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< ' Mark Hunter, who played in the NHL for a dozen years, was with the Skipjacks last year. "The older guys treated the rookies great," says Longo. "It wasn't cliqish at all. Hunter knew his role with the team. He was great on and off the ice. He had some great stories to tell that made the bus trips seem a lot faster." Longo says the AHL is a big jump from the OHL. "In junior you can go into the corner after the puck and lots of times you can come out with it but in the AHL they hold you up pretty good." He says strength is one area where he could use some im- provement. "I know I need a lot of work. I've got to work on my upper body strength and leg strength. The players are a lot bigger, faster and stronger in this league. You can't hold onto the puck as long and you really have to keep your head up." At 5'11" tall and tipping the scales at 185 pounds, Longo isn't big by NHL standards but he feels his time will come to play in the NHL. "It's not just the big guys that are getting drafted and playing in th NHL now," he says. "I think hockey is going back to a more skilled and skat- ing, fast-paced game," he says. Longo will stay in Belleville for another few weeks then its back to Baltimore to join some team-mates for an off-season weight training program in preparation for next season (when the team moves to Port- land).