How Norris Has Grown His Game to Center High-Scoring 'SNL' Line
10/27/2018 11:55:00 PM | Ice Hockey, Features
By Steve Kornacki
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Josh Norris is only five games into his sophomore season at the University of Michigan, but it's already evident that his game has improved.
He's scored in each of the first five ice hockey games for the No. 12 Wolverines (3-2), and leads the team with eight points while sharing the goals lead with Nick Pastujov at three apiece. Norris scored the first goal in Saturday night's (Oct. 27) 3-1 win over St. Lawrence, and assisted on the second goal by defenseman Quinn Hughes.
Norris has not only improved his overall game and become stronger and faster. He's also learned how to play with the expectations that come from being a first-round pick in the NHL Draft just prior to coming to the University of Michigan.
"You've got a target on your back," said Wolverine head coach Mel Pearson. "People know who you are, the other teams know and you can see it this year with him and Quinn. People are going to go after them a little bit, and it's in a good way. But they have a target on their back a little bit now, and they're going to try and make sure those guys don't beat you.
"And they have to play through that. It's always been that way here at Michigan whether it's from Red's (Berenson) time to Brendan Morrison to whatever. The good players just seem to draw more attention, and it makes you a better player. It makes you have to compete harder and work through some things. It can be frustrating, but you just have to stay with your game.
"I give Josh a lot of credit, and that's where he's grown, too. He's been able to work through that and not get caught up in all the stuff. Sometimes it can inspire you to play better and harder, too. With a guy like Josh, that fires him up. There was a little trash-talking going on tonight. He was giving it to some guy pretty good. So, it's too bad he's left. You could've asked him about it."
Norris had already attended the postgame press conference, but took a few minutes before exiting Yost Ice Arena to weigh in on his coach's thoughts.
"To be honest with you, I just try to focus on having a ton of fun this year," Norris said when asked about the trash-talking from the Saints. "At the end of the day, it's just a game. Things are going to happen that you can't control. It's how you react to things, and for the most part I've had a positive mind-set."
As for the pressure of being a first-rounder?
"I think maybe I felt a little bit of that," said Norris. "I was 18 and inexperienced. Maybe I thought too much and put pressure on myself offensively. But I think I still found a role on the team, keeping the pucks from going in (on goalies). I wasn't scoring points, but I was great on faceoffs and played first PK (penalty kill).
"I thought I did a lot of really good things, and you know we had that line with Coop (Cooper Marody), (Dexter) Dancs and Tony (Calderone), and they did most of the scoring. I was kind of the other guy who was reliable defensively and did things the right way."
That group, known as the "Run DMC Line," was the scoring force on a team that reached the NCAA Frozen Four, and Marody recently made his NHL debut with the Edmonton Oilers.
Now the line Norris centers with talented wingers Jake Slaker and Will Lockwood is Michigan's No. 1 line.
Pearson likes what he's seeing of that line, which also has last names that lend themselves to an easy initial line. How about the "SNL Line?" Hey, they even play live most Saturday Nights.
They've totaled seven goals in five games, and Norris got the scoring started Saturday by taking a pass from Hughes and putting it past goalie Arthur Brey.
"It was pretty simple," said Norris. "I kind of just beat my guy out of the corner and whenever Hughesie has the puck, I try to get to the net because he's obviously pretty smart, and he put it right on my stick and I put it in the back of the net."Â
Norris, now 6-foot-2 and 195 pounds, spoke about what he's added to his game.
"I was just getting a little bigger, stronger and faster," he said. "But it was just about getting mentally stronger and working with people to improve that side of my game. And once I got that under control, it's really helped me physically realize the strength and size that I have, and kind of put it all together. And I think it's gone pretty well."
Hughes, who also played two seasons on the U.S. National Team Development Program squad with Norris, noted that they've been teammates four consecutive seasons.
"I kind of know how good he is," said Hughes, a first-round pick by the Vancouver Canucks in the 2018 NHL Draft. "But this year he's playing really focused, and what I see from him is that he wants to take control of the game, and knows that he's the best player out there whenever he's out there. So, I think for him, he just has a lot of confidence and knows he can make a play whenever he wants.
"It's really fun when I'm seeing him do his thing out there, and, like you said, we're only five games in, but hopefully he can continue that throughout the whole year." Â
Norris scored eight goals and tallied 23 points in 37 games as a freshman, and excelled by leading all forwards with 43 blocked shots and leading the team with a .564 faceoff win percentage.
He did a lot of things that don't get the notice of goal scoring -- which has become a bigger part of his game in the early going this season.
"There's just more experience, more confidence this year," Norris said. "It's my second time around playing with Willie and Slakes and we have more chemistry. They have more experience, too. They're older, too, and anytime you can find chemistry, it's a special thing."
Norris credits the "speed of both of them" while adding that Lockwood and Slaker also both can finish at the net and "dish" the puck as well.
Norris centers that line with precision and grit.
"It's just his confidence," said Pearson. "You can just tell he's in better shape, he's lighter on his feet, he's skating with more power, more speed and his game has grown so much offensively.
"He had a big role last year -- a critical role -- and he played big minutes and did a great job. So, he's so much more confident, and you can just see it. It's in the way he carries himself not only on the ice, but off the ice as well."
