get back to that and I can.

“It (AHL) is a tough league to get points. It’s going to be about gaining the trust of Travis and my teammates that I can go out and play a regular shift and be useful to the team.”

That’s encouraging for the Comets and the Canucks. Green gave Cassels a lot of rope because how do you come down on a kid who’s facing every possible hurdle in a transition season and tripping over them through no fault of his own?

“Cole had one of those years,” said Green. “I didn’t grind on him and I didn’t yell at him a lot or be overly hard on him. He had a year where he was just trying to stay afloat. He gave us everything he had, but we were very direct at our meetings at the end of year because, in the past, he didn’t commit as much off the ice as he should have.”

And now Cassels has and that light at the end of the tunnel isn’t a train — it’s a brighter future. He helped shut down Connor McDavid in the OHL final in 2015 and is now open to the concept of what could be down the road.

“I feel really good and I’m looking forward to Penticton to get my feet wet and gain confidence,” said Cassels. “It (tourney) is quick hockey and that will be good for training camp and the season. It’s another step. I don’t like to look too far ahead, but a lot of young guys do and they can get caught up in it.”

bkuzma@postmedia.com

Twitter.com/benkuzma