UNDER REVIEW: Interview with Matthew Andonovski

0:00Justin: Just like that, we are at the final overager of the season. We sat down with Matthew Andonovski, Ando, affectionately called the Andalorian, created by Sean, popularized by the AudPod.

0:21Justin: Ando sat down with us last year.

0:22Justin: He was our very first guest. You can tell because Andrew and I do not know anything that we're doing. I mean, we still don't, but We've, uh, we fake it a lot better now than we used to. Uh, Ando was a delightful guest to have on as our first ever guest, and just like, what a lovely human being. Um, obviously at that time, all 3 of us thought he was just gonna come back, uh, for this last season in, uh, Kitchener, and then he ended up staying with the Ottawa Senators for like half the season. We all know about that and how the overager stuff ended up turning out. But yeah, what What a lovely guy. We, we couldn't be happier for, for him, for his career. We hope that, uh, you know, we see him, we see him more in the league, uh, in the NHL going forward. He's been such a remarkable player to have on our Kitchener Rangers. Now he's a Memorial Cup champion. Pretty, pretty cool. Um, yeah, I'm not gonna say too much. Uh, sorry that my face is too close to the screen in all of this interview.

1:29Andrew: Enjoy.

1:31Justin: Hey, Andrew.

1:32Andrew: Hey, Justin. Hey, Ando.

1:34Matthew Andonovski: Hey, Justin. Hey, Andrew.

1:36Andrew: Hey, Ando.

1:38Matthew Andonovski: How you guys doing?

1:38Andrew: Well, Rangers fans, we're good. We're great. We can't believe you're here.

1:42Matthew Andonovski: Yeah, I know. I'm pretty fired up. Thanks for the invitation. Thanks for being here. No, thanks for the invitation.

1:48Andrew: Thank you for being here. It's the offseason. That means we're, we've We've been on hiatus until now. We are extremely excited to be back with a special guest episode of The AudPod. Welcome our inaugural guest, the Aud guest, R-Town, AudPod. You're not going to believe who's joining us. The man we affectionately call the Andalorian, our captain, my captain, your captain, Matthew Andonovski.

2:16Intro VO: Welcome to The AudPod, where We're talking Kitchener Rangers hockey with the AudBalls themselves, Andrew and Justin. Take it away, fellas.

2:32Justin: Okay, I didn't actually ask this. Yep. Are you okay if we call you Ando?

2:39Matthew Andonovski: Yeah, yeah, for sure.

2:40Justin: Okay. Do you go by any other nicknames?

2:42Matthew Andonovski: I don't even go by my first name, to be honest. I go by Ando anywhere I go. It's Ando. My parents are the only ones that call me by my first name. Um, but yeah, like there's no other nicknames. It's just, it's Ando and about Ando. That's it.

2:57Andrew: So. Is it shout out to your parents?

3:00Matthew Andonovski: Yeah.

3:00Andrew: Who follow the AudPod?

3:02Justin: Yeah.

3:02Andrew: We love 'em.

3:04Justin: And is it, is it Matt with the parents or is it like Matthew?

3:08Matthew Andonovski: Well, it all depends if I'm in trouble.

3:10Andrew: Oh.

3:10Matthew Andonovski: Then it's full, if it's full, it's full name. And then if it's just casual, it's normally Matt. So yeah.

3:16Justin: As you can tell, we were really important wanting to get into the nitty gritty here in this. Episode. So we got a, we got a pretty tough question to start off with. Um, we learned from Sean Fofaro at an intermission video last season that most people on the team think that you have the worst taste in music. Why does everyone hate your music and what do you listen to?

3:41Matthew Andonovski: Um, I'm a big country guy. Um, but I get it. I get, uh, I get the short end of the stick, um, because I kind of leave my phone unlocked or give guys my password to play music in the room, and they play the music, and it's not really me playing the music half the time. So it could be someone else playing the music, and it's just my phone that's connected to the aux. So I, I took the blame for it, but half— um, I'd say 3/4 of the time, it's everyone else taking my phone and Playing their own music, so they just don't want to blame other guys. I just right.

4:20Andrew: So you were framed; you were set up.

4:23Matthew Andonovski: Okay, you could say that. Yeah.

4:24Justin: Yeah.

