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August 2010
September continued
January 2011
16
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House Registration Closes
9
League Play Ends
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Travel League Play Begins
25
Travel Registration Closes
10-13
Make-up Days
21
Initial House Alignments Posted
28-29
Travel Alignment Meetings
14
Post Playoff Pools and Schedules
22-23
House Alignment Appeals
18
24
Final House Alignments & Schedules Posted
Start of League Playoffs First Round Robin
25
House Scheduling Begins
February 2011
26
Face-Off Meeting at Motor City Casino & Conference Center
18
Playoff First Round Ends
26-27
Playoff Quarters and Semis
30
House League Play Begins
September 2010 3
Initial Travel Alignments Posted
8-9
Travel Alignment Appeals
10-12
LCAHL Faceoff Festival
13
Final Travel Alignments & Schedules Posted
14
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Table of Contents September 06, 2010, Volume 21 : Issue 3 AMATEUR HOCKEY REPORT
Bauer Selects 2000 win Euro-Invite Tournament in Sweden Mavericks ‘98s help out Macomb’s Back to School program Seven Michigan women heading to Turkey for University Games Red Wings Alumni team helps special needs players
6 8 8 8
MH BEAT
Spartans “Skate with the Pros” helps “Shoot for a Cure” Russian Lokomotiv team tours Michigan again Gordie Howe visits Mt. Pleasant
10 12 14
GET BETTER
Keys to team success
15
STATE OF THE GAME
By Lyle Phair So Much To Do, So Little Time
16
HOMETOWN HERO
Traverse City’s Zach Redmond
17
REEBOK TOURNAMENT CALENDAR
18
JUNIOR HOCKEY
Michigan teams will compete for NAHL’s North Division title Lumberjacks get ready for first USHL season in Muskegon NTDP U17 and U18 National Teams have tough act to follow Saginaw Spirit look forward to big season Plymouth Whalers prepared for life after Seguin Ontario Hockey League teams have Michigan connections
PAGES 21-25 Coaches Guide What to say to your players, elements of a good practice, positive motivation, Q & A with top coaches and more.
26 27 28 29 30 32-33
RED WINGS INSIDER
Dave Waddell: Training camp will determine last roster spots
COMING IN OUR NEXT ISSUE
PARENT’S GUIDE
PAGE 12 MH Beat Russian Lokomotive team of 12-year olds tour Michigan
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Michigan Hockey
PAGES 26-33 Junior Preview NAHL, Muskegon, NTDP and OHL
PAGE 34 Red Wings Insider Training camp will determine last roster spots
MichiganHockeyOnline.com
Our annual Parent’s Guide will include 12 steps to a good season, a 150-term hockey glossary, feeding your player well and more. We’ll also have more junior team previews and a look at the Red Wings and the rest of the NHL. Look for it on arena stands, on michiganhockeyonline.com and in your e-mail In Box on September 17. Ad copy for the next issue of MH is due on September 8 Contact Lucia Zuzga at (248) 479-1134 or lucia@ michiganhockeyonline.com or Philip Colvin at (248) 479-1136 or phil@michiganhockeyonline.com for more information.
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September 06, 2010, Volume 21 : Issue 3
Editor-in-Chief Philip D. Colvin
phil@michiganhockeyonline.com
Advertising Lucia Zuzga
From the Editor
FROM THE EDITOR
ONLY ON THE WEB
lucia@michiganhockeyonline.com
A New Season
Database Manager Josh Curmi
jcurmi@michiganhockeyonline.com
Design Chuck Stevens Heather Rocca Contributing Editor Kevin Allen Rob Murphy Distribution Lucia Zuzga
EDITORIAL BOARD: Bob DeSpirt, Christine Szarek, Derek Blair, James Jenkins, Julie Pardoski, Kirk Vickers, Linda Holland Lisa Zarzycki, Mark Vansaw, Nyron Fauconier, Randy Paquette Rob Mattina, Susan Bottrell, Tim Wilson, Todd Krygier LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: MICHIGAN HOCKEYŽ welcomes Letters to the Editor. They must be signed and include the writer's full home address and day and evening telephone numbers. MICHIGAN HOCKEY is published by SUBURBAN SPORTS COMMUNICATIONS, LLC 23995 Freeway Park Drive, Suite 200, Farmington Hills, MI 48335-2829. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to MICHIGAN HOCKEYŽ, 23995 Freeway Park Drive, Suite 200, Farmington Hills, MI 483352829. Š2010 by Suburban Sports Communications. All Rights Reserved. The opinions and views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of MICHIGAN HOCKEY or its advertisers. All editorial copy, photographs and advertising materials remain the property of MICHIGAN HOCKEY.
MICHIGAN HOCKEY 23995 Freeway Park Drive • Suite 200 Farmington Hills, MI 48335-2829 (248) 478-2500 • FAX: (248) 478-1601 EMAIL: mh@michiganhockeyonline.com WEBSITE: www.michiganhockeyonline.com
Cover: Saginaw Spirits’ Ryan O’Conner by Aaron Bell/OHL Images Photos page 4 (from top, L to R): Getting ready to play by Dave Reginek/DIG Photo; Russian Lokomotiv by Philip Colvin/Michigan Hockey; Plymouth Whalers forward Garrett Meurs by Aaron Bell/OHL Images and the Red Wings’ Johan Franzen, Valtteri Filppula, coach Paul MacLean, Darren Helm and Henrik Zetterberg by Renato Jamett/Michigan Hockey.
Cover reprints available email: mh@michiganhockeyonline.com
Michiganhockeyonline.com
Administrative Director Amy Jones
More Coaches Guide: t 1JDLJOH BO BTTJTUBOU DPBDI
After 100 days of summer, it’s officially hockey season again and I hope that everyone had a good break from the rink and has returned recharged and ready for the new year ahead. While a lot of the state’s youth players are just getting back on the ice and getting to know their new teammates, junior teams are conducting training camps and starting their exhibition schedules. In this issue (starting on page 26) we take a look at the four NAHL teams in the state, the Ann Arbor-based U.S. National teams and the USHL’s new Muskegon Lumberjacks, who make their debut on Sept. 10 at Joe Louis Arena against the Chicago Steel. We also preview the Plymouth Whalers, who get started with a Sept. 4 matchup against the defending Memorial Cup champion Windsor Spitfires at the Arctic Coliseum in Chelsea, and the teams they’ll be competing against in the West Division of the Western Conference. Our cover story on the OHL’s Saginaw Spirit (page 29) details the team’s optimism heading into this season and the franchise’s progress under general manager and head coach Todd Watson. I recently spent an afternoon in Saginaw touring the city and the Spirit’s facilities at the Dow Events Center. It’s a great spot for junior hockey and Watson and his staff are building something good in mid-Michigan. This issue also features our Coaches Guide (starting on page 21) that includes a Q & A with Chris Bergeron (Bowling Green), Jon Cooper (Norfolk Admirals) and Kevin Patrick (Muskegon Lumberjacks), along with tips on running a productive practice and what to say to your players. Michigan Coach in Chief Jack Witt also checks in with a preview of the changes in store for the Coaching Education Program. And don’t forget to check out our “Only on the Web� section on Michiganhockeyonline.com for more coaching stories. Finally, if you have any story ideas or feedback (good or bad) on something you read in Michigan Hockey, send me an e-mail (phil@michiganhockeyonline.com) or give me call (248-479-1136) anytime. Welcome back,
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More photos of the Red Wings Alumni game fundraiser for the Michigan Special Olympics
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Bauer Bauer Selects Selects 2000 2000 win win at at EuroEuroInvite Invite Tournament Tournament in in Sweden Sweden The Bauer Selects 2000 team went undefeated to win the 2010 Bauer EURO-Invite tournament in Stockholm, Sweden on August 9-15. The tournament featured teams from across Europe, including the Moscow All-Stars, Finland Selects, and four teams from Sweden: Transgund IF, SDE Hockey, AIK, and Farjestad BK. The games were held in a round-robin format, and the Bauer Selects took on Transgund IF and Farjestad on the first day of competition. On day two, the Bauer boys took on Finland and Moscow in spirited and closely contested games. Finland and Moscow finished the tournament in second and third place, respectively. The tournament concluded with the Bauer squad taking two victories over SDE and AIK. The key to their success was the unselfish play and team spirit that embodies the Bauer Selects program. Seventeen boys from North America make up the Bauer Selects 2000 team, including six players from the Michigan and Ohio: Nick Azarovitz (Canton/Compuware), Max Ellis (Canton) and Jack Ludwig (Sylania, OH) of Little Caesars, Tyler German
(Canton) and Carson Grainer (Livonia) of Victory Honda and Curtis Hall (Chagrin Falls, OH/Cleveland Barons). Kevin Mann and Marty Lapointe coached the team “The Bauer Selects Program enjoyed unparalleled success in Europe at the highly prestigious Bauer Euro Invite,” said Mann. “When all was said and done the event was far more than just hockey. The players and their families experienced a rich and diverse program of cultural and athletic opportunities that they will remember forever.” During their trip to Sweden, the team was able to learn and experience a new culture, including sightseeing around Stockholm and visiting Grona Lund, Sweden’s oldest amusement park that opened in 1883. The team also visited the Vasa Museum (above), home of the Vasa, a ship that sank in Stockholm harbor on August 10, 1628. “It was fun playing hockey in Sweden and traveling with my Dad,” said Canton’s Max Ellis. “I feel very lucky to have been able to do it.”
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Red RedWings Wings Alumni Alumni team team helps helps special special ial needs needs players players
PHOTO BY BOB BRUCE/MICHIGAN HOCKEY
BY JILL FRAEYMAN
The Red Wings Alumni Association hit the ice at the Onyx Rochester Ice Arena on August 21 to raise awareness and funds for players with special needs. As a pre-race fundraiser for the new Great Michigan Race that benefits Michigan’s Special Olympic athletes, the starstudded event focused the lime light on the physically and intellectually disabled players, who beat all odds to lace up their skates and take to the ice. Detroit’s own Karen Newman sang the National anthem, and famed Production Line great Ted Lindsay took center ice for the ceremonial puck drop. Players for the “Friends of Special Olympics” team battled the Red Wings Alumni in two 25-minute periods of action. Hockey legend Mickey Redmond was in good company as Joe Kocur, Shawn Burr and John Ogrodnick joined him on the ice to lead the Wings to victory. The program really kicked off during the game’s 20-minute intermission when the Michigan Far Flyers and Michigan Sled Dogs showed the Alumni and the fans what they can do on blades. Former pros Shawn Burr, Jon Finstrom, Mike Krushelnyski and Craig Wolanin took on both teams and gained firsthand experience of the will, ability and adoration for the game of hockey that these players exude.
The Flyers are part of USA Hockey’s American Special Hockey Association (ASHA) program and play out of Viking Arena in Hazel Park. The Sled Dogs are a competitive sled hockey team based out of Fraser’s Great Lakes Sports City that supports players with disabilities including Spina Bifida, Muscular Dystrophy, Celebral Palsy and spinal cord injuries that prohibit them from playing stand up hockey. “There are such wonderful programs for athletes with disabilities, and I encourage people to get involved by participating as well as supporting the organizations that make it all happen,” said Carol Schwanger, MAHA’s Director of Disabled Sports. The Great Michigan Race organizers were responsible for hosting the event and showcasing these amazing players. The Great Michigan Race will be held Sunday, October 17 in Rochester with Mickey Redmond as the race Emcee. All race proceeds benefit Special Olympics Michigan, so support our special needs athletes by forming a team of four in the race, volunteering your time and talents, or donating to a great cause. For more information, visit GreatMichiganRace.com.
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Mavericks Mavericks help help out out Macomb’s Macomb’s Back Back to to School School program program With the 2010-11 season ramping up, the ‘98 Macomb Mavericks Pee Wee AA team’s first community service project for new season was a great success. The boys donated 25 new backpacks, fully stocked with school supplies to the Macomb Department of Human Services “Back to School Program”. In addition to providing the backpacks, the Mavericks donated additional supplies and over $50 for the Department’s program. The Macomb Department of Human Services“Back to School Program” is designed to provide new backpacks and school
supplies for low income children or those entering foster care. The program assures that the children begin the school year prepared and properly equipped. The ‘98 Macomb Maverick Pee Wee AA team is comprised of 12 and 13-year old boys that skate out of Suburban Ice Macomb. The Mavericks are: Liam Brengman, Alec Czaryski, Corey Easton, Luc Fluent, Blake Gabler, Jacob Gregor, Harrison Griffin, Zack Kaiser, Ryan Menard, Keegan Nolan, Matt Palazzolo, Eric Remley, Zack Romback, Josh Schultz, Mihali See, Danny Wahl and Matteo Ybarra. The Mavericks’ coaches are: Bob Fluent, Brain Malott and Armando Ybarra.
