Coyotes’ Conor Garland on summer training and excelling as an undersized, ultra-skilled NHL forward

Conor Garland’s impressive stat line for the Coyotes this season: 39 points (22-17-39). (Kevin Sousa/Getty Images)

Conor Garland’s offseason workouts have been fairly consistent for the past decade. What has changed over the past four years has been the 24-year-old right wing’s mindset and the intent that he puts into those summer sessions.

As one of the Moncton Wildcats’ ace players in his four seasons, 2012-16, competing in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, Garland had “an easy time,” recording 328 points (104-224-328) in 206 regular-season games and 45 points (10-35-45) in 44 playoff contests. The Scituate, Mass., native captured the Canadian Hockey League scoring title in his last two junior campaigns, sharing it with Dylan Strome in 2014-15 and winning it outright in 2015-16.

“I was never really challenged to get to the next level of working hard,” Garland said. “I was always someone who was just built on my ability on the ice. I wasn’t able to be pushed around when I was younger.”