4:25Andrew: So so does that mess with your algorithm?

4:28Matthew Andonovski: Uh, no, no, it's not actually that bad because I only listen to country in the car. So and when I'm driving, I just play country. So it uh it's not it's not too bad.

4:39Andrew: So you listen to country, but you're from Toronto, so you're a city boy.

4:43Matthew Andonovski: Yeah.

4:43Andrew: All right, but country boy at heart.

4:46Matthew Andonovski: Yeah, I spent a lot of time in Parry Sound growing up, um, with my grandparents living there. That's where my mom's from. So, um, I do have a little bit of small town in me, but I, I do live in Markham, um, in the city. So, but I do love being outdoors and love going to Parry Sound, up to the cottage and all that. So I love to be outside and kind of country-ish.

5:09Andrew: A pretty good defenseman from Parry Sound up there, I, I think.

5:12Matthew Andonovski: Yeah, I modeled my game after him and I wore number 4 for almost all the years growing up. So, um, I was a big Bobby Orr fan. Um, got a ton of memorabilia. Um, I got a signed Bobby Orr stick actually in my room.

5:27Andrew: Oh wow.

5:28Justin: Sweet.

5:29Andrew: Yeah, that's pretty great. So how did you end up with 5?

5:34Matthew Andonovski: I ended up with 5 because I kind of wanted to switch things up, but there's 5 of us in the family. So I kind of— everyone in my family, including me, took all 5 of them to get to where I am and play in the OHL. So I'm kind of just giving back to my family and kind of showing support and thanking them for all the support that they've given me.

5:57Andrew: Man, I love that. What a beauty. Okay, so you mentioned in the summers you spent a lot of time in Parry Sound. What's like your average offseason since you've been an OHLer?

6:10Matthew Andonovski: I work out every day, skate almost every day. I do a lot of track, kind of work on conditioning and speed at the same time. And then in the afternoons, after I'm done all that, I'm either on the golf course or fishing with my younger brother. So I'm doing one of those 2 things most of the time. Also been getting into tennis. I've been playing a lot of tennis lately. My dad's quite the tennis player, so I'm trying to practice and try and beat him in the upcoming weeks.

6:45Justin: I'm sure it's not like your main motivation to play tennis, but I've heard it's really good for like coordination and using in other sports and things like that.

6:55Matthew Andonovski: Oh yeah, and it's such a good workout, especially when I'm playing my dad. He doesn't move much and, uh, he can, he can place the ball pretty well. So I find I'm doing suicides back and forth, um, to chase the ball. So I get a pretty good agility workout and conditioning at the same time.

7:12Justin: You see some of those, uh, I don't want to say this about your dad, but some of those older guys playing pickleball or stuff, they're just like, it's like they're drinking a beer, they're Not moving, and the young guys on the other side are just like dead.

7:26Matthew Andonovski: Yeah, that's that's about that's about the way it is.

7:31Andrew: Awesome. So that offseason mindset did anything change once you signed that entry-level contract?

7:41Matthew Andonovski: Yeah, a few things changed. I switched gyms, so I'm working out with Matt Nickel, who's kind of the head of strength and conditioning at with the Ottawa Senators. So. That played a big role in kind of being in the Ottawa organization. He kind of has everyday hands-on with me, kind of monitoring how I'm developing, how I'm improving the gym speed conditioning and all the testing that I've been doing weekly with in that gym. So I've been kind of lucky lucky to have that on a day-to-day basis and kind of have an Ottawa represent. representative at my disposal on a daily basis to kind of pick his brain and help me make it to that next level.

8:26Andrew: Awesome. Yeah, that's— I mean, it's the big leagues, so that's awesome that they are bringing you along at that level. And you were drafted obviously by them last year. What did that feel like? And did you have any indication that Ottawa like had you on the radar?

8:45Matthew Andonovski: Honestly, I had no clue Ottawa. I actually have a funny story about that. I did one interview with them on Zoom and they asked me what animal I'd be. And I was like, oh, I'd be a werewolf, but that's not an animal. So yeah, I was like, oh, I'm definitely not getting drafted by these guys now. Like, I totally messed that one up. I, and like, I should have just said wolf, but I tried to be a little creative, but it didn't— the one scout called me out and actually said, uh, that's not an animal. So I for sure thought I screwed myself on that one, but no, it ended up working well and they kind of— they actually liked it. Um, so half human, half wolf, I guess. Um, they like that. So yeah, uh, that— I definitely didn't think it was gonna be Ottawa, but I ended up— ended up working. So yeah, no, I'm happy.

