Dakota Joshua jokes that training camp ‘feels hard again’ after reuniting with Craig Berube

Dakota Joshua may be a new face for the Toronto Maple Leafs, but he’s no stranger to Craig Berube.

Joshua played under Berube through the first two seasons of his NHL career with the St. Louis Blues. Speaking at camp Friday, the 29-year-old says it feels all too familiar being back in training camp under the tough coach.

“It feels hard, feels hard again,” he said, earning a laugh from media. “It’s the same in that perspective. Competing and just making sure you’re going at each other hard. That’s what he wants to see, that’s been consistent.”

The goal under Berube has been for Toronto to become tougher to play against. That has meant bringing in bigger, physical players like Joshua, who comes in at 6’3″ and 206 lb. Coming from the Vancouver Canucks, Joshua said one of the things he noticed being in Toronto is that there’s no longer any truth to the narrative that teams in the West are bigger than those in the East.

“Everybody is big from offence to defence, even the goalie,” he said, of Toronto’s roster. “It’s nice to have a big team and cover a lot of ice out there.”

Playing alongside Nicolas Roy to kick off training camp, that size in Toronto can be seen just between those two new additions. Bringing similar, versatile skillsets, Joshua praised his potential linemate.

“He’s a great player to play with,” Joshua said. “Very simple and easy to read off of, so it makes the job for people around him a lot easier. The consistency of his game and knowing what you’re gonna get goes a long way.”

Joshua and Roy are top contenders to fill in Toronto’s third line, which will aim to build a strong, physical foundation under the highly-skilled top six. With that in mind, Joshua described what he considers the perfect third-line player.

“Somebody who spends most of their time away from the net, switching momentum into the other end,” he said. “Just making sure that you’re outcompeting the other third line when it gets to that aspect of the game.”

While he was originally drafted by the Maple Leafs over a decade ago, Joshua is gearing up to finally make his appearance in the blue and white. And while he’s already feeling comfortable in Toronto, there’s one thing off the ice he’s still getting used to.

“I would say getting used to that Toronto traffic has been one for sure,” he said.

Not unlike the frustration of getting stuck in traffic is that of waiting year after year for improved playoff results in Toronto: stuck in one place and not advancing any further. Just as you never really get used to the traffic (sorry Joshua), Berube is working to instill that attitude of no complacency on the ice to produce better results for the Leafs moving forward. Familiar with the Berube system, Joshua will play a big part in lighting that fire in the team this year and into the postseason.