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DENVER -- Wojtek Wolski had no trouble finding a burning desire this past off-season.
All those times he saw predictions he and the Colorado Avalanche would again be a last-place team drove him harder in the gym.
Considering how long the off-season was for the left-winger, it made the desire to get back on track even greater.
"Hitting rock bottom last year helped our team focus on this year. We have a clean start, and right from the get-go, we've had a good season," Wolski said.
He's on pace for a career-season.
Heading into last night's game against the Flames, Wolski -- Colorado's first-round pick, 21st overall, in 2004 -- was tied with Milan Hejduk for the team lead with 12 goals and second only to linemate Paul Stastny with 31 points.
The numbers are no surprise when you remember the rookie season compiled by the 6-foot-3, 215-lb. left winger in 2006-07: 22 goals and 50 points.
However, Wolski was in need of a breakout year.
His totals had fallen the past two seasons, to a paltry 14 goals and 42 points, while the Avs plummeted to the bottom of the Western Conference standings in 2008-09.
But he, like his team, appears back on track.
"I was as big a part of it as anybody," said Wolski, 23. "It wasn't because the team was playing bad that I started playing bad.
"I have been more consistent this year, but I don't think you can say, 'I'm going to be more consistent this year.' It's a lot of different factors, like you're training during the summer, getting ready, watching video and ready for every single game.
"When you play 82 games, it's easy after you have a few good games to take a night off, but this year there's more responsibility and expectations for myself, and I think because of that I've been ready every single night."
He arrived ready.He attributes part of that to the prognostications Colorado would again be at the bottom.
"At the beginning, everyone was upset people were picking us to finish last and it was something that motivated us," he said. "We snuck up on teams at the beginning and didn't expect a hard game, but our team is good on the forecheck, plays pretty hard defensively and goaltending has been stepping up.
"We're definitely a hard team to play against."
The long layoff in the summer provided not only time to be extra motivated but also allowed him to work differently.
Wolski spent less time doing heavy weightlifting than past off-seasons, and spent more of his energies doing plyometrics and track work -- sprints and distance running -- to give him even more speed and agility.
As a result, he came into the year prepared physically and mentally to make a difference, according to Stastny.
"When you have a year like last year, everyone remembers. It's so long and you never want it to happen again," Stastny said. "It's a burning desire to get back and have a chance to win. Last year, we were almost sitting back hoping to get to a shootout or something.
"He was really focused on forgetting what happened last year with the whole team and getting ready to start something new this year. That's what our whole team has tried to do."
RANDY.SPORTAK@SUNMEDIA.CA