9:40Andrew: I love that. Yeah, they were like, this guy's an outside-the-box thinker.

9:44Justin: Yeah. Now that you've been through the draft process, you got some teammates on the Rangers that, that are going through that this summer. Was there any advice or anything like that that you could impart on them?

9:56Matthew Andonovski: Yeah, obviously there's a lot of pressure to perform in your draft year. Kind of just have fun with it. I told them to not kind of be all uptight. Like you're gonna you play your game, you're gonna go out and play your game every night. So don't be uptight every night. We play 68 games, and if you're uptight every all 68 games, you're not gonna play well all 68 games. So just have fun. Obviously, you work in the summer to have a good year. So just trust your training and good things will happen. And every guy that's draft eligible, I feel like has a really good shot. of getting drafted this year. I'm excited.

10:36Justin: Yeah, that's— I mean, we're excited too. We're just fans, but it seems like you guys had such a good crew together this year that we just want the best for everybody. And it's awesome. And how was training camp last year? How did that go?

10:52Matthew Andonovski: Training camp went really well. Obviously really cool experience, kind of getting To watch those really, really good players, NHLers that have been in the league for many years, and just see how they work on a day-to-day basis, how they prepare their bodies, and how they like really work in an up-close environment, and just see the gap that or what I need to work on to make it to that level and improve, and little things that I can add to. help myself make it to that level.

11:31Justin: Was there anybody that you connected with on the team, or—

11:35Matthew Andonovski: Yeah, I just— well, Giroux and Brady Tkachuk kind of sat down with all the young guys at the table and just kind of chatted with all of them. So that was, that was pretty sweet to— you kind of a little bit starstruck when you first get there and you're like, oh, I watch these guys on TV every night. So Just, you don't really want to bug them or ask them too many questions, but they're all, they're all super open to answering questions and kind of sat down the first day and said, if you have any questions, don't be afraid to come ask. We're, we're here to help, just like all the staff. So it was pretty cool.

12:10Justin: That's awesome. That is awesome.

12:14Andrew: So, all right. So you said that you spent time in Parry Sound, you're a big Bobby Orr guy. So I'm, I'm curious now. Are you—

12:21Justin: does that—

12:22Andrew: are you, are you a Bruins fan growing up? Or being from Toronto, were you a Toronto fan? And okay, before you answer that, did your family have mixed emotions about the Sens signing you, or are they just excited that you're potentially like driving distance away?

12:36Matthew Andonovski: Um, well, to answer the first question, I'm not a Boston fan. I'm a Leafs fan. Um, or I was a Leafs fan. I'm not a Leafs fan anymore.

12:46Justin: But is that in the contract?

12:49Matthew Andonovski: I didn't really read the contract. I'd have to ask my agent about that, but I'm just, I'm just not a Leafs fan anymore. I'd rather cheer for the team that I'm drafted for and hopefully play for that team one day. But, and then my parents, my dad's a Leafs fan, but they weren't too upset that I was signed by the Ottawa Senators. They were just happy that I'm pretty close and I they can drive and they don't have to fly to every game.

13:18Andrew: Of course. So you've been in Kitchener, and have they been coming to all the games, or do they watch some of the games on TV?

13:29Matthew Andonovski: Yeah, they, they come to almost every game. I got 2 younger brothers, so they're, they're full-blown in hockey too. So most, almost every Friday night, they're at the Aud, or at least one of them and one of my brothers is at the Aud. Watch me play, so I'm pretty lucky to have them supporting me. And then the whole playoff run, they were at home and away. They came and and my billets as well. So I'm super happy to have a big support team around me and help me and cheer me on.

14:02Andrew: Speaking of which, your your brother was at camp with the Rangers recently, right?

14:09Matthew Andonovski: Yeah, yeah. He he had. invite to rookie camp or development camp. And yeah, he did, he did really well. So I'm, I'm happy. So we'll see what happens.

