Thrashers system may be perfect for Postma

By Chris Vivlamore

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Good news for Paul Postma.

The Thrashers' defensive prospect -- known for his offensive abilities -- may one day be a perfect fit for the system planned by new coach Craig Ramsay.

That one day may come soon.

Ramsay plans to implement his aggressive style. Postma, who was one of the final players cut by the Thrashers last year during training camp, was happy to hear about the hire.

“I was pretty excited when I saw that,” Postma said Friday at the team’s prospect camp. “He seems like an awesome coach, and he likes his [defense] jumping up in the rushes, which is exactly what I do. So that’s a very good thing for me. Hopefully he likes what he sees.”

Postma, a 6-foot-3, 190-pound defenseman, was in a group of nine players sent to AHL Chicago last season -- just four days before final rosters were due. In his first professional season, Postma played 63 games and had 15 goals and 14 assists. He was a plus-5 and had only 24 penalty minutes. In seven playoff games, he had two assists.

In his final junior season in 2008-09, Postma led the Western Hockey League in scoring by a defenseman with 84 points (23 goals, 61 assists).

Thrashers general manager Rick Dudley has mentioned Postma as a player who could compete for a roster spot when training camp begins in September.

“He had a huge year for us last year,” Dudley said. “For a young kid he went in and scored 15 goals. He started out slowly, but by the end he was using his skills pretty well. We think there is nothing but upside there. ... We think he can continue to get better offensively.”

While his offensive capabilities are a big asset, Postma acknowledges he needs to improve his play in the defensive zone. He said AHL Chicago assistant coach Ron Wilson was “all over me” about his play there. Postma said he also needs to get stronger and put on some weight.

“You want to keep things in perspective,” Postma said. “You want to be confident with what you are doing. Obviously my goal is to make this team, and the sooner the better. This is a big summer for me to work on a few things. I hope that when the real camp comes, this might be my year.”

Postma, 21, has come a long way since the Thrashers drafted him in the seventh round (205th overall) in the 2007 NHL draft. He is back to work for the important months ahead, but not before he enjoyed some time off.

Following AHL Chicago’s second-round playoff exit, Postma met up with best friend and summer roommate T.J. Galiardi, the Colorado Avalanche winger, in Germany. Galiardi and Team USA had just been eliminated from the World Championships. The friends, who both played for Calgary in the Western Hockey League, set off on a 12-day trip that took them to Rome, the Italian Riviera, the French Riviera, Monaco, Barcelona and Paris.

Following prospect camp, Postma will re-join Galiardi in Calgary for summer workouts before training camp.

“Hopefully it will be a bit of a bigger role this year,” Postma said. “Last year I was just here for the experience. This year I know what I’m getting myself into. I know what to expect. I want to play well in the exhibition games and see what happens after that.

“You have to be confident with yourself. If you don’t have that, you don’t have much. You have to know you are good enough to play here.”