Michigan Michigan women women heading heading to toTurkey Turkey Seven Michigan players were named to the 22-player U.S. Women’s National University Team roster for the 2011 Winter World University Games on Jan. 27-Feb. 6 in Erzurum, Turkey. The U.S. team is comprised of players from collegiate teams affiliated with the American Collegiate Hockey Association. Michigan players slated to make the trip are defenseman Nicole Konsdorf (Freeland/Lindenwood) and forwards Terra Payne (Gaylord/Michigan State), Emily Nelson (Ann Arbor/ Michigan), Chelsea Minnie (St. Clair/Grand Valley St.), Danielle Ward (Lansing/Michigan St), Shelby Kucharski (Livonia/Grand Valley St.) and Ashley Rumsey (West Olive/Grand Valley St.) Minnie, an incoming freshman with the Lakers this season, was Michigan Hockey’s 2010 Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year. In addition, Westland goalie Michelle Wyniemko (Grand Valley State) and Harrison Twp. forward Joslyn Neal (Michigan) were named as alternates for the team. Tryouts for the team were held in Grand Rapids on Aug. 6-8, and players from 11 states are represented on the U.S. roster. This marks the first time that the U.S. will be sending a women’s team to the biannual event, which also includes winter sports like alpine skiing, ski jumping, curling, snowboard and figure skating. “It’s pretty exciting to be a part of the first U.S. women’s team at this event,” said Mo Stroemel, head coach of the U.S. Women’s National University Team. “I think our expectations after the tryout are pretty high. We have a diverse group of
MichiganHockeyOnline.com
Chelsea Minnie
Emily Nelson
players who create synergy as a team.” Stroemel is starting his fourth season as head coach of the Penn State University Lady Icers, and will be assisted by Vince O’Mara, the head coach of the Lindenwood University women’s team, and Cory Whitaker (Caledonia), the head coach at Grand Valley State.
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MH Beat Former Spartan and current Red Wing Drew Miller took part in the “Skate with the Pros” on August 18 at Munn Arena in East Lansing.
Former Spartans’ help Shoot for the Cure Nearly 30 former Michigan State players took part in the second annual “Skate with the Pros” on August 18 at Munn Ice Arena to raise funds to help fight children’s cancer. The pros spanned from the most recent class of Spartans getting ready for a professional debut to veterans like Steve Guolla, who last pulled on a Michigan State game jersey before most of the children in attendance were born (1995). The Spartans’ alumni were in town to prepare for their upcoming pro training camps and spent the early evening skating with about 300 fans and taking part in an autograph session as a fundraiser for the “Shoot for the Cure,” which has raised more than $33,000 since it started by current Detroit Red Wings forward Justin Abdelkader in January 2008. Abdelkader’s former teammate at Michigan State and current teammate on the Red Wings, Drew Miller, started the ‘Spartan Buddies” program where MSU players visit the pediatrics wing of Sparrow Hospital and spend time with the children and their families. Abdelkader built on that program’s success with Shoot for the Cure, which raises funds by hosting “chuck-a-puck” at MSU home games and with silent auctions of memorabilia donated by MSU players. The money raised from the Skate with the Pros event will be donated to Sparrow Hospital and the Brandon’s Defense Foundation. “All the guys here do a great job of helping give back, and myself and Justin and along with some of the people that are involved with the charity through Michigan State planned this event to go out and skate with the fans,” Miller told redwings.com.“You pay 10 bucks and it goes right for the local hospital for children’s cancer, so it’s a great cause and all the guys have a lot of fun doing it.” For more information on Spartan Buddies and Shoot for a Cure, visit MSUSpartans.com.
PHOTOS BY MSU ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS
Red Wings forward Justin Abdelkader started “Shoot for the Cure” to fight children’s cancer when he played at Michigan State.
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MH Beat
September 06, 2010, Volume 21 : Issue 3
Russian ’98 Lokomotiv squad returns to Michigan for another visit BY LARRY O’CONNOR
With the Cold War consigned to the history books, Russian-USA relations are no longer icy but inspire warm memories by frozen encounters like ones provided by the touring ’98 St. Petersburg Lokomotiv hockey team. During a whirlwind two-week visit, the stick-wielding delegation toured the western part of state before taking on metro Detroit area’s top pee-wee teams. Lokomotiv’s Aug. 21 - Sept. 4 visit was sponsored by Detroit RedWings great and Russian native Igor Larionov, who also orchestrated the Lokomotiv team’s visit last January. At Jackson Optimist Ice Arena, the cultural exchange through sport reached a crescendo as a standing room only crowd watched Lokomotiv defeat the Jackson Generals, 2-0, on Aug. 25. The free-wheeling affair showcased the European game’s finer attributes - namely puck control - while under scoring the American trait for grit and determination. Forward Ivan Matveev and Veremey Sergey scored for Lokomotiv whose agile netminder Danil Timchenko denied the Generals for the shutout. Defenseman Roman Gordienko added two assists for Lokomotiv, who was playing its fifth game in five days. The Russian tour opened with a 3-2 victory over the Lansing Capitals at Suburban Ice East Lansing Aug. 21. Lokomotiv subsequently posted wins over Grand Rapids Griffins, 3-2; and Kalamazoo KOHA K-Wings, 5-2. Holland Ice Dogs scored a 1-0 triumph at The Edge in Holland Aug. 23. “Even though they play halfway around the world, they play the same style as a lot of teams here in Michigan,” said Jackson Generals ’98 Coach Andy Sinkovitz, who took in Lokomotiv’s victory over Kalamazoo the previous night. “Even though there are language barriers out there, everyone knew what the other was doing.” The bond of hockey was only exceeded by the exuberance universally shared by all 12-year-olds. Unlike the January visit, Russian players this time bunked with host
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Michigan Hockey
families, who took pride in showing off their area’s respective attractions. In Jackson, the visitors toured Michigan International Speedway and went go-kart racing. In five days, Lokomotiv players had already been treated to bowling, tubing and a Lake Michigan beach party. To enhance the cultural exchange, groups of two and three Russian players stayed overnight with an equal number of host players at each home. After the game, Generals parents and players eagerly awaited to meet their overnight guests in the arena lobby. “It’s just going to be fun to have all that youthful energy around,” said Michelle Griswold, whose son John was also going to be joined by teammates Alex Gwinn and Grant Ledford in the overnight stay. “We just wished it could be longer.” Two nights wasn’t enough for some Lansing Capitals players and parents, who trekked south to Jackson to see their Russian friends again. Lansing families also followed the team to Grand Rapids and planned to take in some of the Detroit area encounters as well. “The Russian kids and our kids hit it off instantaneously,” Lansing Capitals’ Team Manager Mary Jo Reilly said in an e-mail. “Whether it was shooting pucks in the basement, playing soccer, football, baseball or basketball, playing X-box or the Wii, skateboarding, bowling, swimming, etc...it felt like we had known these kids for a long time.” Had it not been for a team manager “tag-team” effort, the Russians might have bypassed the state’s western and central outposts. Reilly and Jackson General’s team manager Carmela Klintworth lobbied Lokomotiv tour organizer Loren Kayser, who is a Novi-based immigration attorney. Reilly and Klintworth worked in concert with team managers from Grand Rapids Griffins, Holland Ice Dogs and Kalamazoo KOHA in sorting out logistics, which included procuring a Russian flag to be passed along to each host to be displayed during the
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national anthems. Other thoughtful touches included presenting each Russian player with gifts, which during the Jackson visit included a shopping bag with a Generals T-shirt and puck as well as other swag. “Once we convinced them that there are a lot of fun things to do on the west side of the state - plus the level of hockey is very competitive - they were convinced it was a great idea,”said Klintworth, whose son Michael plays on the Jackson pee-wee team. Lokomotiv wanted to play the state‘s best AA and AAA pee-wee teams, Kayser said. That meant playing 17 games in 15 days, which included a two-day tournament hosted by the Novi Ice Cats and featuring AAA Canadian teams Lambton Sting and Sun County Panthers. Compuware, Belle Tire and Victory Honda were among the state’s AAA teams on the slate. The Lokomotiv outfit is a shade below the Triple-A level but would compete with the state’s top Double-AA teams, Generals coach said. “They control the puck,” Sinkovitz said. “There are no super stars on that team, but they play a very disciplined and positioned game. It didn’t matter who they put out there or what position they were in, they all played the same disciplined style control game.” The game’s outcome would be lost, but not the visit’s impact on the Jackson community. Local radio personality Greg O’Connor handled the P.A. announcements while the 650 and so spectators remained glued to the action. An open invitation exists for Michigan teams to take part in a similar tour of Russia, Kayser said. “If you can fill a hockey rink in the middle of August and get people thinking about youth hockey, that’s great thing,” Generals Team Manager Carmela Klintworth said.
MH Beat hockey camp to fit in with the family theme. “We believe that hockey is a family orientated sport,”he said. Knopp said all 75 hockey camp participants and their families were invited for Howe’s visit on the last day of camp, keeping the event somewhat exclusive. Hockey boot camp participant Corey Robison, 15, was thrilled at the opportunity to meet Howe. “I think it’s really cool,” Robison said. “We’re not really like anywhere big, he just came here because of our camp.” Len Klakulak, president of AHAMP said Howe’s visit was entirely a stroke of luck. The current CMU club hockey coach works with the Isabella County Events Arena, and used to skate with Howe’s grandson. He set the visit up. “I know all week (the participants) were very excited that he was coming,” Knopp said. “It kind of just made a very fun week even funner to have one of the biggest names in Detroit hockey here at our camp.” AHAMP’s hockey boot camp runs once every summer, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for five days. The current cost of $199 was raised from last years cost of $150 to more adequately cover the costs of running the camp. The camp is open to area residents under the age of 18, and is intended to work as a preseason, getting participants Detroit Red Wings legend Gordie Howe gives Jonathon Higbie, 4, of Mount in shape for the upcoming season. Pleasant a hand shake after signing his shirt at the Isabella County Events Arena. Knopp said the success of Howe’s visit to the 2010 hockey boot camp has prompted AHAMP to look into recruiting other big names in hockey for next years boot camp. BY RANDI SHAFFER Howe enjoyed his visit to Mount Pleasant as much as AHAMP enjoyed bringing Mount Pleasant youth players shooting to improve their hockey skills recently him to boot camp. scored a visit with Gordie Howe. “He was more interested when we brought him into the room first in going over The former Detroit Red Wings player, also known as Mr. Hockey, made a visit to to the window and watching the kids on the ice,” Klakulak said. the Isabella County Events Arena on August 21 to visit participants in hockey boot “Every time I’m around hockey I’m happy,” Howe said. “The people here are camp, sponsored by the Amateur Hockey Association of Mount Pleasant (AHAMP). always very nice.” The association’s ACE coordinator Brian Knopp said he decided to bring Howe to Reprinted with permission of Central Michigan Life
Howe visits Mt. Pleasant
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Get Better
September 06, 2010, Volume 21 : Issue 3
PHOTO BY DAVE REGINEK/DRW
Keys to success Legendary coach Roger Neilson’s keys to winning games: Quick breakouts - The less time the puck is in your defensive zone the better your chances of winning. Forwards have to be available quickly and defensemen should move the puck and avoid setting up behind the net. Sure entries - On rushes and counter attacks, the puck must get by the opposing defensemen. Teams that regularly get the puck in deep give up fewer counter attacks and spend more time in the offensive zone. So pass wide or carry wide on entry, chip in off the boards or make a soft dump into the near corner. Offensive zone - You have to score to win so tire out opposing defensemen and test their“down-low coverage.�Be patient with the puck, beat checkers off the boards to the net, put the puck at the net whenever possible and go to the net for screens, tips and rebounds. Distract the goaltender, keep a third man high, defensemen should be alert to move in during cycles and forwards must keep themselves in play. Forechecking - Requires five players working together. The first checker puts pressure on the puck with hustle, stick and body position. The second takes away the short-side boards and is ready to join the first checker to out-man the puck carrier. The third man takes away the long-side boards and is ready to move into the middle. Defensemen are ready to pinch if there is pressure and both forwards and defenseman must get open on turnovers. Backchecking - The first backchecker has to decide to attack the puck carrier or pick up his man, lock up the middle of the ice or stay wide, guard a lane or go into the middle with their man. The second backchecker has to hustle back to the top of the circles ahead of opposing defensemen and also be alert to get open for a counter attack. Defensemen must read the play, close gaps and get to their man as quickly as possible.
Slovakian Backcheck Drill
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Forechecking pressure on the puck with hustle, stick and body position is a key to winning.
Neutral zone trap - With its counter attack possibilities, the trap is effective for defending the neutral zone. It can be used after you lose a faceoff, or when a defenseman sets up behind the net, during a change or anytime that forechecking is not a high percentage play. Players angle the puck carrying defensemen towards the boards and the center uses his stick to prevent a D-to-D pass. The far-side winger locks the middle to prevent a pass to the center or intercepts the attempted long pass to the wide winger. The near-side winger attacks the puck carrier before the red line to force a turnover or an icing. The defensemen read to see what comes out of the trap and are alert to a pass to the wide winger. Counter attacks- Speedy counter attacks can make a difference in a closechecking game so become available when your team recovers the puck from the opposition. The best counters are quick and catch the opposition off guard and require speed, alertness and players who read the play quickly. Active D - You need active point men who can join the rush, move in during cycles and be able to take advantage of scoring opportunities off of offensive zone face offs. Defensive zone priorities - The keys are reading the play, communication, quickness, stick, position and intensity. Players have to identify and get to their man quickly, keep their stick on the ice in passing lanes, keep their body between the net and their man and be ready to hit, ride or pin.