14:20Andrew: The next Andalorian.

14:23Justin: Tell us about what it's like to be a kid in a billet family. You said they were following you around as well. And how's that?

14:31Matthew Andonovski: Yeah, no, my, my billets are awesome. They do everything for me. I couldn't ask for a better billet family. I moved in To my billet house at 16, was a pretty shy kid in my billet house and stayed to my kind of stayed to my own a little bit. But once I kind of half the year, maybe my into my second year, I kind of opened up and I I've been with them for four years now and they're they're pretty much second parents to me. They're just an extension of my family right now. So. Um, I love them and, um, I couldn't have asked for a better billet family.

15:09Andrew: It's amazing.

15:11Justin: I mean, I'm sure that makes it so much easier.

15:14Matthew Andonovski: Oh yeah, it— I found it helped with my play. Um, I'm not distracted with having to deal with my billet family if there's issues or anything. I, I got no distractions. I'm just going out and playing and, um, that, that helps a ton. I, I— you hear stories of billet families that, uh, could be a disaster, but I don't think there's— there hasn't been one in Kitchener that I've heard of in my 4 years. So we're really lucky with the billet situation we have in Kitchener, and all the boys are super happy with all their billets.

15:43Andrew: Oh man, that's so great to hear. Speaking of the boys, who, all right, besides yourself, is the funniest guy on the team?

15:53Matthew Andonovski: Ooh, that's a tough one. Cameron Arquette's pretty funny.

16:01Andrew: Yeah, we heard that.

16:04Matthew Andonovski: There's, there's a few. Um, Carson Campbell, I sat next to him. Him and Cam Reid, I sat next to them. Those 2, um, can get a laugh on me pretty easily. Um, and just the kind of the chirping around the room, like everyone's kind of pretty funny. Um, you get one guy going and Uh, he's, uh, there's, there's some guys that you just get going and they're, they're really funny. Um, Reid's one of them. Uh, you get him going and he will, he will not stop. So, uh, he loves his TikTok memes too. So I probably have 20 TikTok memes in my, um, TikTok inbox from him. But yeah, I know his— he sends really funny memes if that counts too.

16:46Andrew: That's good.

16:48Justin: It's good to know the humor as well.

16:51Matthew Andonovski: There's a bunch of different humor too.

16:52Andrew: So you're spending a lot of time with these guys, obviously. Is there any like great travel stories, especially from this past year with all that crazy weather?

17:02Matthew Andonovski: Um, I'm not sure, honestly. I sit at the back of the bus and I face the opposite way at the card table. There's some pretty heated card games. We play a lot of euchre on the bus.

17:16Andrew: Oh, yeah.

17:16Matthew Andonovski: So I spend most of my time playing euchre and not really looking at the weather. I find if I distract myself from the weather, then it's not a factor in the trip, even though it is a really big factor. But yeah, I haven't really had any good bus trips weather-wise, but all of our bus trips are pretty funny. We do We win, we do karaoke on the speakers in the bus. That's a, that's a pretty, that's a pretty fun one.

17:50Andrew: All right, what's your go-to song?

17:52Matthew Andonovski: I, I like Wrecking Ball. That's a good one.

17:59Andrew: Unreal. Wow.

18:02Justin: I would have never guessed.

18:03Matthew Andonovski: Some— I like Nickelback too. I can do like A bunch of Nickelback songs as well. Like, I could do— yeah, so yeah, those are— those would be my— either some Nickelback song or, uh, Wrecking Ball. I did Wrecking Ball on the bus.

18:19Andrew: We're both Alberta boys, so Nickelback, we're, uh, we gotta support them by default.

18:24Justin: Yeah, as soon as you leave the province, that's what they tell you. Yeah, it's on your passport. All right, so we've, we've asked— it's been great getting to know you, but now we gotta talk some Rangers hockey. If that's okay.

18:39Matthew Andonovski: Oh yeah.

18:40Justin: I know it's offseason, but, uh, I mean, we, we had a pretty magical— I say we in the collective we— that we had a pretty magical playoff run this year. Like, how was that for you guys? How was that for you?

