From a cancer diagnosis to a mid-year injury to all the drama that clouded the Vancouver Canucks, last season for Dakota Joshua could fairly be described as rocky.
And to put the cherry on top of his up-and-down year, the Canucks dealt Joshua to the Toronto Maple Leafs in July.
Now, the 29-year-old from Dearborn, Mich., is just looking forward to a fresh start.
"The mental wear and tear of going in and out took its toll last year," he said on Wednesday's episode of The JD Bunkis Podcast. "I want to put it behind me and really focus on having a great year."
Joshua was diagnosed with testicular cancer last summer on the heels of a career season in which he had personal highs in goals (18), assists (14) and points (32) before adding eight more points (four goals, four assists) in 13 playoff games.
He was forced to miss training camp, only returning to the Canucks lineup in mid-November.
"I was gearing up for training camp and coming off of a great season, kind of ready to get that ball going again. And just for it to come at that time ... my world changed overnight," he said.
Then, in January, just as he felt he was rounding back into form, Joshua suffered a leg injury and missed 11 games.
He wound up skating in 57 contests for the Canucks on the season, posting just seven goals and seven assists.
"Coming back just didn't go as well as planned. Obviously you thought maybe you'd just hop back out there and be able to fall back into form. And that wasn't the case. So it took a little bit longer than I expected, most importantly for myself, to be at a level where I want it to be," he said.
"And then it felt like I started showing that upward trajectory and then got hit with another little injury there that sidelined me for a month and kind of had to do the same thing over again."
Joshua said he felt he finished the season strongly after his second setback, setting him up to have "a great summer."
Of course, he was then shipped across Canada to rejoin a Leafs team that originally selected him in the fifth round of the 2014 draft.
Though Joshua never suited up in Toronto, he said he feels prepared for the extra media attention that brings after being with the Canucks last season amid the Elias Pettersson-J.T. Miller drama.
"As far as getting an understanding of how things work, we were always in the media spotlight last year for something every week. It was something new, which didn't make it easier on anybody in the room," he said. "In Toronto, I got to imagine it's pretty similar."
With the Leafs, Joshua will likely slide into a checking role in the bottom-six while being relied upon for some occasional offence. He described himself as a "north-south" player.
"You gotta be on your toes night in and night out. ... (I) was playing with some good line mates and we'll get that chance again here in Toronto. So I know what I am and know what it can be. And it's just about getting back to that level and starting off strong," he said.
Ultimately, Joshua has two main goals in mind.
"Just building my career up to to the best I can be and helping the Leafs win games."
