(choppy instrumental music)
- [Stothers] He just looks like a born leader.
The way he carries himself, the way he prepares.
A real good student of the game.
He's very, very focused and detailed
on how he's going about it.
There's no limit to where he can take it.
(soft instrumental music)
- What're you thinking here?
- Michael Anderson, if he's available.
- We're just sitting at the draft and just
kinda waiting to hear your name called.
- From Waterloo of the USHL, Michael Anderson.
- Your heart kinda drops right away
'cause it actually happened you know,
you're an NHL Draft Pick.
(upbeat inspiring music)
The funniest thing I laughed about was
I'd never been anywhere warm so, it was, you know,
coming from Minnesota, being able to go to California,
I was laughing, it'll be a different change.
I grew up in Roseville, Minnesota.
I grew up with an older brother and an older sister
and our parents every year would make a rink for us
in the backyard for the winter
so it got pretty competitive out there
and kind of grew a love for the game in the backyard.
Joey's 11 months older, so all the times in the backyard
my dad has this theory that I turned out as the defenseman
'cause he had the puck and I could never get it from him
so I kinda spent a lot of time chasing him around
and trying my best to get it,
but I could never do it just 'cause he was always
bigger and a little faster.
- [Announcer] At the line, he criss-crosses.
Far-side, Mackay, Mackay to the near side
and they score!
Mackay to Mikey Anderson!
- Me and my brother always dreamed about
being able to play together.
Once it hit Joey, he's like well, I have some options here.
I can pick a school I wanna go to.
So he was going on different recruiting trips
and I kinda tagged along with him.
(upbeat techno music)
He ended up choosing to go to Duluth
and while I was there with him,
I got to see everything, kinda take it all in
and I think it was a good fit for both of us.
- [Announcer] Mackay, end of the line.
Running in, looked up, great drop-pass.
Loading up, firing and scoring!
What a rocket!
Up top, Mikey Anderson!
- Something you dream about is being able to play
in the Frozen Four and then, ultimately,
try and win the Championship
and just being able to do that, it's pretty surreal.
And then you look down and you see him there,
and we did it together,
and it adds just that much more to it.
- [Announcer] This is Anderson, far-side Krieger.
He works his way, gives to Anderson,
long-shot, tipped in front, they score!
- You'll have some guys thinking,
we'll have it again since we've been here before,
it's just gonna happen.
Sandy, our coach, was big on that,
trying to make sure that we kept the competitive hunger
and we wanted to do it again
and it wasn't just gonna happen.
- [Announcer] Mikey Anderson, shot, scores!
(horn blares)
- Being able to do it again was crazy,
it doesn't happen very often in any kind of sport.
You dream about doing it once,
and then it happens again, you gotta kinda pinch yourself
to realize what you just did again.
(dramatic music fades out)
We got watches for winning the National Championship.
So it's nothing too crazy,
and then a couple little memorabilia
that I can wear and kinda keep with me,
but it's been good.
- Nice, Mike! - I see it, I see it.
- Yeah! (clapping and laughing)
- Hey, you want my second one of these?
(all laugh)
- He had the one game, it was the Frozen Face-Off,
the Championship for our league,
and we were getting into it. - Giving it a cheap shot there
- Yeah, we had like a double overtime game.
Blake hit me from behind. - Debatable, that's debatable,
from behind. - I remember,
we go back to the bench or whatever,
and he's saying like, "oh, sorry Mikey."
I gave him a couple other words,
and then after the game we were fine,
but then fast-forward like two months later,
he signed here, and then I signed too
and he sent me a text like, "hey,
"you wanna live together next year?"
And I was like yeah, 100% I'd be in for that.
And I told my mom like, yup found my roommate.
And I go, "Yeah it's the kid from St. Cloud."
And my dad goes, "Uh-oh."
I go, what's wrong with that?
And he goes, "Yeah, she wasn't happy
"with him for that one game, so."
- I feel like I can't see you getting mad.
- If we played against you guys,
like I'd get frustrated with you and your line or whatever
but then, after I'll be fine.
But if I'm with Joey, I'll just start laughing,
and then he'll take it too far,
he'll start punching me, next thing I know,
I'm smiling and everyone's freaking out
and I just kinda just sit there and take it.
- I need one more card, I'm gonna be honest with you.
- What you're looking for is
you're looking for some character, right?
And you wanna have some guys that internally mix well
with their teammates, okay?
And they realize the importance of team first,
and you want a guy that's gonna be
doing whatever it takes to help the team.
(upbeat techno music)
Right now, he's coming from a background
in college where he's done that.
I think he's gonna be a real solid player,
maybe not a flashy guy that you're talking about
after games with end-in, rushes.
But certainly the type of player that if you watched him
for a long period of time, you'd come to appreciate
what he brings to the hockey club.
And the only thing he's lacking
right now is just experience.
- It's been a first-class organization
and I'm very happy to be a part of it.
It'll be my first Pro season,
so I'm looking to kinda just
get comfortable with the way things work
and try and put my best foot forward
and kinda just take it a day at a time.
(upbeat techno music)