I don't know I saw Clark as smiley all of last season as she was in the past two days' post-game pressers. She and Pankowski are clicking on all cylinders.
I'm not a huge fan of talking about intangibles, but most everyone talked about having fun and I think that plays into their confidence and ability to "play around" a little.
When they hold possession like the did this weekend, the ability to be creative opens up. They can loosen up a little when they don't have to worry about chasing the puck.
When I went up for media day this year, I watched some of practice. Pankowski and Clark stayed on the ice after everyone else and took turns slapping the puck from the blue line while the other stood between the circles and tried to redirect it. The ones that "missed" and pounded the boards behind the net were loud! We knew Annie had that in her, but the loudest ones were from Clark. She was very good last year, but seems to really be comfortable with an expanded role.
Clark and Pankowski keep getting on the score sheet and Wellhausen feels like the ghost on the line. You ALMOST don't know she's on the ice, but she's winning pucks in the corners and feeding the other two. Don't discount her impact despite the lack of goals.
