Saint John Sea Dogs’ Luke Green rushing into rookie season: Making The Jump

Parents planning to register twins for minor hockey, in addition to perhaps taking out a loan, should listen to how Luke Green gravitated to being a defenceman.

As the Quebec League's No. 1 overall pick tells it, personality traits played a part in why he took to the blueline while his twin, fellow Saint John Sea Dogs yearling Matthew, played forward. As boys, Luke Green tended to hang back to help out in the defensive zone and found he could still cover enough ice to create an offensive threat. He's honed that style over the years, as evidenced by him becoming the first top pick in the Quebec League draft out of Nova Scotia since Nathan MacKinnon in 2011.

"Always playing with Matt, I always wanted to jump up the ice and play in the offensive zone with him — make plays," says Green, who stayed at home for his draft year while playing for the AAA midget team affiliated with Newbridge Academy, a private school that offers programs tailored to aspiring hockey players. "That's the start of how I started to play like that in minor hockey. I wanted to get involved in the offence with him. We've scored pretty nice goals over the years.

"In our novice years, we both played all positions," the 5-foot-11, 168-pound Green adds. "I remember always hanging back a bit because I wasn't always trusting of the defencemen on our team. I found if I went back, I could just pass the puck up to Matt. That's probably how it started."

The brothers weren't just twin terrors on the ice. The Green brothers, whose dad Mark is a big motor sports enthusiasts, spent their formative years competing in moto-cross, tearing up tracks all over the Maritimes.

"I think we were about four and five when we started," Luke Green says. "Got the training wheels off and stuff. We raced up till we were eight and nine and as we got older we kind of realized the risk with motocross so we got out of that and started into playing hockey more.

"I think the speed of motocross, that's what we loved about it — how fast we were going," Green adds. "I guess in hockey, we're pretty fast players and it's a fast game. I guess we got used to the speed by doing motocross."

Green and his brother, who went No. 22 overall, are joining a Sea Dogs franchise that is coming off two down years since Jonathan Huberdeau led it to successive league titles. Green, who met Huberdeau at the QMJHL draft on May 31 ("he told me to enjoy it"), is eager to make his mark on the team that NHL scout-turned-GM Darrell Young is trying to assemble in the Saint John.

"Going into camp next week, I know there are a lot of young guys in Saint John and they brought in a lot of new faces," says Green, who had a strong showing at Hockey Canada's recent under-17 camp in Calgary. "I am looking to be an offensive guy, but I want to be two-way and learn how to play in my own end."

1. What is an area of your game that you want to improve at this season?

"I want to be just as good on the defensive side as I am offensively. That's going to be my main focus this year. Work really hard on my defensive game.."

2. You have to be yourself, but who is a NHL player you look up to because you feel you offer something similar to your team?

"I really like watching Drew Doughty. I really like how he plays and how he can chip in on the offensive side. He's also reliable defensively while being able to move the puck."

3. Besides your parents (Michelle and Mark), who is the one person who comes to mind when you think of people who have had a hand in your success?

"Honestly, I couldn't really single out anyone at Newbridge Academy. The principal, Jason Wolfe, the director of hockey Kiefer House along with [instructors] Paddy Flynn and Jaro Sevcik. Everyone at Newbridge helped us a ton. Also, the owner, Trevor MacEachern. He gave us a lot and were both thankful to him.

"The school's been a huge factor in all the development for me and my brother. All the teachers, all the coaches, all the staff there. Definitely it's helped our games in the past four years. We were on the ice quite bit."

4. Who is one player you're eager to face in the QMJHL?

"Being from Halifax, we watch the Mooseheads a lot. I obviously don't think Jonathan Drouin will be back this year but I enjoy watching [Winnipeg Jets first-rounder Nikolaj] Ehlers.

"He's a really fast player and I'll definitely have to be ready on the defensive side of things when we play Halifax."

5. How do you view the opportunity in front of you in Saint John?

"It's a great opportunity for everyone in Saint John. They have a real young team and it's looking like they have a good young defence corps. Obviously, there's all the history there: it's their 10th year and they have already won a Memorial Cup and two President's Cups. I look forward to helping the team get back up there."

Neate Sager is a writer for Yahoo! Canada Sports. Follow him on Twitter @neatebuzzthenet.