Striving for more

MONTREAL – David Desharnais has his sights set on being a far more consistent offensive threat next season.

With that in mind, the 29-year-old has been hard at work back home in Quebec City for the last two months preparing himself for his eighth year in the big leagues. After putting up 11 goals and 29 points in 65 games during the 2015-16 campaign – and seeing his club fail to secure a playoff berth for the first time since 2011-12 – Desharnais didn’t take too long of a break before getting back in training mode to try the right the wrongs of last season.

“I’ve been working out with the same trainer in Quebec City, [University of Laval strength and conditioning coach] Raymond Veillette, for something like 12 or 13 years now. I love the way he does things and his programs. I find that I improve every summer. I always come to training camp in good shape. When it comes time to head back to Montreal in September for camp, I know that I’ll be ready for a long season,” said Desharnais, who works out with teammates Phillip Danault, Mark Barberio, and fellow NHLers Antoine Vermette, Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Patrice Bergeron, the de facto leader of the group.

Right now, Desharnais is training five days per week, and skating twice per week, too. His workouts typically take place on the campus of the University of Laval at the PEPS complex and at a local Les 3 Glaces facility as well. The Laurier-Station, QC native believes Veillette’s training methods provide the right mix of exercises and drills for the entire group to get the best out of their offseason regimen.

“It’s a lot of explosion and cardio work at the same time. It’s a little bit of everything. We’re trying to replicate a hockey shift, so the effort will be something like 30 to 45 seconds. Then, we’ll rest for two or three minutes, just like we would in a game situation. It’s very hockey-specific stuff. That’s what I like. We’ll even do the 400 steps sometimes at Cap-Blanc, and I also do some yoga. I work out hard, but I make sure that I’m well rested both mentally and physically. That’s important,” explained Desharnais, who also thoroughly enjoys the interaction that comes with training in a group setting. “They’re all top-rated guys in the NHL, so we have a very, very good group. We all push each …

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