Web-enabled sports training software to help coaches teach and players learn
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Call (248) 601-0100 or visit Vbksportsviewer.com for more information. Source: weisstechhockey.com
Purpose Develop quick feet, agility and crossovers with back checking competition drill to get players working hard. Setup Players in two lines along boards on opposite sides of rink facing each other. First player in each lines skates around circle and starts 1-on-1 race for the puck. Player that gets there first shoots on goal. Other player backchecks.
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Michigan Hockey
15
State of the Game
September 06, 2010, Volume 21 : Issue 3
State Game of the
by Lyle Phair
SO MUCH TO DO, SO LITTLE TIME For many people it often seems like there are just never enough hours in the day to get accomplished what needs to get done. So much to do, so little time. The same can be said when it comes to coaching a hockey team, no matter the age or ability level of the players on the team. There is always so much that can be done and so much that needs to be done. But it never seems like there is ever enough time to do it. For hockey coaches, the beginning of the season can sometimes be a lot like standing at the foot of Mt. Everest, looking up to the summit and wondering how in the heck they are ever going to get there. It can be very easy to get overwhelmed. On a journey to the top of a mountain it is sometimes easy to lose sight of the destination on a cloudy day. But it can be just as easy to lose sight of the base as well. And to me, that might be a more important target to keep an eye on than the top.
GETTING TO WHERE WE WANT TO BE Quite often when we are on a journey we tend to get so focused on where we want to go that we lose sight of where we are and what we have to do to give us the best chance to get to where we want to be. That can happen a lot in the hockey world. And not just with coaches and their teams over the course of a season. But also with parents and their players over the course of their “career”. It’s common to want to get to the finish line first. It’s not so common to focus on what needs to be done to get to that objective. The old tortoise and hare fable is very much applicable. Two or three fifty minute practice sessions a week are not a lot of time to work with a team. Add another half hour to each of those and I would bet most coaches would think that still wasn’t enough time. Hockey is a very complex sport involving some intricate individual skill sets and some complicated interaction among teammates all done at maximum speed while attempting to overcome resistance from the opposing team. It’s not an easy game to play, not an easy game to coach and not an easy game to watch and understand. It has a lot of moving parts. Parts that are very much dependent on one another. The biggest error in judgment that many coaches tend to make is focusing on what they think will get their team to the top fastest. And while that is nowhere near as dangerous or potentially deadly, like a bad decision might be on the ascent to the top of Mt. Everest, it can have the same impact in terms of not allowing an opportunity to reach the destination. Hockey-wise what that means is that coaches often tend to spend an inordinate amount of time on team-related strategies that will allow their players to work
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Michigan Hockey
MichiganHockeyOnline.com
together as a unit. Short term, this is not really a bad strategy. More often than not it will even result in success. For example, a team might spend a good deal of practice time working on a powerplay set-up or some breakouts or a forechecking strategy. Those type of elements take a lot of time to teach and to implement to get everyone on the team on the same page. So obviously they take up a lot of practice time. Early in the season there is a pretty good chance that there will be a payoff.
ON-THE-JOB TRAINING Depending on the opponent (and whether you want to believe it or not, much of “success” in youth hockey depends on the quality of the opponent), teams that play with a lot of structure will have an advantage over teams that are more or less figuring it out as they go. On-the-job training takes a while and there will be some bumps in the road along the way. But in my opinion, there is no more effective way of allowing players to learn and understand the game and how to play it than to actually let them experience it. By spending a lot of time on systems and structure early in the season, the players might know where to go. But they might not have an understanding of when to be there. Or worse yet, might not have the skating skills to get there when they need to. Or the stick skills to do what they need to do if and when they do get there. Which brings us back to the so little time and so much to do problem. What should a coach spend time on in practice to maximize the benefit to the players and the team? It can be easier and more productive in the short-term to “coach” the team by implementing some team structure or strategy that allows the team to as a whole to compensate for the lack of individual skills of the players. The whole is greater than the sum of the parts is somewhat true. But at the same time the team is really all about the players. They are the parts. And the better the parts are, the better the team can become once they learn to work together. But before that happens they have to have the individual skills to be productive parts.
BUILDING THE FOUNDATION Which brings us back to not losing sight of the base when looking upward to the peak. There is no mountain if there is no base. There has to be a foundation. And for hockey, the foundation is the fundamental skills necessary to play the game. And they are a very complex set of skills. A set of skills that requires hours and hours and hours of practice time to improve and perfect. So which is it? Work on skills that might not have a recognizable immediate payoff? Or on structure that definitely will offer short-term gain, and will probably even evoke a few “that’s a well-coached team” comments, but might not be in the best interest of the players in the long run? Over time a system and structure is only as good as the players executing it. Execution involves making the right decision at the right time and having the skating and puck skill sets to be able to do it. If those skill sets are not being constantly practiced and improved, at some point the system and structure will be irrelevant. Practice time is clearly best spent on developing a skill base. If you want to have a good team and do what is best for your players, then spend at least 1/3 of the time practicing skating skills, the most important skill set for players. Not for conditioning. But for improving skating technique, which means not doing it when the players are tired or distracted by worrying about getting the puck or scoring a goal. Another 1/3 of the time should be spent on fundamental puck skills including stickhanding, passing and receiving (which are the most important individual skills as it relates to the team), shooting and stick checking. The last third should be spent on competitive situations that simulate game conditions as closely as possible. A team that can skate, handle the puck and competes hard will be prepared both as individuals and as a team to have the best opportunity to get to the top. And that is a productive use of what little time we have.
Defenseman Born: July 26, 1988 in Houston, Texas Hometown: Traverse City Height/Weight: 6-2/201 Shoots: R Season Team
League
GP
G
A
Pts
PIM
2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10
MWEHL MWEHL USHL USHL CCHA CCHA CCHA
64 52 48 60 37 38 40
24 18 4 8 6 3 6
25 35 7 31 13 21 21
49 53 11 39 19 24 27
24 NA 57 37 33 48 46
Compuware Midget Compuware Midget Sioux Falls Stampede Sioux Falls Stampede Ferris State University Ferris State University Ferris State University
Talented offensive-minded defenseman is entering his senior season at Ferris State… Is a 2006 graduate of Traverse City Central High School, where he played three years of baseball and one of football and was a four-year National Honor Society member… Played two seasons with the Compuware Midget team before joining the Sioux Falls (IA) Stampede of the USHL, where he won the Anderson Cup (regular season champion) in 2006 and the Clark Cup (playoff champion) in 2007… Was also the recipient of the USHL’s 2007 Curt Hammer Award as the league’s most gentlemanly player, both on and off the ice…Led FSU defenseman in scoring as a freshman and was named team Rookie of the Year… Was team’s MVP as a sophomore and was Second Team All-CCHA as a junior… Selected by Atlanta in the seventh round (184th overall) in the 2008 NHL Draft and has attended three Thrashers’ Prospects Camps… Finance major at FSU… Hobbies include golf and exercising . . . Uncle is Big Rapids Mayor Mark Warba . . . Nickname is “Reds”. PHOT P PHOTOS OTOS O BY DAVE REGINEK/DIG PHOTO
TOURNAMENT CALENDAR COMPUWARE / HoneyBaked Invitational Plymouth, MI September 17-19, 2010 Squirt Minor - Bantam Major www.compuwarehockeyaaa.com Advanced Tournaments September 17-19, 2010 Holland, MI Great Lakes Tournament Series Squirt AA, Pee Wee AA, Bantam AA Contact Advanced Tournaments 847-277-7343 www.advancedtournaments.com Advanced Tournaments September 24-26, 2010 Holland, MI Great Lakes Tournament Series Squirt A, Pee Wee A, Bantam A Contact Advanced Tournaments 847-277-7343 www.advancedtournaments.com Hockey Time Productions Motown Cup Tournament Series Detroit, MI September 24-26, 2010 Mite-Midget House, B, A, AA High School Varsity and JV 216-325-0567 www.itshockeytime.com Action Tournaments Battle at the Border Cup Brownstown, Dearborn, Garden City, Melvindale, Westland, MI September 24-26, 2010 Mite & Midget A & AA 734-751-9105 actiontournamentscentral.com COMPUWARE / HoneyBaked Invitational Plymouth, MI September 30 - October 3, 2010 Midget (Mj. & Mn.) www.compuwarehockeyaaa.com Advanced Tournaments October 1-3, 2010 Holland, MI Great Lakes Tournament Series Mite AA, Squirt AA, Midget Minor & Girls 12U Contact Advanced Tournaments 847-277-7343 www.advancedtournaments.com Arenamaps.com Earlybird Tournament October 1-3, 2010 Kalamazoo, MI Squirt-Midget A & AA mstommen@arenamaps.com tournaments.arenamaps.com/series
Action Tournaments Battle at the Border Cup Brownstown, Dearborn, Garden City, Melvindale, Westland, MI October 8-10, 2010 Bantam A & AA, Girls U-14 734-751-9105 actiontournamentscentral.com
Hockey Time Productions Motown Cup Tournament Series Detroit, MI October 22-24, 2010 Mite-Midget House, B, A, AA High School Varsity and JV 216-325-0567 www.itshockeytime.com
Hockey Time Productions Motown Cup Tournament Series Detroit, MI October 8-10, 2010 Mite-Midget House, B, A, AA High School Varsity and JV 216-325-0567 www.itshockeytime.com
Advanced Tournaments October 29-31, 2010 Holland, MI Great Lakes Tournament Series Pee Wee A, Bantam House, Midget Major/HS & Girls 16U Contact Advanced Tournaments 847-277-7343 www.advancedtournaments.com
Hockey Time Productions K-Zoo Cup Tournament Series Kalamazoo, MI October 8-10, 2010 Mite-Midget House, B, A, AA High School Varsity and JV 216-325-0567 www.itshockeytime.com
Hockey Time Productions Motown Cup Tournament Series Detroit, MI October 29-31, 2010 Mite-Midget House, B, A, AA High School Varsity and JV 216-325-0567 www.itshockeytime.com
Advanced Tournaments October 15-17, 2010 Holland, MI Great Lakes Tournament Series Squirt House, Squirt A, Bantam House Contact Advanced Tournaments 847-277-7343 www.advancedtournaments.com
USA Wild Flowers Halloween Weekend Tournament Detroit, MI October 29-31 Girls 12-U & 14-U Tier II molsoncosmo@prodigy.net 248-496-1744
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Action Tournaments Battle at the Border Cup Brownstown, Dearborn, Garden City, Melvindale, Westland, MI October 1-3, 2010 Squirt & Pee Wee A & AA 734-751-9105 actiontournamentscentral.com
Advanced Tournaments October 22-24, 2010 Holland, MI Great Lakes Tournament Series Squirt AA, Pee Wee House, Midget House Contact Advanced Tournaments 847-277-7343 www.advancedtournaments.com
Advanced Tournaments October 8-10, 2010 Holland, MI Great Lakes Tournament Series Pee Wee House, Pee Wee AA, Midget Major/HS & Girls 14U Contact Advanced Tournaments 847-277-7343 www.advancedtournaments.com
Grand Traverse Hockey Association Tournament Series Fall Color Tournament Traverse City, MI October 22-24, 2010 Pee Wee A & AA 231-933-4842 gthatournaments@yahoo.com
Advanced Tournaments November 5-7, 2010 Holland, MI Great Lakes Tournament Series Mite House, Squirt House, Bantam A & Girls 19U Contact Advanced Tournaments 847-277-7343 www.advancedtournaments.com
OUT OF STATE Fort Wayne Pre-Season Blast Fort Wayne, Indiana September 10-12, 2010 BOYS - 2002/2001, 2000, 1999/1998, 1997/1996, 1995/1994/1993,1992/1991 Tier II - B, A, AA 888-422-6526 tournaments@icesports.com http:// www.canlanclassictournaments.com Hockey Time Productions Rock ‘n Roll Cup Tournament Series Cleveland, OH September 10-12, 2010 Squirt-Midget House, B, A, AA High School Varsity and JV 216-325-0567 www.itshockeytime.com Advanced Tournaments September 24-26, 2010 Chicago, IL CHICAGO CUP Tournament Series: Chicago Preseason Challenge Mite through Midget; B, A, and AA, High School Varsity and JV\ Contact Advanced Tournaments 847-277-7343 www.advancedtournaments.com Advanced Tournaments September 24-26, 2010 Chicago, IL MYHockey Rankings PreSeason Challenge Invitational Squirt Minor/A, Squirt Major/AA, Pee Wee
