PENGUINS

The Penguins this summer drafted goaltender Gabriel D'Aigle with a third-round pick, 84th overall, after the team's director of goaltending Jon Elkin identified him as someone with a lot of potential despite his underwhelming stats -- an .883 save percentage and 4.52 goals-against average in 55 games behind a Victoriaville Tigres team that ranked at the bottom of the QMJHL's standings.

D'Aigle's Team Patrick finished as the runner-up in Monday's development camp tournament, falling in a shootout to Team Stevens in the championship game. He stopped 12 of 15 shots in his team's opening game, then six of eight in the championship.

D'Aigle is a native of Sorel-Tracy, Quebec, the same hometown as Marc-Andre Fleury. Since he's much more comfortable speaking French, and French is my first language, too, I spoke with D'Aigle in French after the tournament about his camp, his season, his relationship with Fleury and more. Here is our conversation translated back into English.

Lavigne: "Gabriel, how do you think you played today?"

D'Aigle: "They are rough games, so it’s always going to be harder. But I think in general, that it went well."

Lavigne: "Talk to me about your entire camp experience."

D'Aigle: "It was a lot of fun, and very professional. I was fortunate to rub shoulders with great goalie coaches and it was very well-organized. We even had activities throughout the day. So, it was really, really fun."

Lavigne: "Since your (Victoriaville Tigres) goalie coach Marco Riamondo was here (as a guest coach), was it helpful to have someone from home here with you?

D'Aigle: "It was also like a great experience for him too. It was like he was also learning. But yes, it was a lot of fun that we got to live it a bit together. Also, we pretty much had the same objectives for what the Penguins saw me doing. So yeah, it was a good experience. 

Lavigne: "What are your strengths as a goalie?"

D'Aigle: "I am a big athletic goalie who has great feet."

Lavigne: "What parts of your game are some things to improve?"

D'Aigle: "Just to calm my game sometimes."

Lavigne: "How was last season for you, having to face such a high number of shots every night?"

D'Aigle: "It’s a lot of experience. Every night you take at least 40 shots. You definitely learn quickly, and I would say I learned a lot this year especially with the mental game, how to deal with the game and everything. I think that it was really a great year of learning."

Lavigne: "Wes Clark and Jason Spezza both mentioned that Jon Elkin had a lot of interest in you and that’s why they drafted you. What did your meetings with Elkin look like over the course of the year?"

D'Aigle: "In fact, I only had one meeting with him. It went really well. We talked. It wasn’t anything more than other meetings. I knew that the Penguins were one of three teams that had the most interest in me. But for the meeting, nothing more than that."

Lavigne: "What is your relationship with Marc-André Fleury? How long have you two known each other?"

D'Aigle: "It has been three years now that we have been training together. Sometimes I text him, sometimes he texts me. I think it’s really cool having a relationship with a future Hall of Famer. It’s pretty special."

Lavigne: "What’s the best piece of advice that he’s given you?"

D'Aigle: "For him, it’s all about attitude. Yes, he gives me advice, but I would say that he especially leads by example. He’s always a guy that is smiling and works hard."

Lavigne: "When you were young, I imagine that there were many comparisons between you and Fleury. How did you deal with those expectations at such a young age? 

D'Aigle: "Well, I mean when you’re young, you don’t really think about anything else outside of hockey. So I guess you could say that I dealt with the pressure well, because I didn’t even know that it was there."

Lavigne: "What are your goals for next season?"

D'Aigle: "Definitely some technical work, calming my game, and doing what the Penguins see me doing. Just improve my game in general."