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With the Thunderbirds’ season simply 51 days away, “Voice of the T-Birds” Ryan Smith caught up with second-year head coach Steve Konowalchuk to debate the group’s outlook heading into the brand new 12 months, from returning veterans to promising prospects rising via the St. Louis Blues’ group.
*Some solutions have been frivolously edited for size & readability*
RS: Coming into your second 12 months as a head coach, and with a number of acquainted faces returning, you’ve gotten an opportunity to select up proper the place you left off. How a lot consolation does that present you and the group, and what would be the overarching message heading into the brand new season?
SK: Constructing on the year-end conferences, the entire gamers appeared excited concerning the 12 months and the prospect to construct. Clearly, it was a troublesome end, however we had been proper there and actual near beating a extremely good group. We’ve obtained a extremely good core coming again, and the younger guys have one other 12 months beneath their belt, so that ought to actually assist. They understand how I function, and I do know their personalities, so the expectations of the day-to-day operation ought to assist going into coaching camp and the beginning of the season. As a coach final 12 months, you had been attending to know your guys and the fellows had been attending to know you and your expectations, however now they know what I count on of them, and so they have delight amongst themselves that they’re a great hockey group, so the expectations are set. At first of final 12 months, we needed to construct and put that basis in place. To me, I imagine the muse is about, and now it’s only a matter of constructing on it.
RS: For thus many gamers, the leap from 12 months 1 to 12 months 2 and 12 months 2 to 12 months 3 is so pivotal. There are loads of gamers who can be difficult for spots in St. Louis. Outdoors of manufacturing and superior metrics, what do you hope to see from the younger gamers as they construct on the earlier season?
SK: It’s slightly bit completely different for every participant. They’re such younger guys (19, 20, 21) that you simply personally wish to see bodily development, the place they’re slightly bit greater, stronger, quicker. That may improve their skillset. When you get greater, stronger, quicker, the sport slows down slightly bit, and the sport will get just a bit bit simpler for you. That’s the subsequent step for a younger participant. From there, if you get into coaching camp and begin getting video games going, it’s a matter of getting that 200-foot sport. On the finish of the day, that’s a giant separator for lots of gamers whether or not they’re within the NHL or the AHL. It’s the 200-foot sport, and it’s the little issues they do – blocking photographs, taking hits to make performs, ending checks, going to the soiled areas constantly. I believe our guys did a great job constructing into that, however we nonetheless wish to construct on that in order that they’re prepared for the NHL. For me, I wish to see who’s obtained that capability to leap proper in the place they left off final 12 months and take one other step.
RS: With coaching camp and the onset of a season, you by no means know what accidents and roster motion can do, however on paper, the ahead depth in St. Louis and Springfield is noticeably sturdy. You might have a big selection of items to play with up entrance. Have you ever given any thought into what sort of sport and what sort of group you will have to work with?
SK: It’s thrilling and it makes a coach’s job simpler as a result of you’ve gotten competitors from inside. For a few month final 12 months the place we had all people wholesome, we had a way of what our ahead group may be and we put up some actually good offensive numbers simply rolling the strains. At one level I got here in (the locker room) and I informed the fellows they’ll dictate who would be the first line and the fourth line as a result of now we have 4 balanced strains. That’s one thing I’m enthusiastic about as a result of, on paper, now we have that form of depth the place now we have 4 strains that opponents are going to have a tough time figuring out what’s essentially the highest line. Line mixtures will shake themselves out as a result of coaching camp will dictate a few of that. Clearly, all people on our group has an opportunity to make the Blues out of camp, so I don’t get forward of myself as a result of I imagine in our guys and they need to go in with the mindset that they’re going to make the Blues.
RS: You had an opportunity to teach Chris Wagner in Colorado, a participant that followers on this space are aware of from his days with the Bruins. What do you get from Wagner day-in and day-out that statistics don’t present you?
SK: I used to be lucky to teach him each in Colorado and Anaheim. Very first thing is the character – he’s a great chief, main by instance and dealing onerous in observe and video games. To me, he’s the 200-foot, well-rounded participant. He brings grit, tenacity, is an effective faceoff man, can play energy play or penalty kill, is flexible, generally is a wing or a middle. He’s the kind of man different groups don’t wish to play in opposition to as a result of he’s going to maintain going at you. That’s such an essential factor on any group, particularly on the American League degree the place you’ve gotten younger gamers to have the ability to watch (him). They see there’s a man who performed a very long time on the NHL degree; how did he do it? He did it due to his compete, his willingness to dam photographs, and the issues that you simply’re making an attempt to show all people. That’s what he’s going to carry, that hard-nosed hockey in addition to the flexibility to attain and put up factors.
RS: With Wagner, along with Matthew Peca, Matt Luff, and Corey Schueneman, you’ve gotten a robust veteran group. The AHL is usually coined a league of growth, and I believe the common fan might not understand how essential it’s to have the veterans who’ve been within the struggle on the NHL and AHL degree earlier than. When you’ve gotten a core group like this, how tangible is the impression they’ve on younger gamers?