18:55Matthew Andonovski: Uh, yeah, it's kind of tough to put into words, that playoff run. Um, obviously Flint, we beat them in 5 games. That was a really tough series, really physical series. So that was really fun to play in. Obviously, just first period of game 1, everyone's just running around. And then, yeah, I get into the fight with their captain. I actually know him, knew him a little bit from Ottawa camp. He went to Ottawa camp before he was drafted to Edmonton, so I kind of knew him and knew what he's about. So I, I kind of had a feeling he would drop the gloves with me. So I, I asked him in warm-ups and he kind of agreed. I said, "Let's get both teams fired up, get the fans into it, start the series off with a bang." So yeah, that was pretty cool to be able to get the Aud super loud. It was probably the loudest I've ever heard the Aud.

19:59Andrew: And yeah, I was there and it was absolutely like thermonuclear. Like, and not only that, you guys were all running around like wild crazy men. And it was like, it was just total maniacs out there, like on both sides. But it was unbelievable physical hockey that, and there was no way that like both teams, I mean, it was a physical series, but like it had to, like, it had to ease a little bit. Like, because it was just like, that was probably the most physical hockey I've ever seen to a degree, like in that first 10 minutes.

20:30Matthew Andonovski: Yeah.

20:31Matthew Andonovski: Yeah, and the message going into the room to go to the second period was just take a breath, let's start playing hockey, because if this happens for 4 to 7 games, both teams are going to be lying on the ice dead.

20:44Andrew: Yeah.

20:45Matthew Andonovski: So it's, it's not sustainable. Um, and next thing you know, the second period was a lot more fast and, um, more hockey-like than a football or rugby match. Um, And then, yeah, that was that was a really cool series to be a part of, and obviously was really tough physically. So going to Windsor, a little bit banged up. We there's a little bit came in, tried to play the same way as we did in Flint, and didn't really work out. Did some adjustments, and kind of. Flipped the switch mentally. I think after that 3rd game, we all kind of realized that this could be their last time playing with our 3 overagers and other graduating players that aren't coming back. And we all said, we're not done yet. We love this group so much that we want to stay together. So we kind of just took it one game at a time. And next thing you know, we're tied 3-3 going into game 7 in Windsor. So that was, that was pretty cool. And I think going into Game 7, we had all the momentum and, um, we had nothing to lose. Um, we could have been out 2 weeks ago after being swept, but we, um, came into Game 7 and played, uh, it was that— I think that game was the best hockey game, um, hockey-wise I've been a part of. Um, both teams were just solid. Um, and I, I love how that was, that was, uh, official. There was no penalties. Um, it was just let the boys play. And, um, I think that's how a Game 7 should be. Um, when you, you look at it, you, you kind of just let each— let both teams play, and whoever, um, scores more wins the hockey game. There's no just other deciding factors that can play into the game. So I think that was a really good game. And, um, just like, Ellinas is an absolute beast. Um, so he doesn't get enough, enough credit. And, um, so, uh, he, he was— he put the team on the back, um, the last 4 games to help us pull off that reverse sweep.

22:56Andrew: Oh man, for sure. We're huge. Well, I'll tell you, he gets enough credit on the AudPod. We love Luke Ellinas. We are singing his praises, man.

23:05Matthew Andonovski: And then London, obviously that team is, I think, one of the best junior hockey teams built, just the way they're built depth-wise, physicality and all that. So a tough team. I think that helped us a lot in our experience with our younger guys that still have a year or 2 left going into next year. I think that helps us a lot to kind of experience this is what a winning team is, how it's built. And I think we have a lot of the same pieces. coming up that can fill roles like how London's kind of built. So I think I'm— we're all really excited to see what happens in the next few years and how this team really shapes up when the core is a year older.

23:46Justin: You're a leader in the room. You're the captain. How do you help these young guys with less playoff experience going into these tough series?

23:59Matthew Andonovski: Well, going into Flint, we had like a little team meeting, and me, Swicky, Mers, Parse—we all kind of sat down and kind of brainstormed a few things. And we knew Flint was going to come out super hard and physical, so we kind of just prepared them and said like, "We know they're going to come out hard. Let's come out twice as hard and kind of intimidate them, and and let's play a really hard first." 5, 10 minutes, everyone gets a bump, everyone puts a lot of pressure on them and kind of scare them off a little bit. And they came right back at us. So that was really cool to see, like, 2 teams just going head-to-head pretty much and trying to see who can intimidate each other for 10 minutes and just kill each other running around the ice. But I think that was a big kind of eye-opener and heads up that we gave them to prepare them and say it's not going to be easy after the first game. We're all feeling it because we've all been hit 1,000 times. So it was kind of good to have that as our first game and it showed what playoff hockey is really going to be like.

