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Monahan doesn’t understand why players have sophomore slumps

Columbus Blue Jackets v Calgary Flames

Sean Monahan

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It’s certainly not uncommon for a player to have a strong rookie season and then regress in his second campaign, but not every young player falls victim to the dreaded sophomore slump. Sean Monahan certainly hasn’t.

After scoring 22 goals and 34 points in 75 contests as a rookie, the 20-year-old forward has only gotten better with 29 goals and 54 points in 72 games in 2014-15.

“I don’t really get what the sophomore slump’s all about,” Monahan told NHL.com. “I think you should be better in your second year than your first year. I don’t really get that theory (of a slump). You have a year under your belt and you come into your second year, you know what to expect. I think every guy should be better in their second year than your first year.”

He’s impressed Flames coach Bob Hartley both with the work he put in over the summer to get ready for the 2014-15 campaign and his consistency.

His ability to build on his success is one of the reasons Calgary has turned some heads this season by posting a 39-27-6 record through 72 contests. The Flames had a two-point edge over Los Angeles in the battle for the third Pacific Division seed going into Monday’s contests. The Kings are facing the Devils while Calgary is set to play against Colorado at 9:00 p.m. ET tonight.

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