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Minor/A, Pee Wee Major/AA, Bantam Minor/A and Bantam Major/AA Contact Advanced Tournaments 847-277-7343 www.advancedtournaments.com Advanced Tournaments September 24-26, 2010 Pittsburgh, PA Steel City Tournament Series: Pittsburgh Preseason Challenge Mite through Midget: A, and AA Contact Advanced Tournaments 847-277-7343 www.advancedtournaments.com Hockey Time Productions Rock ‘n Roll Cup Tournament Series Cleveland, OH September 24-26, 2010 Mite-Midget House, B, A, AA High School Varsity and JV 216-325-0567 www.itshockeytime.com Hockey Time Productions Rock ‘n Roll Cup Tournament Series Cleveland, OH October 8-10, 2010 Mite-Midget House, B, A, AA High School Varsity and JV 216-325-0567 www.itshockeytime.com Hockey Time Productions Hoosier Cup Tournament Series Ft. Wayne, IN October 8-10, 2010 Mite-Midget House, B, A, AA High School Varsity and JV 216-325-0567 www.itshockeytime.com Hockey Time Productions Three Rivers Cup Tournament Series Pittsburgh, PA October 8-10, 2010 Mite-Midget House, B, A, AA High School Varsity and JV 216-325-0567 www.itshockeytime.com Niagra Sports Tournament Niagra Falls Columbus Day Early Bird Niagra Falls, NY October 9-11, 2010 Mites, Squirts, Pee Wees, Bantams, and Midgets B, A & AA available. 716-791-4068 www.niagratournaments.com Advanced Tournaments October 15-17, 2010 Nashville, TN Music City Tournament Series: Nashville Fall Classic Mite through Midget: B, A, and AA, Girls U12, U14, U16 & U19 Contact Advanced Tournaments 847-277-7343 www. advancedtournaments.com Las Vegas Old-Timers Classic Las Vegas, Nevada October 22 - 24, 2010Men’s, Women’s, COED 18+, 30+, 40+: A/B,C,D,E 888-422-6526 tournaments@icesports.com http:// www.canlanclassictournaments.com Advanced Tournaments October 22-24, 2010 Chicago, IL CHICAGO CUP Tournament Series: Chicago Fall
ClassicMite through Midget; B, A, and AA, High School Varsity and JV, Girls U12, U14, U16 & U19 Contact Advanced Tournaments 847-277-7343 www. advancedtournaments.com
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Langley Adult Blast Langley, BC August 27-29, 2010 Men’s, Women’s, COED 18+, 30+, 40+:A/B,C,D,E 1-888-422-6526 tournaments@icesports.com http://www. canlanclassictournaments.com
Advanced Tournaments October 22-24, 2010 Rochester, NY Empire State Tournament Series: Empire State Showdown Mite through Midget: B, A, AA Contact Advanced Tournaments 847-277-7343 www.advancedtournaments.com Hockey Time Productions Rock ‘n Roll Cup Tournament Series Cleveland, OH October 22-24, 2010 Mite-Midget House, B, A, AA High School Varsity and JV 216-325-0567 www.itshockeytime.com Advanced Tournaments November 5-7, 2010 Pittsburgh, PA Steel City Tournament Series: Pittsburgh Veterans CupMite through Midget: B, A, AA Contact Advanced Tournaments 847-277-7343 www.advancedtournaments.com Hockey Time Productions Rock ‘n Roll Cup Tournament Series Cleveland, OH November 5-7, 2010 Mite-Midget House, B, A, AA High School Varsity and JV 216-325-0567 www.itshockeytime.com Hockey Time Productions Hoosier Cup Tournament Series Ft. Wayne, IN November 5-7, 2010 Mite-Midget House, B, A, AA High School Varsity and JV 216-325-0567 www.itshockeytime.com
CANADA Pre-Season Blast / Future Stars Tournament Toronto, Ontario August 27 – 29, 2010 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000, 1999, 1998, 1997, 1996, 1995, 1994, 1993,1992,1991 BOYS Recreational B,(Select-A), AA, AAA, Elite AAA - GIRLS - Rep (HL, Sel, C, B,BB) and Elite (A, AA) 888-422-6526 tournaments@icesports.com http://www. canlanclassictournaments.com Montreal Summer Getaway Montreal, QC August 27 - 29, 2010
Toronto Fall Classic Toronto, Ontario September 17 - 19, 2010 Men’s, Women’s, COED 18+, 30+, 40+:A/B,C,D,E 1-888-422-6526 tournaments@icesports.com http://www. canlanclassictournaments.com Niagara Falls - Fall Getaway Niagara Falls, Ontario September 24 - 26, 2010 Men’s, Women’s, COED 18+, 30+, 40+:A/B,C,D,E 888-422-6526 tournaments@icesports.com http://www. canlanclassictournaments.com October Classic Oshawa, Ontario October 15-17, 2010 Men’s, Women’s, COED 18+, 30+, 40+:A/B,C,D,E 888-422-6526 tournaments@icesports.com http://www. canlanclassictournaments.com November Classic Oshawa , Ontario November 19 - 21, 2010 Men’s, Women’s, COED 18+, 30+, 40+:A/B,C,D,E 1-888-422-6526 tournaments@icesports.com http://www. canlanclassictournaments.com New Years Ultimate - 2011 Oshawa, Ontario Dec 31 - Jan 1 - 2011 Men’s, Women’s, COED 18+, 30+, 40+:A/B,C,D,E 1-888-422-6526 tournaments@ icesports.com http://www. canlanclassictournaments.com Winter Whiteout - 2011 Oshawa, Ontario Feb 11 – 13, 2011 Men’s, Women’s, COED 18+, 30+, 40+:A/B,C,D,E 1-888-422-6526 tournaments@ icesports.com http://www. canlanclassictournaments.com
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*IVVMW 7XEXI Advanced -') %6)2% Tournaments Tournament Series &MK 6ETMHW Great Lakes Holland, MI %VIE .YRMSV
,SGOI] %WWSGMEXMSR
=SYXL 8SYVREQIRX 7GLIHYPI Nov 12-14 = Squirt B Tourney weekend, 8 teams ($675)
Dec 3-5 = Pee Wee B Tourney weekend, 8 teams ($675) FSU vs Michigan State, Friday Dec 3rd call early for group tickets Dec 10-12 = Mite Studio Rink Tournament, 8-10 teams ($350) 4x4 hockey played on the Ferris State Studio Rink FSU vs Alaska-Fairbanks, Fri/Sat, Dec 10/11 call early for group tickets Jan 7-9 = Mite B Tourney weekend, 8 teams ($675) Full Ice games, non-D6 teams only Jan 7-9 = Mite Studio Rink Tournament, 8-10 teams ($350) 4x4 hockey played on the Ferris State Studio Rink Jan 14-16 = Mite Studio Rink Tournament, 8-10 teams ($350) 4x4 hockey played on the Ferris State Studio Rink FSU vs Michigan, Saturday Jan 15th call early for group tickets
Period Length
Entry Fee
Mites Squirts/Pee Wees Bantams Midgets
13 minutes 13 minutes 13 minutes 14 minutes
$695 $750 $795 $895
Play in a Holland, MI tournament and receive 50% off the entry fee on a second tournament in any other location All Tournaments Four Game Minimum October 1-3, 2010 October 8-10, 2010
Pee Wee B, Pee Wee AA Midget AA, Girls U14 October 15-17, 2010
Squirt B, Squirt A, Bantam B
Tournament Info: printable application, tournament rules, etc www.ferris.edu/icearena www.bigrapidshockey.org
Mite A, Squirt B, Bantam B
Squirt AA, Pee Wee B, Midget B October 29-31, 2010
Squirt A, Pee Wee B, Bantam A, Girls U14
Pee wee A, Bantam B Midget AA, Girls U16
Squirt B, Squirt AA, Midget B
Mite B, Squirt B, Bantam A, Girls U19
All Tournaments are 4-game guarantees, with Fri/Sat/Sun games unless noted Midget and Bantam tournament games = 1.5 hours ***All participants/teams must be USA registered
January 21-23, 2011
January 28-30, 2011
Jan 28-30 = JV/Midget A Tourney weekend, 8 teams ($800)
Feb 25-27 = Midget B/BB Tourney weekend, 8 teams ($800)
January 14-16. 2011
Mite B, Pee Wee B, Bantam AA
October 22-24, 2010
November 5-7, 2010
Feb4-6=Mini-Mite&IPCross-IceTournament,12-14teams($200)
January 7-9, 2011
Mite AA, Squirt AA, Midget A, Girls U12 Mite AA, Squirt B, Bantam B
Jan 21-23 = Bantam B Tourney weekend, 8 teams ($770)
Feb 4-6 = Mite Studio Rink Tournament, 8-10 teams ($350) 4x4 hockey played on the Ferris State Studio Rink
20
Great Value
November 12-14, 2010
Mite A, Pee Wee B, Midget B November 19-21, 2010
Mite AA, Squirt A, Bantam B
February 4-6, 2011
February 11-13, 2011
Pee Wee B Pee Wee AA, Bantam AA, Girls U16 February 18-20, 2011
Mite B, Squirt B, Bantam B
December 3-5, 2010
February 25-27, 2011
Squirt B, Pee Wee A, Girls U12, Midget A
Pee Wee B, Pee Wee A, Midget B
December 10-12, 2010
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March 4-6, 2011
‡ 0HGDOV IRU DOO SOD\HUV LQ WRXUQDPHQW ¿QDOV
Mite AA, Squirt B, Bantam B
‡ *DPH 093 $ZDUGV IRU KRXVH WRXUQDPHQWV
Pee Wee B, Pee Wee AA, Bantam B
Tournament Locations:
Tournament Hotline: (231) 591-2881
Chicago, IL Rochester, NY Washington, DC Nashville, TN Pittsburgh, PA Riverside, CA
Hotel Sponsor: Holiday Inn: (231) 796-4400, pleas call 3-4 weeks prior for reservations
For More Information: www.advancedtournaments.com 847-277-7343
Michigan Hockey
Grand Traverse Hockey Association TOURNAMENT SERIES
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Coaches Guide
Nine questions for youth coaches
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0,7
Former NFL player Joe Ehrmann has been called â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Most Important Coach in America,â&#x20AC;? for his efforts to transform the culture of youth sports by promoting growth, teamwork and individual responsibility. An educator, motivator, professional speaker and coach for over 25 years, Ehrmann champions kindness and compassion and has developed revolutionary concepts of team-building, mentoring and coaching. Ehrmann believes there is no one more important citizen than a youth coach. With that in mind, his goal is to get you to be the best coach that you can be. Here are nine fundamental questions that he believes every coach needs to ask and answer: 1. Why do you coach? Is it for you or for your players? You might have gotten into this profession with one set of values and one set of ideals but after X number of years, why are you coaching now? It seems to me that every coach ought to be able to state in one sentence why they coach. My coaching statement is: I coach to help boys become men of empathy and of integrity to lead, be responsible and change the world for good. All of us need to understand why we coach. 2. Why do you coach the way you coach? The way you interact with your players and other coaches, why do you coach that way? Is that the optimal way to teach the lessons you have for your players? Or are you coaching that way because that was the way you were coached? All of us have had the experience when we were kids of saying â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m never going to talk the way my parents talk.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; And then what happens? Out come those very same words. 3. What does it feel like to be coached by you? What does it feel like to be on your team? Do you think of the life of the players you coach currently? Those kids are up at 6 AM, they have to grab some kind of meal, they rush off to school where they have class after class and teacher after teacher. They have some teachers they like, some teachers they canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t stand. They have some subjects they like, some that bore them to death. They have family pressure, social pressure, peer pressure, educational pressure â&#x20AC;&#x201C; itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s never been more difficult to be a child in this country than it is today. And the end of the day they end up on your field. What does that feel like? Do you ever take the time to think about that? Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s it feel like to be coached by you? Is it the same feeling for
MichiganHockeyOnline.com
the best athlete on your team as it is for the kid who is way down at the end of your bench? 4. Is your coaching worth imitating? The reality is, based on the power position and platform you have, every one of your players at some point in time is going to be walking one of their children off of some field and they are going to coach the way that you coached. 5. What do you want to accomplish? And how will you know when you accomplish it? I think every coach that gets to stand in front of young men and young women needs to be able to answer those questions and discern whether we are having a positive or negative impact on them. 6. Is it a team? The team is a really a community and a coach helps players learn that if theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going to be an asset to the team, what they have to do is set aside their own personal goals, wants and ambitions and find their well-being in the broader well-being of the entire team. 7. What do you spend time on? I think Xâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and the Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s are so overrated. Team sports are about two things: relationships and a commitment to the cause. If you spend time getting your players connected to each other, where they can depend on each other and be dependable, where they like each other and feel good about themselves and what theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re doing - that will help performance. If you want to create a high performing team you just elevate self image and self esteem and spend way more time on that than on Xâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s. 8. What did you say? Almost everyone that played organized sports growing up can remember word-for-word what a coach told them when they were younger. And they still have feelings attached to those words. The kids that play for you will remember your name, and they are going to remember the words you gave them and they are going to have feelings attached to them. 9. How do you define success? It canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be a championship or winning games and it has to be connected to your purpose. I give myself a twenty-year window and measures my success when my players come back as devoted husbands, committed fathers or make a positive contribution to their community.