25:04Andrew: With that said, I'm curious, with those younger guys, was there a message about when you guys were down 3 games to nothing? Was there a— was there a message maybe even after that first win back, or was it always just like the same thing that we were all saying?

25:19Matthew Andonovski: Uh, yeah, there were— the main message we gave was we just can't give up. Um, we believe in this room. Um, we got a lot of guys that can do a lot of stuff, um, really special stuff. Um, we, we believe in their coaching. Um, they brought us an idea of what, um, could help us win, and we all kind of bought into that. Um, We had Mercer's line, uh, line matching against that Protas, Greentree, and, uh, I forget who the third guy is, but, um, they, they were line matched, um, in game 3 in the third period. They started and, uh, the whole team kind of bought into that. Um, and I don't think they got enough credit after that series on how well they did the last 4, uh, 4 games of shutting down that line. And giving them nothing, and I think that was a really key part in winning that series was that line got nothing, and the rest of the team had a little bit of more air to breathe without having to worry about that those three superstars buzzing around the ice, creating opportunities for for themselves. So that gave everyone a little bit more confidence, allowing them to play their game and not necessarily. changed their game to shut those guys down. So it gave a lot of our top guys a little bit more space to move around and play an offensive style like they like to.

26:47Andrew: Unreal. Well, we appreciate you joining us. We're going to ask you one more question because we don't want to keep you too long. You scored your first game winner this past season in overtime versus Kingston. Luke Ellinas, who we talked about earlier, another Ottawa draft pick, He set you up, had a beautiful play to get in there deep, and then he just dished it to you and you sniped one from pretty far out too, actually. Was that one of your favorite moments as an OHLer? And how exciting is it to know that you and Luke are part of the same organization?

27:20Matthew Andonovski: Yeah, no, that was a pretty special moment other than my first career goal 3 years later than I probably should have got it. Yeah, no, it was, it was pretty cool, um, just to be able to have the whole team come out and jump on you. I, I was always the guy to go out and jump on the guy that scored the OT winner, but being, being that guy and kind of having all the guys around you, um, kind of brings a little bit more confidence and kind of feels like you got the whole team, um, rallying behind you, um, to celebrate with you. So it was definitely a really cool and really special moment, and I always wanted to do the heartbreaker, but I never had the opportunity to, so That was pretty cool to be able to do that and actually like make sure it was a heartbreaker and not just a late third period goal. And man, maybe they come back. So yeah, it was pretty cool. And then Ellie, it's super nice having a guy that I've spent 3 years with now, or 2 or 3 years now, and have a familiar face around Ottawa, have someone to talk to if I got no one to talk to and kind of just share Our pro careers in the same kind of start. So someone to bounce ideas off and talk about. So it's, it's really cool to have him kind of alongside.

28:34Justin: That's awesome, man. Yeah. And as we said, we don't want to keep you too long. So yeah, thank you so much for joining us on the AudPod, chatting with us. You're, you're our inaugural guest. So kicking us off strong here.

28:49Matthew Andonovski: No, thank you. Thanks for having me. I appreciate it. It's an honor to be the inaugural guest on, on this, on this podcast.

28:56Justin: Yeah. Thanks, man. And, and thanks for all the support throughout the season. We knew you were there, so we—

29:03Andrew: Yeah, it meant a lot to us. You were one of our first followers and kind of shocked us a little bit because we're just, as we say all the time, 2 idiots in a room talking about hockey. And just to kind of have the team somewhat embrace us. You know, it meant a lot to us because like, you know, we're just 2 guys with jobs and we, we just wanted to do something fun together, you know, following the Rangers.

29:28Matthew Andonovski: Yeah, no, I appreciate it. Yeah, I love, I love the content. So I love watching it when the podcasts come out. I always take a listen. My mom listens, both my parents listen, and so does my billet mom. So they'll probably be pretty excited when they see this episode come out.