Manitoba Moose

For a guy who started the first round of the Calder Cup playoffs in the press box, Mario Bliznak quietly played an important role in the first round for the Manitoba Moose.

The rookie centre with the Manitoba Moose replaced enforcer Tommy Maxwell in Game 2, then saw his ice time increased dramatically in Game 4 after an injury sent Alexandre Bolduc to the sidelines for the final three games against the Toronto Marlies.

Bliznak was promoted to the checking line with captain Mike Keane and Guillaume Desbiens and that unit did a fantastic job of neutralizing the Marlies top line of Tim Stapleton, Jiri Tlusty and Bates Battaglia.

"He's been a guy who has been a surprise all season long for us," said Moose head coach Scott Arniel.

"Probably he was on the bubble of whether he was going to be here or be in Victoria (of the ECHL), but right from the beginning of the year he played extremely well and did a lot of good things to earn a spot every night.

"He has poise in pressure situations, for a young guy. He does a good job of holding onto pucks and making his stick available at all times, either for outlets or for defending in coverage.He's very responsible defensively. It doesn't matter if he plays a small amount of minutes or large minutes, he doesn't change his game too much. He's at a very consistent level."

Bliznak, a seventh round choice (205th overall) of the Vancouver Canucks in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft, attended training camp with the Moose in the fall of 2007 but returned for his final Western Hockey League season with the Vancouver Giants.

He received some great coaching from Don Hay and the experience of playing in the WHL final twice and winning the Memorial Cup once has served him well in dealing with the transition to the professional game.

"The WHL is different, but it was a long ride too -- a couple of months," said Bliznak. "Here every game is tough but hopefully (the previous experience) is going to help me."

Bliznak had an outstanding start to the campaign, but saw his game drop off a bit during the stretch drive.

However, Bliznak rounded back into form and is enjoying his first playoff action as a pro.

"Everybody wants to win and that's the best part of the playoffs. It's the best time of the year right now," said Bliznak, who had seven goals and 16 points in 64 games this season.

"Playing on the checking line was nothing new for me, but you just have to be good on every shift."

Bliznak improved considerably during the course of the season, a fact not lost on the coaching staff or his teammates.
"He grew a lot and he developed over the year," said Keane.

"It was a great year in a lot of different aspects. He did well at times, he sat out at times, he had to learn the game at times. As a first-year player, I don't think you could get a better experience. You realize when do well it's great, but when things are going bad you have to work harder and maybe not press as much."