Michigan Hockey
21
Coaches Guide
What to say to your players Jack Witt, Michigan Coach in Chief
PHOTO BY DAVE REGINEK/DIG PHOTO
Coaching Education Program poised for change Since its founding in 1974, the USA Hockey Coaching Education Program has provided a venue to train U.S. coaches, fulfilling its mission of promoting excellence. Always a leader in coaching education, Michigan Amateur Hockey made completion of the Coaching Program levels mandatory in 1994. USA Hockey continued that trend by making coaching education mandatory across the nation in 2000. Now, a decade later, the coaching program is planning its next big steps. The 2009 launch of USA Hockey’s American Development Model (ADM) prompted the coaching program leadership to rethink the content of clinics, and the way coaching information is distributed. In addition, the national coaching requirements were completely rewritten. All of these changes will take effect in the fall of 2011. Over the past twelve months, the USA Hockey Coaches-in-Chief and the National Office staff have considered every element of the curriculum, along with the targeted audience of each level of clinic. This has resulted in some modifications to what is taught at which level, and will tend to make Levels 1-3 more uniform, with each of them being about eight hours in length. The actual number of levels will not change. Level 1 will still be the entry level, with Levels 2 and 3 being targeted at most amateur coaches of older age groups. Level 4 will still be a three-day clinic targeted at Bantam and Midget coaches, and Level 5 will still be offered nationally as a celebration of hockey coaching. In order to make the changes as planned, during the first half of 2011 the national staff of over 200 volunteer instructors will be trained and equipped to deliver the updated clinic content beginning next September. Enhancements to our training are also planned. Recognizing that classroom work has real value for interaction with both the instructors and each other, the clinic process was left as-is, except for changes to the curriculum. In addition, coaches will be expected to view, and be tested on, age-specific video content. Each age group (Mite, Squirt, Pee Wee, Bantam, and Midget) will have an online class targeted at proper ways of coaching that age group. The benefits of this are huge. As an online course, every coach across the country will get the same message, and besides the value of the content itself, this should create a cohesive expectation among coaches in the same association as to how they can best teach their players. The other significant aspect of this component will be that all coaches must take the age-specific training, even Level 4 and Level 5 coaches. Finally, recognizing that coaches already invest a lot in their education through USA Hockey, the added cost to take one of these modules is expected to be nominal,
about $10. The change that will be most noticeable goes into effect with the above changes. For the first time in a decade, the actual requirements to coach in a USA Hockey program have been completely rewritten. After the 2010-11 season, a new series of requirements will take effect which reflect a distinct philosophical shift in our educational process. Many, including me, have felt for years that we’ve become a sort of “certification mill”, cranking out coaching cards with stickers instead of coaches. Let me explain. Our current process requires a new coach to take as many as four classes in one season, to get to the level considered as appropriate for that age group. It is not unusual to see the same coach take Level 1, Level 2, and even Level 3 in the same season. The chart in use today was built on the premise that many coaches start out with their child in Mites, and progress onward with them. That is how the current chart of coaching requirements, based on age group and appropriate coaching level, was built. What we feel is more appropriate is to begin to blend training and experience. Thus, our new requirements will be based on what I call a nine-year-journey. New coaches will take only one class per year for their first three years. Then they can take a year off in their fourth year. Renewal will be required in year five, with year six being another year off. Year seven will feature a second renewal, with different material, and year eight will be an “off ” year. Coaches who progress into their ninth year of coaching (not a large number) will need to take Level 4. The Michigan Amateur Hockey Association (MAHA) has adopted the national changes early, incorporating them into the rules and regulations this year (effective in 2011-12) so that coaches can read them and gain an understanding of the changes that are still a year off. Coaches who want to review the complete text of the changes I’ve discussed here can visit maha.org and download the Rules/Bylaws for themselves, then refer to page 11. As a side note, a MAHA committee re-wrote the entire Guidebook last year, it is worth a review by all Michigan coaches. With change of this scale, there is a lot of uncertainty about coming seasons after this one. Luckily, we have another year to plan for the changes. For example, I’m trying to figure out how many of what level of clinic we’ll need to offer next year. It seems like we’ll need more Level 1 clinics, with fewer Level 2 and Level 3, but that remains to be seen. In the long run, I’m hopeful that all these changes will be a positive for USA Hockey, the coaches affected by them, and the players that the coaches influence. I will be keeping MAHA and the MAHA Districts up-to-date during this season as more information becomes available. I hope everyone will think about the role coaches play in our programs, that they truly value what coaches do, and that they will understand how the Coaching Education Program is trying to help coaches be the best educators of our players that they can be. Have a great 2010-11 season!
Be a guest columnist in Michigan Hockey Contact us at mh@michiganhockeyonline.com
WE ARE YOUR SOUND BOX, BE HEARD
Sometimes what to say in the locker room before the game can be one of the toughest parts of being a coach. If you talk too much you risk losing the attention of the players or confusing them. Talk too often and they start to tune you out. Don’t say enough and maybe your not doing your job. Where do you start? And just as importantly, where do you end? Locker room talks should be tailored to the age level and skill level of the players. The younger they are, the less you need to say, and the simpler it should be. The older they are, and the higher skill level they are at, the more you need to say, but don’t go overboard. At all levels you should choose one or two things to focus on and make that the topic of the day. Be brief and to the point to get your message across. Just as importantly, follow up on those same topics after the game, and maybe at the next practice as well, to reinforce things that went well and remind them they can improve on the things that didn’t. Here are some basic pointers that a coach can use with their player and they can expanded on depending on the age and level are: 1. Win the races to the puck. 2. Win the one-on-one battles for the puck. 3. Play your position and let your teammates play theirs. 4. Play your position and the puck will come to you. 5. Make smart plays with the puck. 6. Don’t pass because you think you need to, pass because it is the right play. 7. Don’t be afraid to make a mistake. 8. Work together as a team. It’s not an individual game. 9. Be alert on the bench, know who you are replacing on the ice. 10. Be involved and in the right spot. Don’t stand still and watch. 11. Shoot the puck. A shot on goal is never a bad play. 12. Most goals are scored on rebounds. Go to the net on every shot looking for a rebound. 13. Forwards help out defensemen in your own end by being in position for a pass when we get the puck. 14. The first pass in your own zone is the most important. Make sure it is on the stick. 15. Never turn your back on the puck. Know where it is at all times. 16. Don’t stand still with the puck. Get skating and make a play. 17. Work just as hard in your own end as you do in the other team’s end. 18. Our goalie should only have to make the first save. Clear rebounds quickly. 19. Stay out of the penalty box. 20. Play hard and play smart.
22
Michigan Hockey
MichiganHockeyOnline.com
Coaches Guide
September 06, 2010, Volume 21 : Issue 3
Creating offensive chances takes skill and hard work BY PHILIP COLVIN
High scoring teams usually have a few things in common: competitive, creative players that attack the offensive zone and execute around the net. Successful offensive attacks are also unpredictable and have players that are not afraid to make mistakes, says Al Bloomer, a former USA Hockey National Coach in Chief and current Director Emeritus. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Creating offense takes good hockey skills like skating, puckhandling and shooting,â&#x20AC;? says Bloomer. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But you have to have the puck and know what to do with it to score - so mental skills like good vision, anticipation, deception and competitiveness are important.â&#x20AC;? That â&#x20AC;&#x153;hungry spiritâ&#x20AC;?, as Bloomer calls it, also appeals to Northern Michigan coach Walt Kyle, whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Wildcatsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; teams play a tough, hard-nosed style. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re either a competitor or not and we want players who are going to will their way to the net and find ways to win,â&#x20AC;? says Kyle. Specific things that all players should think about in the offensive zone include keeping your stick on the ice, moving your feet to always be an option for the puck carrier, presenting your stick blade as a good target and having a quick release to your shot. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Players at all levels handle the puck too much around the net,â&#x20AC;? says Derek Schooley, head coach at Robert Morris. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t make that extra stickhandle. The less time the puck is on your stick in the scoring area, the better.â&#x20AC;? Lake Superior State head coach coach Jim Roque stresses putting pressure on the puck and making good decisions once you get it. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Attacking the blueline forces the defense to back off,â&#x20AC;? he says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Then take the middle of the ice or go wide, know where your linemates are and use delays and cut backs to create space.â&#x20AC;? Yale University head coach Keith Allain values creativity and hard work, and wants his Bulldogsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; offense to result from speed and grit. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are committed to involving all five players in the offense,â&#x20AC;?said Allain, who will coach the 2011 U.S. National Team at the World Junior Championship. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Defensemen must be able to make a sure first pass and then activate to become a second or third
wave of attack. Goalies must be able to get to dump ins and make a breakout pass or set the puck up so out defensemen can pick it up at top speed.â&#x20AC;? Below are nine factors that make up a successful offense:
Being aggressive and determined to get to the net creates scoring chances.
Agressiveness â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Play at a high tempo and take away time and space. Create pressure with your forecheck and control the puck on face-off wins and pressure the puck when you lose. Control the neutral zone by attacking and always keep your feet moving. Defensive ability â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Work as a six-man unit, win battles in your own zone by supporting the puck and player. Be physical and strong in down low coverage and have the courage to get into shooting lanes and block shots, because blocked shots create momentum. And good defense translates to a dangerous transition game. Determination â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Pay the price by going into high traffic areas to score, screen the goalie, sacrifice your body to get your stick free and take the hit to make a play. Stop in front of the net, fight for loose pucks, win the battles and finish your scoring chances. Powerplay success â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Winning every night means winning the special teams battle. Keys to powerplay success include gaining entry into the zone quickly but with control, dictating the penalty killers movement by establishing the shot, attacking the net and having a presence in the middle so something will open up. Puck possession â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Have confidence to make plays and if you have open ice, take it because other options will open up. Get open and give teammates passing options. Have a plan on faceoffs, as everyone is responsible for helping the center win the draw. Support â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Have outlets, as strong side winger and defense partner must always be ready as safety valve for puck carrier. Stretch the ice and after a long pass up ice, use a short bump-back pass to a close supporting teammate. Overload and quickly outnumber our opponents at the puck. Use automatic plays like always putting the
PHOTO BY DAVE REGINEK/DIG PHOTO
puck deep past defensemen or behind the net on cycles so players know ahead of time to get to these areas. Speed â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Have quick feet and rapid puck movement. Use short one-touch and long penetrating passes. Players without the puck get to open space. Anticipate and read situations to get a jump on the play. Transition â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Push the puck up ice quickly before defense has time to set up. Steer opponent into trouble and anticipate turnovers. Make quick counter attacks whenever possible, force the issue, move the puck rapidly and take advantage of every opportunity. Youthful exuberance â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Have energy and passion and a love for your teammates and the game.