SK: It’s actually essential to have the vets, not only for their capability however their character. There’ll typically be rising pains with younger gamers at instances, and the veterans which have good character earn the respect of the younger participant, and the younger participant will comply with them. They’ll push them a bit. If the veterans don’t have the great character, the younger guys might not comply with them. With all of our veteran gamers, the youthful guys can comply with what they do on and off the ice. On high of the character, you need your veterans to have the ability to play; chemistry is so essential, and when you’ve gotten a younger man that you simply’re making an attempt to construct confidence with, for those who can pair them with a high veteran, it helps them get success and maintain that confidence whereas limiting rising pains. I’m very excited with the veteran group now we have; we’re very lucky to have the correct character with good ability blended to herald a bunch of younger guys who’ve extra expertise beneath their belt. You wish to have the correct age with veterans, however you need younger, hungry enthusiasm of a younger participant too. It’s an thrilling combine now we have.
RS: Transitioning into the incoming rookies, final 12 months at growth camp, you had an opportunity to see loads of these gamers. Beginning with Juraj Pekarcik, being somebody who has grown up with Dalibor Dvorsky in Slovakia, what are your expectations for him, and the way massive of a consolation is it for the participant to have somebody like Dalibor that he can look to and see the highway map to what his future may very well be?
SK: It’s at all times a profit to see a younger man and a buddy undergo and have success. It’s humorous, they’re each younger guys, however one man (Dvorsky) has put a 12 months behind him and has that have to assist out. With Pekarcik, he has such good 1-on-1 capability and expertise that he’ll be enjoyable to work with. Once more, it’s about broadening the sport. We talked about it with Dvo so much final 12 months, and hopefully he can now assist translate a few of that for Pekarcik and make it slightly bit faster for him. Now, that being stated, I wish to emphasize, like all of our guys in camp, Dvorsky is a St. Louis Blue, so he has a mission to attempt to make the Blues.
RS: Quinton Burns is an fascinating and intriguing prospect on the blue line for the rugged sport he performs. Once you hear that description, it nearly screams Tyler Tucker, and we’ve seen how a lot his sport has grown in St. Louis. What makes him such an intriguing prospect to work with?
SK: He caught out final 12 months within the rookie camp for his pure compete degree and the willingness to be onerous and gritty. From what I perceive, that’s his sport. That pure degree and the scale to go together with it’s a onerous mixture to seek out. It’s a particular high quality he has, and he’s a great chief and really coachable from the instances I’ve needed to work with him. In as we speak’s sport, it’s nonetheless so essential to have the massive, gritty, hard-nosed gamers. When the opposite group is trying on the lineup and who they’re enjoying that evening, it’s like ‘we obtained to maintain our head up for this man.’ To me, Burns may be that form of participant as he grows and develops.
RS: Theo Lindstein is the participant garnering loads of pleasure in St. Louis heading into his first North American season. He’s had loads of success internationally and performed in a person’s league in Sweden at age 19-20. The phrase we hear about him is his offensive poise and instincts. Understanding the North American sport is a distinct animal, what ought to T-Birds followers be most enthusiastic about for what he gives?
SK: His ability degree is above common, his poise with the puck, and his capability to make that first cross is a extremely good mixture, plus he’s an amazing skater. Like most high gamers, it’s going to be about how briskly he can modify to the North American sport within the smaller rink, the place they’re coming at you quicker on the again finish. It’ll be a great studying expertise for him, however he actually has the flexibility to be a distinction maker and an actual good stable puck mover and energy play defenseman.
RS: If depth is the #1 factor that makes a coach’s job simpler, then having an amazing goaltender could also be #1A. You had an opportunity to have that with Colten Ellis final 12 months. Quite a lot of people took discover of what sort of big-game participant he’s. How excessive do you view his potential ceiling?
SK: Goalies, in contrast to every other place, take so lengthy to develop. I believe many individuals say it’s normally a five-year highway map. He’s on a extremely good path. I can’t say sufficient about how properly he performed for us final 12 months, particularly in the course of the instances once we had been depleted with accidents and going via some rising pains. He was an anchor for us and helped us win video games and maintain us in it. Goalies are at all times onerous to foretell as to who can take the ball and run with it. I see intangibles with (Ellis). He’s aggressive, has a brilliant character, doesn’t get too excessive or too low, works onerous each day, and have become a high goalie in our league. To me, he needs to be going into St. Louis displaying them they’ve one other NHL-ready goalie and make it an issue. For a coach, it’s a luxurious when you’ve gotten goaltending like that. However I’m excited to see Vadim Zherenko as properly. He performed some video games the place he was a distinction maker. We discuss concerning the time it takes for a goalie to get polished, and it takes some time, however his high video games, in conditions that may not have been favorable, he went in and obtained us some wins with massive saves. I’m excited for him to take that sport and see it extra typically. With each our goalies, I really feel assured within the web.
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