In his end-of-season interview Thrashers Executive Vice President and General Manager Don Waddell mentioned that some of the Thrashers' prospects will be given the chance to make the jump to the NHL this year. One of the players who he mentioned by name was gritty forward Colin Stuart.

The 6'2", 205 lb Colorado College product potted 18 goals this season in Chicago and added 11 assists, improving on his previous season's point total of 27 points. Stuart will be 26 when arrives at training camp in September and he'll have two full pro seasons and 15 playoff games under his belt. He'd be an NHL rookie if he made the Thrashers squad, but he brings plenty of experience with him as both an AHL regular and a former Colorado College captain.

I caught up with Colin Stuart a while back and asked him about his year and his hopes for next season.

Q: How would you describe this past season with the Wolves?

A: It's been pretty good. I kind of got off to a rough start thanks to a fluke accident in practice. I got a puck in the face. A bit of a  weird deal off a tipped shot. I broke my jaw and had surgery the next morning. I ended up missing 13 games or so, so it  could have been worse, but it took a while to get my weight back up and my strength back up. Being on a liquid diet for 10 weeks really doesn't support a hockey player's body too well. So it was a slow start there but I think I came on pretty strong in the second half of the season and achieved some of the goals I'd set for myself and played a little bit better hockey down the stretch there.

Q: As a guy looking to make the jump to the NHL what would you say your biggest strength is?

A: I'd say my skating. From what I've been told and what I know personally, if I'm going to be an NHL player I'm going to be a
third or fourth line guy. A guy that needs to be strong on the puck and strong along the walls. A guy that can be a good solid
penalty killer for an NHL team. So it's just working on a lot of the little things to round out my game.

Q: At the end of the Thrashers' season Don Waddell said he expected some Chicago guys to challenge for roster spots and he mentioned you by name as someone who could bring some speed and energy to the lineup. Were you aware that your name had come up?

A: I heard that through the grapevine and it's a nice compliment I guess, but it doesn't change my game. If it anything it strengthens it and backs up what I've been trying to do this year in Chicago. It's good to see that I'm getting noticed and I would love the opportunity to show them what I can do at the next level. I'd work incredibly hard, and like you said, I'd bring a lot of energy.

Q: What has it been like to have your old teammates from Colorado College (Brett Sterling and Joey Crabb) here with you in Chicago?

A: It's good and bad. Actually, it's been good. I've joked around that they keep following me wherever I go, but the hockey world is a small world and they're two good guys. Two good people. It's nice to be able to extend our playing careers together.

Q: Did you expect Brett to do this well (55 goals and 97 points) his rookie year out of college?

A: I knew that with his talent around the net and the quality of players that Chicago usually recruits that he'd be playing with some pretty talented linemates. I knew early on that he was gong to get the opportunity to be playing on the first power-play unit. And obviously playing with Darren Haydar and Jason Krog- I told him I could've scored 50 with those two. But he did an unbelievable job. It's not easy no matter how old you are to score that many goals in this league. So it's a tribute to his game and his preparation. You can't argue with that many goals and I'm pretty proud of him.

Q: Thanks for your time, and have a good summer. See you at training camp.

A: Thanks.