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Michigan Hockey
23
Coaches Guide PHOTO BY FASTPHOTOPRO.COM
Confidence is key When things are going great on the ice, players feel so confident that the game “is moving in slow motion.” When things are clicking, players feel like they have plenty of time to make the right decision with the puck even though they truly only had a split second. And that confidence makes the game seem easy. “Confidence is underrated in terms of its importance,” said Tom Laidlaw, a former defenseman at Northern Michigan and 11-year NHL veteran. “And that’s especially true with younger players.” Hockey players talk about confidence as if it’s some kind of magical aura that seems to come and go without warning. When a player is in a scoring slump, he or she often talks about a lack of confidence. When goals are jumping off their stick and ending up in the net, that same player talks about overwhelming confidence. “If you think on the ice, it takes way too long,” said St. Louis Blues president John Davidson, a former NHL goalie and TV analyst. “In hockey you can’t think. It’s all about instincts. And to me, instincts and confidence are the same thing.” Davidson believes that instincts are developed over time, and can be greatly enhanced through the help of coaches. “What we are talking about is hockey sense, about reflexes, about just knowing what to do,” Davidson said. “And good coaches always find what button to push to make those players trust their instincts — to have that confidence.” Having teammates that they like and can depend on helps players feel good about themselves, which breeds confidence. And coaches have to understand a player’s strengths and weaknesses to make sure they are always in a position to find success. “Often a player’s confidence rises and falls depending upon how the coach is treating you,” Laidlaw says. “If you are protecting a lead with a minute to go, and he taps you on the shoulder and says: ‘Go get it done’You feel pretty good about yourself. But if he pulls you off in that final minute, you start to doubt yourself.” Considering that only six can play in that final minute, does that leave 14 on the bench in the midst of self-doubt? Not if the coach is able to communicate effectively a positive message. “A coach has to let his players know he believes in them, especially young players who are nervous because they believe if they make a mistake they are going to end up on the bench,” says Laidlaw. “A coach can help their confidence by finding places in a game where they can play.” When players say they have lost their confidence, what they are saying is that they have lost trust in their instincts and have some self-doubt about their ability to make the right play. Often this period of self-doubt begins with just a string of bad luck. That usually prompts players to attempt to do things differently, and they start fighting against the instincts they have relied on in the past. Many NHL coaches say that the best way to resuscitate a player’s confidence is to simplify his assignments. When a player is slumping as an offensive contributor, coaches often implore the player to keep it simple — concentrate on his defensive assignment or making the good first pass. What coaches have discovered is that once a player feels like he’s contributing something to the team effort, he tends to relax and begins to trust his instincts. Then puck starts going in again. “I’ve heard people say that this game is 75 to 90 percent mental, and I believe it really is,” Laidlaw said. By Kevin Allen
24
Michigan Hockey
September 06, 2010, Volume 21 : Issue 3
Positive Motivation The late Badger Bob Johnson’s motto, “It’s a great day for hockey,” is a creed that Dallas Stars head coach Marc Crawford adheres to. Crawford’s ebullient personality radiates onto his players and is reflected in the motivational tool bag he brings to the rink with him each day. At the heart of Crawford’s philosophy is the belief that negative criticism is to be avoided whenever possible. “You’re going to turn them off whether it’s a pro, a teenager, or a youth hockey player,”says Crawford, who played 176 NHL games with the Vancouver Canucks.“Let’s face it, nobody wants to hear what they’re doing wrong all the time, and eventually they’ll stop listening. That’s not the type of atmosphere you want as a coach.” The trick is to point out mistakes in a positive manner, and Crawford illustrates the idea using defensive zone coverage as an example. The basic strategy is to have one defenseman on the puck in the corner and the other defenseman supporting the front of the net. But the system becomes unglued when the defenseman who is supposed to be helping his goalie gets impatient and wants to be near the puck all of the time. “I appreciate your aggressiveness,” Crawford would advise in our imaginary example. “I like the fact that you want the puck, but you have to assess the situation and ask yourself this question: Is the dangerous player in the corner with my partner, or is the dangerous player the guy in front of the net who might get the pass?” Crawford is guiding the defenseman to the right choice by showing him some alternatives. “I really haven’t stressed too much negative with that example,” adds Crawford. “I’ve pointed out the positive points, that he’s a forceful and aggressive player, and we want that. But at the same time we want to take those attributes and control them a little more so they’re going to be better served in a more dangerous situation.” Crawford believes that if you show players, no matter what their age, that there are options, you will be surprised how often they figure out which is the best way. “Chances are they’ll learn a lot faster, too, if they feel they have a part to play in the solution to a problem,” observes Crawford. An important, but often neglected role a coach must fulfill is to assess the mental state of his team before each practice. “Are they tired, or are they fresh? Are they coming off of a big loss or a huge victory?” asks Crawford.“Those things all play a part in what type of attitude your players have.” “Then make practice fun when it has to be fun, make them work hard when they need to work hard, or make it miserable when you feel they’re taking it too lightly.” While little motivation is needed for “big games”, having your team prepared for those “sleeper games” takes more work. “These are the games on a Tuesday night, at a rink in the middle of nowhere, when your kid would rather be home watching Bart Simpson,”says Crawford. “Those kind of games take a lot of preparation for the coach.” It’s then the responsibility of the coach to demonstrate to his team that he’s ready. “Maybe it’s with a detailed plan of what you want to accomplish on face offs or with your forechecking system. But if you show your players that you’re ready to play this game, they’ll take their lead from that.” PHOTO BY DAVE REGINEK/DIG PHOTO
A good practice
Players always know if their coaches just ran a good practice session. But what it is that makes for a productive on-ice session? No matter what the age level fun and skill development should be a major focus with an increasing amount of concept and strategy added as the players grow older. “It’s a combination of flow, execution, conditioning, competition, power skating, and a good pace of play,”said former NHL player Dave Barr, currently as assistant coach with the Minnesota Wild.“Players should practice at the same pace that they play the game.” Barr starts each practice session with a warm-up that consists of puck handling, face-offs, breakouts and passing drills. For the goalies, have players take low shots with correct execution on the three-man wave. Make use of all your assistant coaches and challenge and encourage your players. In the end, you can never work too much on improving your player’s skills. “If you’re going to become a better coach, your players are going to have to be better players. That’s why skill development is so important,”said Barr.“A good practice makes for better players.” Former NHL coach Bob Hartley has over 20 seasons coaching at all levels and runs his own high-level hockey school. Thanks in large part to the countless hours logged on the ice, Hartley has picked up many practices dos and don’ts: Safety first - Injuries and accidents are never good, but accidents that could have been prevented by the proper precautions are especially bad. Always make sure all the doors leading to the ice are shut. Make sure helmets are always on and that chinstraps are always done up. Take water breaks every two drills and have plenty of water bottles. Along with helping to fight fatigue and dehydration this will also help to maintain order by keeping players from leaving drills to get water at different times. Hit the net - Stress the importance of hitting the net during practices, especially during any drills that involve shooting. “I always teach this to my defensemen, instead of a 100 miles per hour shot in the glass, give me a 60 miles per hour wrist shot in the middle of the net, ankles to the knees,” Hartley explained. “You’re killing offense if you’re missing the net.” Stop at the net - A large amount of goals in games are scored on deflections in front of the net and off rebounds. So get players into the habit of crashing the net. In any drill involving shooting, always have players follow the shot by crashing the net as if it were a game. One puck - Do not tolerate a bad pass. Using one puck for a drill puts an emphasis on passing, as a player can’t just grab another puck and fire another pass if the first pass is a poor one. Use one puck and if a player makes a bad pass make them stop and start the drill over again. Overlooking poor passes in practice will lead to poor passing in games. Communicate - Player communication on the ice is vital. Insist that all your players always call for their passes. Coaches must communicate also, both with players and other coaches. Coaches should give constant positive reminders throughout all drills. Limit downtime on-ice - Limit the amount of time that players are not doing something constructive. Give every drill a name, so that every player is clear on what drill is next. Run drills in rapid succession. While one coach explains the next drill, the other coaches should be preparing pucks and cones. Save ice time - Have players accomplish tasks that do not require ice before practice, such as stretching and warming up, before practice. A pre-ice time overview of drills can help too. Know your team - Prior to designing a practice, set your goals or purposes for the practice. Know the strengths and weaknesses of your team. The drills you choose should reinforce your team’s style of play and address your team’s weaknesses. Drill components - Drills should improve players’ skills and overall team play in the three zones, while maintaining game-like situations. Create drills that you can add various elements or options to, such as progressions or slight variations. This will allow you to obtain multiple benefits out of a single drill. By Carl Chimenti
MichiganHockeyOnline.com
Coaches Guide
Q & A: veteran Michigan coaches talk about the game and their players Chris Bergeron
Michigan Hockey asked three veteran coaches with Michigan ties – Bowling Green State’s first-year head coach Chris Bergeron (played pro hockey in Port Huron), Muskegon Lumberjacks’ first-year head coach Kevin Patrick and Norfolk Admirals’ (AHL) new head coach Jon Cooper (formerly of Honeybaked and Metro Jets) - about the game and their careers. Here are excerpts from those interviews: What has been the biggest change in the game since you started coaching? Bergeron: The overall commitment of players to physical strength, eating properly and to being on the ice in the summer. This has become a 12-month a year job (for them). When I played, guys would do other things in the summer. Now if you’re not doing it for 12 months you are losing ground to the pack. It’s evolved to an absolute, total commitment. Players now are stronger, the pace of the game is faster and the overall skill level is better. And that has to do with the commitment the players are making away from the ice. Cooper: The speed of the game has gone way up as players have adapted to the post lockout rules limiting obstruction. Patrick: Off-ice strength and conditioning. Players are bigger and stronger than they have ever been and how they train has changed dramatically. Training is hockey specific now with a focus on explosiveness and power. There is also a greater focus on a player’s core. How has your coaching style changed since the beginning of your career? Bergeron: I am still as excitable and passionate, but I think I have evolved into more of a student of the game. And I have more of a focus on communication. When I first started out I kind of let kids figure things out on their own, which is what pro hockey was. There wasn’t a lot of interaction between player and coach. Cooper: I am not so sure my style or philosophy has changed all that much over the years but rather my experience. You can ace the written part of a driver’s license exam but that doesn’t make you a great driver. You have to go through various game experiences and situations that help you develop as a coach.
Patrick: One of the biggest things is my use of small area games in practice to engage players, to put them in competitive situations, and to help them learn to play with their teammates in a tighter area where time and space is quickly taken away. Have players and parents changed since you started coaching? Bergeron: I’ve coached for 10 years and I don’t think either has changed that much. For the most part players still want to get better and to win. Cooper: Yes, because I don’t have to deal with them! In all seriousness, when I was coaching youth hockey the parents were very involved because they were footing the bill for their kids and I was recruiting them. There was a different dynamic and they certainly deserved the time. But when I progressed to the USHL, the organization is footing all the bills from equipment to housing. Players beg to play in the league and a parent will usually not get involved. Also the players are a little older and more independent while in junior. Patrick: I don’t know if players and parents have changed or if society has changed. We live in a society where people are looking for instant gratification. I think too many people are in a hurry to get to the next level instead of doing the things necessary to be prepared for the next level. I would encourage players to have fun and dominate a level before moving on to the next level. What are the most important things you consider when selecting players? Bergeron: I want to know what kind of teammate a guy is. What is he like when no one else is around? My first few years I had guys with all this talent and I believed I could be a motivator, but ultimately if that young man doesn’t have that burning desire to get the most out of himself, I have learned it is really difficult to get it from him. Obviously the players have to have some level of talent, but the workers with the intensity and character that I am talking about seem to find a way to get more out of themselves. Those are the kind of players I want to be around all of the time. And those are the guys you can win with at a high level. Cooper: The three “S” - Sense (hockey), speed and skill. Then find that player that will go through the wall rather than around it.
Jon Cooper
Kevin Patrick
Patrick: Character, work ethic, compete level, skating ability, skill level and hockey sense. Who was your coaching mentor or the coach you admire most? Bergeron: My dad is my mentor. Not so much coaching but the life lessons of working hard and being a good teammate. (Denver University’s) George Gwozdecky is a coach I admire. He came to Miami - where people said you couldn’t win - with a plan and he was able to execute that plan. We learned a lot in losing and it shaped me as a person. And in the 10 years with (Miami head coach) Enrico (Blasi), we grew up together as coaches. He is a colleague and a friend. It formed what I am today and what we are trying to bring to this program (BGSU). Cooper: I try to pick things up from coaches that win, whether it’s Ron Mason in college, Mike Babcock or Joel Quenneville in pro and then mold it to my personality and style. Patrick: I have been very lucky to work with four head coaches - Mike Eaves (Wisconsin), Mark Osiecki (Ohio State), Scott Paluch (USA Hockey) and Kevin Sneddon (Vermont) - that have won championships as a player, a coach or both. I have learned from all of them and they are the group I continue to pick up the phone to call to bounce ideas off. What is your favorite part about coaching? Bergeron: It’s the day-to-day interaction with the players and coaches – on the ice, on the bus, in the airport or having a meal – and getting to know them on a personal level and watching them grow up. It’s very important for players to have a relationship with their coaches and I enjoy developing that. Cooper: I enjoy the one year journey and molding 23 strangers into a team in pursuit of a championship. Watching a team grow together and play for each other. It is very gratifying especially if the season ends and a ring will go on your finger. Then in June of every year you start the whole cycle again with a different group. Patrick: Helping players develop both on and off the ice and using hockey to teach life lessons so they are prepared to handle life’s challenges.
ADRAY Community Hockey League Scholarship The Mike and Louise Adray Scholarship has been in effect for 29 years with over $237,800 in scholarship funds. This scholarship is offered to students entering college who have participated in Adray. The Adray-ACHL Scholarship Award is a one-year scholarship open to any first year student enrolling in a Michigan college, community college or trade school. The applicant MUST have participated at least one season on an Adray Community Hockey League team. The applicant should show academic success in high school. Financial need will be considered in the selection process. Financial Aid Forms (FAF or FFS) should be on file at the college of your choice. The applicant is also required to have his local Association’s ACHL representative countersign the recommendation. The application and more information is available on the Adray web site at: www.adrayhockey.org Simply click on the scholarship tab on the web page. President:/Temp VP East Jeff Spedowski jspedows@charter.net 231-796-0728
ADRAY Officers Greater West:Vice President Kevin Wood kwoodadraywest@yahoo.com 616-560-6503
MichiganHockeyOnline.com
Metro Vice President Bobby Mitchell bmitchell8@yahoo.com 248-302-0913
Michigan Hockey
25
Junior Hockey
Af te r a s e a s o n w i t h Alexandria, Lapeer native Robert Tadazak will be playing for the Michigan Warriors this year.
PHOTO COURTESY NAHL
Michigan quartet hopes to make noise in the North Division BY MATT MACKINDER
Two new in-state teams will join two existing North American Hockey League squads this season to give the circuit’s North Division a definite Michigan flavor. The Marquette Rangers were sold over the summer and the franchise moved to Flint, while the Port Huron Fighting Falcons have taken up residence in McMorran Arena. The Traverse City North Stars and Motor City Metal Jackets return for another season, but the Alpena IceDiggers are gone, having relocated to Corpus Christi, Tex. With all the shakeup, the NAHL, now in its 35th season, looks to be as competitive as ever with a slew of new teams, including new squads in British Columbia, South Dakota, California and New Mexico. Here is a look at the league’s Michigan squads:
MICHIGAN WARRIORS Led by head coach and longtime NHL star Moe Mantha, the Warriors have already signed a five-year lease at Perani Arena in Flint and should ice a solid team this fall. “We want to be sure the young men who put on the Warriors sweater for Flint’s first NAHL game are highly skilled, have the hunger to win and are going to represent this community the way it deserves to be represented,” said Mantha. “Not just any kid off the street is going to make this team. This is an extremely competitive league and the scouting staff and I are going to be watching these players very closely in live game situations.” A handful of players from the former Marquette franchise have made the move south to Genesee County with defensemen Austin Accettura (Novi) and Dave Johnson (Lake Orion) and forwards Bobby Bodette (Flat Rock), Brad Chapman (Marquette), Scott Henegar (Trenton) and Trevor Ladd (Fenton) in the mix to make this year’s team. Gone are goaltenders Kevin Kissaw (Goodrich) and Lukas Hafner, leaving Robert Tadazak (Lapeer) and Brach Tiller to battle for playing time between the pipes. Up front, Kevin Bechard (Trenton), Brock Campbell, Eli Davis (Macomb), Patrick Gregory, Justin Hoomaian (Novi), Kyler Kleindiest (Monroe), Robert Mantha (Clarkston, Moe’s nephew), Thomas McEachern (Rochester Hills, co-owner Pat McEachern’s son), Ian Miller (Fraser), Alex Ostrowski (Coopersville), Tyler Perpich (Novi), Luke Swardenski (Ada), Zak Thompson (Rochester) and A.J. White (Dearborn) are in search of roster spots. On the blue line, Nick Beaune (Brighton), Andre Rakas (Holt), Alec Suleskey (Rochester Hills), Michael Szuma (Novi), Ryan Teal (New Baltimore) and Ryan Trenz should all see significant playing time. Gregory and Trenz both bring a winning pedigree with them to Flint as they were members of the St. Louis Jr. Blues club that won the national Tier III Junior A championship last season and also had 44 wins during the regular season in the Central States Hockey League. No matter who plays for the Warriors this year, positive results will be expected right off the bat, especially with Mantha at the helm. Following up last season’s North Division regular season title should not be a problem. “Moe is here to create an exciting brand of hockey, while helping a talented group of Michigan Warriors players continue developing their abilities as they work to advance to the next level,” Pat McEachern said. “He has been part of the game at all levels for a long time and will use that experience to help our players realize their potential right before the eyes of our fans. Moe has hockey in his blood and the responsibility to develop these players into a winning team ultimately is his, but it’s the people behind the scenes that will really turn Flint’s Michigan Warriors into a source of community pride.”
