Born in Lévis, a suburb of Quebec City, he played the majority of his junior career for the Gatineau Olympiques, and captained the team his final year. After being drafted in the fourth round by the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2007, he played for 10 teams in three different leagues over the next seven-plus seasons before heading to Europe midway through last season. On the day of his first on-ice session with his new team in a new country, the 26-year-old took the time to speak a little bit about the path his career has taken.

You’ve been here two weeks now. What are your first impressions of your new team?
So far, so good. I’ve only been here two weeks and so still just trying to get adjusted. I’ve met the other players but I don’t know anyone personally yet, but the rink and the facilities are nice and everyone’s been nice to us. One of the things I notice here is the guys are so nice.

You played last season in Banská Bystrica, Slovakia, which might make living in Prague an easy transition for you. What did you think of that place?
It’s a beautiful place and the people there love hockey, and I felt really welcome. The arena was full every game and the fans were loud the whole game, singing from the start until the end. It’s fun to play in front of fans like that. And we won the championship, so that made it even better. I arrived in November – almost halfway through the season – and I thought the guys would hate me because I was taking someone’s job, but everyone was really nice to me – even guys who couldn’t speak English.

Did you manage to learn any of the Slovak language? If so, that might help you with Czech...
I was trying my best to learn some Slovak words, and I’ve found some of them work here and some of them don’t and the people correct me, but I think they understand it.

You’re known as a physical defenceman. How did you find the physical game your first season in Europe?
It’s way less. There’s still hitting but not many fights. In North America, if you hit someone, you have to be ready to fight the whole team, even if it’s a clean hit. Everyone’s closer together on the smaller ice, so there’s more hitting. Here, you have to skate further if you want to hit a guy.

Any other differences?
There’s less games over here. In the AHL or ECHL, sometimes you’re playing Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and these are all physical games with hitting and fighting, so you’ve got bumps and bruises and travelling from one city to the next on the bus, trying to get some sleep and that’s tough sometimes. It really takes a toll on your body.

How did you do that for seven years?
When you’re younger, you’re ready for it. I don’t have kids and I’m not married, so it’s easier. But I’ve played with guys who have been in the minor leagues forever, and one day they get traded or called up or sent down – you have to be ready to move at any time and if you’ve got kids, that can be really tough. As I said, it’s fine when you’re younger, but at some point you just want to settle down and stay there for a while and be comfortable.

I find that I play better when I’m happy going to the rink. If you’re always stressed out about whether you’re playing, or whether you’re going to be called up or sent somewhere else, you have so many distractions in your head while you’re on the ice. In Europe, there are fewer games and you’re just thinking about the game.

How did you know it was the right time to come to Europe?
That’s tough to know because you have to be sure. You can’t leave to Europe having doubts. What I mean is, in North America, every player’s dream growing up is to play in the NHL, so that’s what everyone’s trying to do and that’s what motivates you.

How close did you come to making an NHL team?
Honestly, I don’t know. You never know. You can play well but if there are no open spots on the roster, you stay in the minors. Then in the middle of a season there can be a few injuries and you get a chance. There are so many things that can happen that are out of your control. For me, it never happened, but there are a lot of hockey players in the minor leagues and in Europe that are really good.

Did you play in any pre-season games?
I played in one game for the Coyotes against Los Angeles. There weren’t many players in the game that made the final teams but it was still really good hockey. Again, it just shows how many good players are out there.

One of your new teammates now is fellow Quebec defenceman Jeremie Blain. Your careers overlapped a fair bit in the QMJHL, AHL and ECHL. How well did you know him?
I knew who he was – I knew the name – but we never spoke to each other before a month ago. He’s two years younger than me, but we played against each other in junior and in the minors and we have some mutual friends – the hockey world is small. When I first signed here, my agent told me that I might be the only import, but he signed just a few days later and then we spoke to each other on the phone for the first time. Then I drove to Montreal to fly overseas and we flew together.

He said that the two of you now share a car in Prague before getting the second one. Do you ever drive?
No, he’s the driver and I’m the co-pilot. I’m in charge of the music (laughing).

You’re from the Quebec area and he’s from Montreal. Is there any kind of rivalry there?
Well, he’s a Habs fan but I was raised a fan of the Nordiques. My dad was a huge Quebec Nordiques fan and hated Montreal – still does. He had season tickets but I only went to a few games because they left when I was five years old. But still, he raised me to be a Nordiques fan and to hate the Montreal Canadiens. He used to tell me there were fights in bars between fans when the teams played each other. That’s how big hockey is in Canada and especially in the province of Quebec.