Elmira defenseman Mario Larocque was the Jackals' first signing this offseason. Larocque, a former first round NHL draft pick, will be relocating later this month to Elmira with his wife, son, and daughter. Prior to his move to the Twin Tiers, Larocque participated in a question-and-answer session with JackalsHockey.com.

Q: What made you choose to play in Elmira?

A: When I first got the phone call from [Jackals general manager] Robbie Nichols telling me who his new coach was, I knew right away this could be a good place to be, having played against Robbie's teams and also for [Jackals head coach] Pat Bingham's teams in the past. Both have had high-tempo, intense teams and want nothing less than to win.

Q: You played in Elmira on multiple occasions when you were with Danbury and Fort Wayne. What do you remember about playing here?

A: Last time I played against the Jackals, it was back in the UHL days. First Arena was a building I always liked to play in...perfect size with great fans. You also needed to be ready, you knew the Jackals would keep coming at you.

Q: You won the Memorial Cup with Hull under Claude Julien, who won the Stanley Cup this past June as the Boston Bruins' head coach. It must have been pretty exciting for you to see one of your former coaches win the Stanley Cup. What do you remember about him as a coach?

A: It's always fun to see someone you had success with in the past do well. I remember Claude as someone who would not let any details go by. His attention to details and communication skills with the players were two of his main assets.

Q: Both times you have played for a team led by Pat Bingham your teams have had a lot of success, winning 51 games each in Wheeling and Fort Wayne? What made those teams so good?

A: Pat is a coach that will always prepare his teams well. He's real good at putting systems in place and will always adjust if he has to in order to win. Both times I played for Pat we had a good combination of players and a lot of that had to do with Pat and his recruiting skills.

Q: You have accomplished a lot as a player. What are your goals for the remainder of your hockey career?

A: As a player I take it one year at a time. I don't exactly know when I will retire from playing but I hope to stay in the hockey world, either at a professional level or with kids.

Q: What do you do in the offseason to get ready?

A: Once the season is over I usually take one month off, then I hit the gym and soon after I start skating with the CCM/Reebok summer hockey league. We test out new equipment and give our feedback. I also like to use my TRX and work out from home.

Q: What are your off-ice hobbies?

A: Baseball, rollerblading, or pretty much any sport in general, but mostly spending time with my family. My daughter and my son are keeping me very busy with bike rides, walks, and just simply going to the park and playing with them.