26
Michigan Hockey
MOTOR CITY METAL JACKETS Last year, the Metal Jackets had new owners and a new name. This year, the team will play at a new home rink. In Trenton, though, the Motor City squad embraces change. After all, not much was expected last season from Motor City and the Metal Jackets went all the way to the North Division finals, ultimately bowing out to Traverse City. “I think our first year (with the new ownership group) was very successful, like 120 percent more than we expected,” said Metal Jackets owner Kenji Yamada. “I really appreciate the effort and dedication of all our staff, players and supporters around us, especially the effort and commitment from our head coach, David Cole. Of course, we have a lot of areas for improvements, but as a starting year, we were in pretty good shape.” Yamada, who organized two tryout camps in Japan this offseason, said he is more optimistic going into this season. “Last year, we had a lot of new players to the Junior A level and we were struggling to implement our game plans toward the middle of the season,” explained Yamada. “This year, we have many players coming back and we can have a jumpstart from the beginning. We are also moving to a new arena (Kennedy Recreation Center in Trenton) with more seating capacity and more traffic. I hope we’ll be able attract more fans to our games this year.” With an exciting team on tap to lace up the skates this season, that in itself should give fans enough reason to take in a Metal Jackets game. “We learned a lot from last year’s experience about how to run the game, how to entertain the audience, and how to make an effective TV broadcast,” Yamada said. “(This) year is going to be a very exciting year for fans who come and watch our games in our arena and who watch the game on TV.” Cole is excited about the team’s move to Kennedy and is optimistic about his team’s makeup. “We should have a good mix of veterans and young players,” said Cole, whose staff also includes former Japanses National Team coach Yuji Iwamoto. “I am looking forward to this season.” Defenseman Eric Aldag, another member of the Jr. Blues national championship team at the Tier III level, should be a key cog on the back end for Motor City. “Eric is going to be an impact player at the next level,” noted Jack Behan, Aldag’s coach last season. “He has the tools and the mental approach to be successful.”
PORT HURON FIGHTING FALCONS Once the Port Huron Icehawks pro team closed up shop in the spring, McMorran Arena wasn’t dormant for long as a new ownership group swooped in and landed a junior team for this season – the Fighting Falcons. Like in Flint, the area has been home to pro hockey for a number of years, so showing fans what the junior game is about may be an adjustment at first. “We’re extremely excited to offer Port Huron’s hockey fans the opportunity to see the game’s future stars this season at McMorran Arena,” said head coach and general manager Ernie Hicke. “We hope to earn the community’s support throughout the season. We look forward to the challenge of initiating a new team in the NAHL and working with the people in the community. Our goal is to produce a competitive team and one that Port Huron will be proud to support.” The Fighting Falcons held their main camp at the end of August and now have a roster of 30 players, but plan on paring that down to 23 before the season starts. Camp started with 160 players.
MichiganHockeyOnline.com
Marine City native Taylor Pickering is one of the final 30 and Hicke hopes to see him on the inaugural roster. “Pickering has been playing pretty good,” Hicke said to the Times Herald. “We have to get down to 23 (for the season) and it’s up to him now.” Forwards Ryan Green, Devin Stuermer, Colton Ryz and Wayne Ravdjee are good bets to make the team, as is goaltender Luke Dwyer. Green and Ryz will be the two imports on the roster with both coming from Canada.
TRAVERSE CITY NORTH STARS In naming his team for the 2010-11 season after a weekend camp earlier this summer, Traverse City North Stars coach-GM Anthony Palumbo said he is “pretty excited about the new roster.” “We had a very competitive camp, with a lot of energy and a lot of talented players,” Palumbo explained. “We think we have the potential to do very well.” After making it all the way to the Robertson Cup tournament, improving on last year may be a chore, but definitely not out of reach. A total of 11 returning veterans, four tenders, five draft picks and four free agents make up the Traverse City contingent this year, including four local players in Eric Rivard (Traverse City West HS), Jared Van Wormer (Traverse City Central HS), Mitchell Snider (TC West) and Matt Zaremba (Gaylord HS). Rivard is a returning veteran, Van Wormer and Zaremba spent time with the North Stars last year, and Snider began last season with the IceDiggers. “We’re looking to our veterans to really step up and take on bigger roles, but some of these young kids are going to have to contribute as well,” explained Palumbo. “We’re not going to be a team built on the superstar principal. We’re going to need production from a lot of different guys every night.” Returning forwards include Tim Opie (Troy), Kelin Ainsworth, Rivard, Taylor Burden and late-season additions Alec Shields and Ryan Amin (Canton). Snider, Van Wormer, Zaremba, Nate Scurfield (Midland), Cody Loyer (Orchard Lake St. Mary’s), Detroit Catholic Central’s Eric Fragoso and Lansing Capitals midget major alum Michael Szmatula round out the forwards. Amin is a player that will be counted on for all-around leadership. “Ryan’s an excellent two-way player,”Palumbo said.“He’s very good on the offensive end, and he’s really becoming a shutdown guy in the defensive zone. We’re looking for big things from Ryan this year to say the least. He goes about his business in a quiet but very professional manner. He’s such an important part of this team, really for all the same reasons we tendered him the first time – he’s a leader on and off the ice. He leads by example, his teammates love him, and we’re really looking to Ryan to be a key contributor.” Former North Stars’ Nick Shkreli (Romeo), Dan Radke and Kyle Jean (Sault Ste. Marie) are all off to Lake Superior State this season. Captain Travis White enters his third season leading the Traverse City defense, along with returning vets Curtis Heinz (Grand Rapids) and Trevor Campbell, and newcomers Zack Dorer (Lansing Capitals), Chris Barile (Compuware), Robert Wiener (Lansing Capitals), Chris Leibinger (Saginaw Heritage HS), and Connor Schmidt (Little Caesars). Traverse City native Tyler Marble, who appeared in seven games with the North Stars last season, and Peter Emery make up the 1-2 punch in net. “I think we’re a team that skates well, that’s pretty skilled, and hopefully is a balanced group,” Palumbo said. “It’s a roster with a ton of potential. Now, we begin to set about turning that potential into production.”
Junior Hockey
September 06, 2010, Volume 21 : Issue 3
Lumberjacks gearing up for first USHL season in Muskegon There had been professional hockey in Muskegon for half a century, but this will be the first year a United States Hockey League junior team has called the western Michigan town home. The team’s name will remain the same – the Lumberjacks – but the ages of the players are now 16-20 years old as opposed to 20-somethings and 30-somethings. Shortly after the franchise was announced, Kevin Patrick was hired as the team’s first head coach. A longtime assistant at the University of Wisconsin, Patrick had aspirations of running his own program and when the opportunity arose with the Lumberjacks, he didn’t flinch. “I had one of the best assistant’s jobs in the country,” said Patrick. “But when you have the chance to run a USHL team, that’s a great opportunity and one that I am very excited about. The way I see it is that I was coaching these kids in college when they were 18, 19, 20 years old, so now, I just get them one step sooner and can help develop them to the Division I college talent level.” This summer, the team renovated their home rink, the L.C. Walker Arena, as the locker rooms were gutted and re-done, a weight room and lounge were completed and a new Jumbotron above the ice was installed. Patrick is excited to start the season. “The fans are coming around, that’s for sure, but I think some are waiting to see what we’re all about,” said Patrick. “At our camp in June, people came out to see our product and that was great to see. There has been the pro game here for 50 years and we understand the passion the fans had for that style of game. When we had our first all-star game (at the June camp), we had 1,000 people in the building checking the team out.” Muskegon’s roster includes older players and two 16-year-old skaters in defenseman Mark Yanis (Grosse Pointe Woods) and forward Jordan Masters. Not
too many 16-year-olds crack USHL rosters, but Yanis and Masters are exceptions. “They are both very talented players,” said Patrick matter-of-factly. On the flip side of the coin, the Lumberjacks picked up some pretty decent players in the USHL expansion draft in May, including forwards John Parker and Brendan Woods and defenseman Kevin Albers (Lake Orion). “Albers will be a leader for us and will show the younger guys the ropes,” noted Patrick. “Woods was a kid I recruited to come to Wisconsin when I was there, so you know what kind of talent he has. Johnny Parker is another quality kid that will be a leader for us.” Goaltending will be a position that Patrick is hyped about with Joel Vienneau, a University of Minnesota recruit, along with Paul Berrafato, stopping pucks on a nightly basis. Vienneau will be the No. 1 starter, but will be spelled by Berrafato on occasion. The Lumberjacks’ roster includes multiple players with Michigan hometowns, including forwards Matt Berry (Canton), Matt DeBlouw (Chesterfield) and Michael Moran (Ann Arbor) and defensemen Carter Foguth (Fenton), Micki Mihailovich (Westland) and Travis Walsh (Lansing). Forward Andrew Kolb played in the NAHL last year with the now-defunct Marquette Rangers as well. In the future, expect more Michigan products on the ice in Muskegon. “Our goal is to have all the top kids from Michigan playing here,” Patrick said. “We want to be able to give kids from Michigan the chance to play the highest level of junior hockey while not having to leave the state. That’s our goal.” First up on the docket this season is a game against the Chicago Steel as part of the annual Motor City Cup tournament in Detroit on Sept. 10. “The opportunity came up for a junior game to be played at Joe Louis Arena as part of the Motor City Cup,” said Patrick. “The more we talked about it, we knew that if there was going to be a junior game at Joe Louis Arena, we would be playing in it. It’ll be a two- or three-hour bus ride down, so it will give us a chance to bond, too.
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PHOTO BY AARON BELL/OHL IMAGES
BY MATT MACKINDER
TM
Grosse Pointe Woods defenseman Mark Yanis made Muskegon’s USHL squad as a 16-year old.
“I think overall, our goal this season is to be competitive every night and to be playing our best hockey in March and April when we can put ourselves in a position to make a deep playoff run. Our owners have given us every opportunity to do everything here the right way and that’s what we’re going to do.”
Michigan Hockey
27
Junior Hockey
September 06, 2010, Volume 21 : Issue 3
Former Little Caesars standout Rocco Grimaldi is poised for another big season with USA Hockey’s NTDP.
3FYNTSFQ 9JFR )J[JQTURJSY 5WTLWFR Hockey fans, come check out some of the brightest young stars of the game for the lowest prices around at the Ann Arbor Ice Cube!
2010-11 Home Schedule (all games at Ann Arbor Ice Cube) Fri., Sept. 17 Sat., Sept. 18 Fri., Sept. 24 Sat., Sept. 25
Under-18 Under-17 Under-17 Under-17
Youngstown Phantoms Youngstown Phantoms Traverse City North Stars Traverse City North Stars
7 p.m. 2:30 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m.
Fri., Oct. 8 Sat., Oct. 9 Sat., Oct. 9 Sun., Oct. 10 Fri., Oct. 29 Sat., Oct. 30
Under-18 Under-17 Under-18 Under-17 Under-17 Under-17
Dubuque Fighting Saints Dubuque Fighting Saints Muskegon Lumberjacks Chicago Steel Indiana Ice Green Bay Gamblers
7 p.m. 3 p.m. 7 p.m. 3 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m.
Fri., Nov. 5 Sat., Nov. 20 Sun., Nov. 21
Under-17 Under-18 Under-18
Muskegon Lumberjacks Omaha Lancers Indiana Ice
7 p.m. 7 p.m. 3 p.m.
Thurs., Dec. 9 Fri., Dec. 10 Sat., Dec. 11 Sun., Dec. 12
Under-17 Under-18 Under-18 Under-17
Cedar Rapids RoughRiders Cedar Rapids RoughRiders Chicago Steel Indiana Ice
7 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m. 3 p.m.
Sat., Jan. 8 Sun., Jan. 9 Fri., Jan. 14 Sat., Jan. 15 Sat., Jan. 22
Under-17 Under-17 Under-18 Under-18 Under-17
Sioux City Musketeers Youngstown Phantoms Green Bay Gamblers Youngstown Phantoms Sioux Falls Stampede
7 p.m. 3 p.m. 7 p.m. 4 p.m. 7 p.m.
