TORONTO — Matthew Tkachuk said he didn’t collect his father’s hockey cards as a kid. But, as the son of someone who played more than 1,200 games in the NHL, the Calgary Flames prospect made sure to pay attention to how hard his father worked to receive them — particularly his rookie card.

“He went to (Boston University) for one year and the next year went to camp and made the team,” said the younger Tkachuk at Monday’s NHLPA Rookie Showcase. “He said that the summer before that camp was the hardest he’s ever worked to put him in a spot to make it. I kind of took that as motivation.”

Tkachuk, who scored the overtime winner to help the London Knights win the Memorial Cup, has spent the summer taking a page out of his father’s workbook. He skipped the U.S. summer world junior camp and instead has been training off the ice in Toronto in order to be “re-energized and refocused for training camp.”

As an 18-year-old, he either has to make the Flames’ roster or be returned to junior. And it’s clear what option he is hoping for.

“Everybody always says ultimately it’s (the Flames’) decision, but in my opinion I want to put all the weight of the pressure on my own shoulders,” said Tkachuk. “I want to go in there and compete for a job. It’s not going to be given to me and it’s not going to be easy. But I feel like I’ve had a great summer.”

NO ESCAPING COMPARISON

It didn’t take long for Jesse Puljujarvi’s name to come up when talking to Pierre-Luc Dubois.

For Dubois, it’s something he’s getting used to. After all, most expected Puljujarvi would be the third-overall pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.

So when the Columbus Blue Jackets selected Dubois instead — Puljujarvi went fourth overall to the Edmonton Oilers — it was obvious the two players would be forever compared and contrasted.

“I mean, I always get the same question about that,” said Dubois. “But for me, I don’t really compare myself to anybody. I met him a few times. He’s a great player and a good guy. But there’s only one Jesse Puljujarvi and there’s only one Pierre-Luc Dubois. That’s all I can do.”

So, what can Dubois bring that Puljujarvi cannot? The answer: versatility.

“The fact that I can play all three forward positions helps me fit into the lineup,” he said.

'BUMP IN THE ROAD'

A disappointing development camp might have been the best thing for Thomas Chabot’s development. At least, that’s what the Ottawa Senators defence prospect is telling himself.

It was in July when Senators assistant general Randy Lee told reporters that the club was disappointed with its 2015 18th-overall pick's intensity level, calling Chabot's camp performance “average” and saying that the 19-year-old “should have dominated.”

For Chabot, who is still hoping to crack the Senators’ roster this year, it was a wake-up call that he took to heart.

“I guess it was just a bump in the road,” he said. “I think it’s just good for me. I’m going to come back harder and show them that I just had a bad experience there … I’m excited to go back there in September.

“To have a bad camp, I see it as a good thing for me because I know I have to work harder.”

CAN'T FALL SHORT AGAIN

If Chabot cannot crack Ottawa’s lineup, expect the defenceman to once again represent Canada at the world juniors, where he is the only potential returning defenceman.

After a disappointing sixth-place finish last year in Helsinki, Chabot said he and the rest of the team has something to prove — especially with the 2017 tournament being held on home soil.

“I don’t want to go twice to the world juniors and not win anything,” said Chabot. “So I’m going back this year and try to make it my best.”

NOT AMAZED BY MATTHEWS

Even on a team of players aged 23 or younger, the fact Auston Matthews will be participating in next month's World Cup of Hockey has been a bit surprising to most.

After all, the No. 1 pick in the 2016 draft is only 18. And, unlike anyone else on Team North America, he has yet to play a game in the NHL.

But for Tkachuk, nothing is surprising anymore when it comes to Matthews, whose dominant play at the world juniors and world championship — along with his season in the Swiss pro league — garnered him an invite to the World Cup.

“I’m honestly not that amazed,” said Tkachuk, who was Matthews’ linemate at the world juniors, where Matthews scored seven goals and 11 points in seven games. “I expected it from him. He’s such a great player and he deserves it. I think he’s going to open a ton of eyes in his first NHL event.

“He’s going to be a huge part of the Leafs next year obviously and such a great players for years so to come and be part of that rebuild in Toronto.”

mtraikos@postmedia.com