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The gaudy statistics are nice, but John Tavares wants to be known for more than his eye-popping goal and point totals.
Tavares, the 16-year-old sensation with the Oshawa Generals, is taking great strides in that regard while playing for his country in the eight-game Canada/Russia Super Series.
"I've accomplished a lot individually, but I really want to take on a big leadership role this year in Oshawa," Tavares, who turns 17 later this month, said before last night's Game 5 in Winnipeg. "Hopefully, we can go deep in the playoffs and get to the Memorial Cup. I definitely want to improve on the numbers. I'm trying to get better in every aspect of my game, even the things that I'm good at."
After dealing with the disappointment of being cut from last year's gold medal winning world junior team, Tavares returned to the Generals and finished the season with 72 goals and 134 points in 67 games, eclipsing Wayne Gretzky's record for most goals by a 16-year-old.
"You try to just roll with it, breaking Gretzky's record still hasn't even sunk in yet," said Tavares, who will only be eligible for the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, unless he gets a special exemption. "You don't go out there and think about breaking records. You want to help your team and that's what I'm trying to do."
Tavares finished second in scoring in the Ontario Hockey League and was named Canadian Hockey League player of the year.
"I had never been cut from a team before. It was a new experience and I took a positive from it," said Tavares, who had 45 goals and 77 points for Oshawa as a 15-year-old. "It's every kid's dream to play in the World Juniors and to be in a series like this (honouring) 1972, it's a great experience. A once-in-a-lifetime event.
"I love playing hockey. I've always scored goals and I know I always will. I just go out there, play my game and try to get better as a person as well."
Team Canada assistant coach Peter DeBoer believes Tavares is just scratching the surface as far as his potential is concerned.
"He's a phenom," said DeBoer, the head coach and general manager of the Kitchener Rangers of the OHL. "The only other names that come to mind are Gretzky, Bobby Orr and Sidney Crosby. When you're mentioning him in the company with those type of names and talking about what he's done at the age he's at, the sky is the limit."
When it comes to identifying Tavares' greatest asset, DeBoer was quick to offer an answer.
"It's his hands and his shot. He's just one of those natural scorers," said DeBoer. "When the puck is on his stick, he's going to find a way to put it into the net and he can do it in a dozen different ways.
"He scored 72 goals as an underage and the record in our league is 87. He's got a chance to score 100 goals. I'm not pre-picking him for (the world junior) team but he could miss nine games or so at Christmas and still do it."