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'Ice Man' Howard believes he's among the best goal scorers in the draft

USA Isaac Howard - Images on Ice
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Isaac Howard became known as the "Ice Man" of the United States National Team Development Program this season. 

"I like to be cold [blooded] out there on the ice," the winger explained. "Steady and burying goals."

It's not a new nickname. 

"My dad called me that as a kid because I was always around the rink," Howard said. "And now it picked up again. I was talking to [teammates Lane] Hutson and [Logan] Cooley and we made nicknames for each other and it stuck. I like the nickname."

 The Wisconsin native likes it so much that he's wearing an "Ice Man" hat these days. 

"Some guy on Instagram designed it for me and it's probably my favourite hat right now," Howard said. "This guy has got a merch brand or whatever and he reached out with an offer and I was like, 'Yeah, I'll take a hat.'"

Howard certainly lived up to the "Ice Man" moniker at the under-18 World Championship in Germany where he led the United States in scoring with 11 points in six games. 

"That's the Holy Grail of the NTDP and that's what we work for so, you know, I was fired up," he said. "It was pretty easy to get up for it and excel at that tournament, specifically. I just seized the moment." 

Howard is a sharpshooter on the ice and straight shooter off of it.  

"A lot of hockey players, I guess, aren't super expressive or are more contained, but I say what's on my mind and try to be myself," he said. "Obviously, when you're an offensive player you have a little bit of swagger."

During a conversation with TSN, Howard didn't hold back when asked where he fits in among this year's National Hockey League draft class. The 18-year-old also explained why he'd rather be a judge than an executioner. The following is an edited transcript of the interview.  

TSN: What was it like to score four goals against Team Canada in the first game of the under-18 World Championship? 

Howard: "Nothing better than scoring four against a rival country. It definitely felt good. It was a good start to the tournament."

TSN: What did it feel like as that day was unfolding? 

Howard: "Before that game I was super fired up. A lot of our tournaments got cancelled because of COVID so that was the first time we played Canada in the last two years. And then I was just finding those [scoring] areas on the ice and making plays and the puck was going in."

 TSN: Do you ever get nervous? 

Howard: "Nerves are good sometimes. You know, you get a little jitter in you and that means you're excited for the game. Sometimes I get anxious for a game because there's a long wait or whatever, but I'm not really too nervous. I'm pretty prepared for the moment and it's just about enjoying it. Like, I mean, the stuff we get to do is pretty special so I just enjoy the moment."

TSN: How would you describe your game? 

Howard: "I'm a really offensive winger, you know, a goal-scoring winger who loves to make plays with the puck and find soft areas and get open for my teammates. Every time I step on that ice I want to be a difference maker offensively. The funnest part of the game is scoring goals and that's what I love to do most."  

TSN: Who are your NHL role models? 

Howard: "I like watching wingers Nikita Kucherov, Jake Guentzel and Artemi Panarin. They're all wicked smart offensively, can find guys, always know where the play's going and those guys can all finish." 

TSN: Where did your game grow the most this season? 

Howard: "Playmaking. I had the puck on my stick a ton and I was able to use my deceptiveness and find that open guy. I could fake a shot and hit the open guy on the back side. That was a huge step in my game." 

 TSN: You came in No. 20 on Bob McKenzie's final list of prospects, which is based on a poll of scouts. How does that sound to you? 

Howard: "I don't read into those too much, because come draft night it's going to be pretty crazy. I don't know where I'm going but hopefully a little bit higher up, I'd say." 

TSN: Where do you think you fit in with this year's draft class? 

Howard: "I'm one of the best offensive players, for sure. I don't think my size [5-foot-10] is a negative. I've never felt smaller on the ice. I have a pretty sturdy frame. I'm 183 [pounds] right now which is pretty sturdy for my size. I'm one of the best goal scorers and one of the best overall offensive guys. That's how I view myself in the draft." 

TSN: How many teams have you talked to? 

Howard: "Pretty much every team throughout the year. They come to the rink and do interviews there and then at the combine I talked to pretty much every team again."

TSN: What's the toughest question you got?

Howard: "I didn't get too many crazy questions. Colorado did a basketball game where we threw candy in a trash can. That was the most out of the ordinary thing I did. Montreal asked what animal you'd be. Probably the weirdest one is they asked whether I'd want to be an executioner or a judge."

TSN: And? 

Howard: "I told them I'd want to be a judge. They described the executioner as someone who just pushes a button to kill someone. It wasn't even the cool axe chopping of someone's head. So, I chose judge because at least you get to do something all day. And then they twisted it to hockey and said, 'Oh, you want to make the calls, but you don't want to actually do it.' It was funny."

TSN: There's probably no right answer to that question. 

Howard: "No. Either way they got a thing coming back." 

TSN: Let's wrap up with a little word association on some of your teammates. What's the first thing that pops into your head when you think of Logan Cooley? 

Howard: "Skilled." 

TSN: Cutter Gauthier?

Howard: "Big."

TSN: Rutger McGroatry? 

Howard: "He's a clown. Me and him feed off each other when we're at the rink. Say it's a Monday and everyone's dead, me and him are the energetic ones still buzzing around the rink. So, he's a clown." 

TSN: You guys are pranksters? 

Howard: "We're just always energetic and competitive. For the most part we're on separate teams in practice. If we're doing a three-on-three drill or whatever, both of us want to win so bad and we're chirping the other team and each other and all that. It made it fun." 

TSN: Lane Hutson? 

Howard: "Unreal." 

TSN: He's underrated, eh? 

Howard: "Yeah, I mean, every time we were on the ice together I feel like we were always generating scoring chances. Normally a forward and defenceman don't have that good of chemistry but he was always able to find me and I was always able to find him. It was fun."