Thurs., Feb. 3 Fri., Feb. 18 Sat., Feb. 19
Under-18 Under-17 Under-17
Tri-City Storm Muskegon Lumberjacks Chicago Steel
7 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m.
Wed., Mar. 2 Fri., Mar. 4 Sat., Mar. 5 Sun., Mar. 6 Tue., Mar. 8 Tue., Mar. 22 Fri., Mar. 25 Sun., Mar. 27
Under-17 Under-18 Under-18 Under-17 Under-17 Under-17 Under-18 Under-17
Waterloo Black Hawks Waterloo Black Hawks Des Moines Buccaneers Fargo Force Indiana Ice Chicago Steel Lincoln Stars Des Moines Buccaneers
7 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m. 3 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m. 3 p.m.
Sat., Apr. 2
Under-17
Youngstown Phantoms
7 p.m.
Youth hockey players can get into the NTDP games for just $1 when they wear their jersey! Bring your whole team out to see the future stars of college and pro hockey and meet them after the game! For NTDP tickets and group rate information, call 734-327-9251 or visit usahockey.com/usantdp
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Michigan Hockey
U.S. National U17 and U18 Teams ready for big years BY CHRIS PETERS
To call USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program’s 2009-10 season a success would be putting it mildly. After capturing major international championships at both the Under-18 and Under-17 levels, having 15 alumni selected at the NHL Draft and watching seven former players suit up for the silver-medal winning U.S. Olympic Men’s Team, you could think the folks at the Ann Arbor Ice Cube are reveling in their triumphs. However, at the NTDP, resting on its laurels isn’t an option. With a promising crop of newcomers joining the U.S. National Under-17 Team and a U.S. National Under-18 Team that has had a taste of success, the 2010-11 season should be just as exciting, if not more so, than the last. The NTDP played its first full season in the United States Hockey League (USHL) during the 2009-10 campaign, with both squads counting jointly as one in the standings. Looking for a bigger challenge, the NTDP got exactly what it hoped for last year. Taking on bigger, stronger and more elite competition certainly brought its fair share of ups and downs. U.S. National Under-18 Team head coach Ron Rolston, the longest tenured head coach in NTDP history, welcomes the tougher schedule. “We have another very challenging schedule this year,”said Rolston. “However, we have a close, hard-working team that is prepared to accept the challenge in front of them.” Rolston led the U.S. National Under-17 Team last season and will return all but one of last year’s players for this year’s U.S. National Under-18 Team. Despite their struggles in the USHL last year, the U17s found success against its own age group internationally. The team captured first place at its marquee event, the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, earning a perfect 6-0 record at the 10-team tournament. The title was the first for a U.S. team since 2002. The Under-18s also have a tough schedule against NCAA opponents, including games against perennial college powers Denver, Michigan, North Dakota and Minnesota. Additionally, the squad will have a chance to make history as the U.S. will look to become the first country ever to capture three straight gold medals at the International Ice Hockey Federation World Men’s Under-18 Championship, the pinnacle event for the NTDP. As always, many of the Under-18 Team players will be auditioning the entire season for the 2011 NHL Draft. Among Team USA’s draft-eligible players to watch in 201011 are forwards Rocco Grimaldi, Tyler Biggs and J.T. Miller,
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defenseman Robbie Russo, and the goaltending tandem of John Gibson and Matt McNeely. “The players and staff are looking forward to getting started,” Rolston said. “The team worked hard throughout last year and over the summer, and that should prepare us well for both this season and the World Under-18 Championship in Germany next April.” Adding to the excitement of a new season is an entirely new coaching staff led by head coach Danton Cole, who will guide the U.S. National Under-17 Team. Cole, a Pontiac native and member of the 1986 Michigan State national championship team, comes to the NTDP after a three-year stint as the bench boss at the University of Alabama Huntsville. Cole has also been a head coach at the professional level, which included stops with the Grand Rapids Griffins, Muskegon Fury and Motor City Mechanics. He also played 318 games in the NHL, winning a Stanley Cup with the New Jersey Devils in 1995, and was a member of three U.S. Men’s National Teams. “We’re definitely excited about the group that’s been brought in,”said Cole, who started at the NTDP in July.“We’ll be looking for the players to continually build on their experience throughout the year.” Cole will be joined on the bench by first-year assistant coach Matt Greason, who served as an intern coach at the NTDP last season. The pair will lead a deep and talented crop of 1994-born players against USHL foes and international competition. The Under-17s will play in three international tournaments, highlighted by the chance to defend Team USA’s title at the 2011World Under-17 Hockey Challenge inWinnipeg, Manitoba. “The big thing here is working towards those international tournaments,” Cole added. “We’ll be working with our guys all year to get them ready mentally and physically.” Ryan Rezmierski, the NTDP’s director of player personnel, scouted these players last season and is excited about what they can bring to the table. “I really like the depth we’ll have both at forward and defense on this team,”Rezmierski said.“We’ve got some really high-end players throughout the roster. It’s definitely a talented mix here.” Rezmierski identified Michigan natives Jacob Trouba of Rochester, and Patrick Sieloff of Ann Arbor, as players to watch on the blue line. At forward, Rezmierski said to keep an eye on Stefan Matteau, Cam Darcy and former LA Selects teammates Niklas Olsson and Nicolas Kerdiles.
Junior Hockey
BY CARL CHIMENTI
Starting their ninth season in mid-Michigan, the stars seem to be aligning for the Ontario Hockey League’s Saginaw Spirit. After five straight early exits in the OHL playoffs, Saginaw returns a solid nucleus of players built through the draft, shrewd trades and free agent signings and are poised for a breakout 2010-11 season. But the rebuilding project that started when the Spirit relocated from North Bay, Ontario in 2001 hasn’t been easy. The team went through numerous bumps in the road – including multiple coaches and general managers – but have steadily improved under head coach Todd Watson, who was hired by Saginaw owner Richard Garber and team president and managing partner Craig Goslin in June 2007. A four-year assistant coach with the Plymouth Whalers and a native of Brownstown, Watson has averaged 34 wins a year since coming to Saginaw and led the Spirit to the second round of the OHL playoffs in 2009. He added general manager to his duties in September 2009.
FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS That first summer Watson worked quickly to assemble his staff. He hired longtime assistant coach John Kisil to help him behind the bench and in finding players. Kisil, a Canton native who played four years at Michigan Tech, had coached with Watson in the Compuware hockey program. “We started coaching midget hockey together and then we took over the junior team,” said Watson. “John was my first pick to come here. Not only is he my best friend and the godfather of two of my kids, he is also a terrific coach with a sharp eye for hockey talent.” Kisil looks after the day to day activities of the players along with many other duties. “He does work with video, skill development, off-ice work and he runs our power play,” said Watson. “He also loves to go out and scout, although time is limited during the regular season.” The Spirit brought in Adam Mattson from the Plymouth Whalers in October 2009 as assistant coach and director of hockey administration. A native of Walled Lake, Mattson takes care of the team’s day-to-day administrative duties, including matters like insurance and communication with the OHL office. Next came Jim Paliafito, hired as the team’s director of scouting in March 2009. The Kentucky native was just promoted to assistant general manager and has played a key role in building the current version of the Spirit. “Jim has done everything he has said he was going to do when he came to Saginaw,” said Watson. “He lives out of a suitcase on the road and logs endless miles trying to improve our team.” Paliafito has overseen the Spirit’s past two OHL priority drafts and has also continued Saginaw’s track record of finding valuable free agents that began with Kisil signing Tyler Murovich and Ryan Schnell in 2007. Paliafito was also instrumental in the Spirit selecting Russian forward Ivan Telegin in the 2010 OHL import draft. Telegin scored 26 goals and 44 points as a rookie last season and was drafted by Atlanta in the fourth round of the 2010 NHL Draft. And Paliafito helped the Spirit redeem part of their 2008 OHL Priority Selection by helping sign draft pick Brandon Saad, a projected top five selection in next year’s NHL Draft. A skilled, power forward type from Gibsonia (PA), Saad was Saginaw’s firstround pick in 2008, and is the only player from that whole draft to commit to playing with the Spirit. “It’s the equivalent to an NFL team going two or three drafts without a player signed during that period,” Watson explained in comparison. “If you think about it, you realize how much that would hurt. But Paliafito has helped right the ship with our past two drafts and free agent acquisitions.”
W Watson also credits both Garber and Goslin, who was named OHL Executive of the Year in both 2006 and 2007, for their continued support in doing what’s best for the team. “Craig and Dick are both phenomenal guys. Craig does a great job as president and the backbone of the organization is Dick Garber,” said Watson. “Not many people in the hockey world know him but he is a great owner who I rely on for personal as well as hockey advice. They both love this organization and obviously they both want to win.” The staff put together a plan to build the Spirit into an OHL contender, and over the past three years the pieces have come together for the team to make a serious run this season. “We dug in and had a lot of meetings, did a lot of scouting, a lot of talking and observing how other teams have done it,” said Watson. “I envisioned our team as being fast. I wanted us to be a strong fore checking team. I wanted our team to score goals and I wanted our team to be aggressive and on the attack. And I expected our team to compete and play hard every single game.”
from the Niagara IceDogs, and Mickey Sartoretto was acquired this past off season from the Kitchener Rangers. Free agents include Mitch Fillman (2008), Garret Ross (Dearborn Heights) and Michael Kantor, who joined the Spirit in January, 2010. The draft picks include three number one picks, Saad (2008), Anthony Camara (2009) and this year’s top selection, big center Justin Kea. The rest of the home grown draft picks include Jordan Szwarz (2007), who has had a tremendous three-year run and was drafted in 2009 by the Phoenix Coyotes and the team’s rookie of the year last season Vincent Trocheck (2009). And expect the powerful, aggressive Telegin to have a big season. With such a solid core, expectations for the Spirit will be high but Watson downplays any and all predications. “In the three years I’ve been head coach here, we were picked to finish 20th, 19th and 17th,” he said. “And we finished much higher in each of those seasons. When you get better players there should be higher expectations.” PHOTO BY AARON BELL/OHL IMAGES
DEEP AND TALENTED This year’s Spirit roster has three free agents, eleven trade acquisitions and 10 draft picks, including three first and four second rounders. The depth chart also lists four goaltenders that will battle for two spots if the incumbent number one, Edward Pasquale, turns pro as expected. Mavric Parks was a recent trade pick-up from the Barrie Colts and comes into camp as an overager with the most experience, having played three years in the league with four different teams in a back-up capacity. Import draft pick Tadeas Galansky was injured early last season and is a bit of an unknown, while Jake Paterson, a second round pick this summer, is highly touted as a potential future starter. “I don’t think Pasquale will be back. And I felt that if we would have gone with Galansky and Paterson it would have been asking those guys to do a lot when they are both basically rookies,” Watson said. “So we added Parks to the mix and have a log jam. But in the end we are going to do what’s best for the team.” On the blueline Peter Hemenegildo and Ryan O’Connor, who were both acquired via trades last year from the Sudbury Wolves and the Barrie Colts respectively, are proven point getters and will most like man the point on the power play unit. The rest of the formidable defense crew has been pieced together from the draft, free agent signings and trades and includes Brad Walch, (Saginaw), Frank Schumacher, (Brighton)), Alex Lepkowski and rookie Jacob Ringuette. Trade acquisitions include O’Connor, who came over in the blockbuster deal for Nick Crawford and T. J Brodie, Hermenegildo, Joe Underwood (Canton) and Matt Ashman, a stay at home type who joined the team from the London Knights last June. In addition Dalton Young (Marysville) joins the team as a free agent after playing Midget Major with Belle Tire last season. “I like a quick, break it out style from our defensemen,” said Watson. “I look back to our 2007 team in Plymouth when we won the OHL title. We had a bunch of no names on defense, but (Whalers head coach/GM) Mike Vellucci went with the same philosophy that year - move the puck up to the forwards as quickly as possible. I believe you can do it with a solid core and by keeping it simple.” Up front the Spirit is loaded with a mix of scorers, playmakers and tough as sand paper grinders. The group includes ten forwards that return from last year’s squad and that depth should be enough that the Spirit shouldn’t miss last years top scorers Jordan Skellett and Murovich, who both wrapped up a sensational careers in Saginaw. Coming over via trade was Michael Sgarbossa, who came over with O’Connor, from the Colts, Josh Shalla, acquired from Guelph in 2009, Barry Sanderson (Dearborn)
MichiganHockeyOnline.com
Top returning scorer Josh Shalla
Michigan Hockey
29
Junior Hockey
n!
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es om e
SEASON SCHEDULE Come join the fun!
F e. . Affordabl
Saturday, Sept 25th ...................Barrie ..........................7:05pm ....... Labatt Welcome Back/Magnet Giveaway Friday, Oct 1st ...........................Saginaw .....................7:05pm ............................ Team Poster Giveaway Saturday, Oct 2nd .....................Sudbury......................7:05pm .............................Team Autograph Night Saturday, Oct 16th ....................Windsor ......................7:05pm .................................................. Pink Out! Saturday, Oct 22nd ...................Belleville .....................7:05pm ..................................... Mascot Madness Saturday, Oct 23rd ....................Mississauga ...............7:05pm .................................Guns n’ hoses night Saturday, Oct 30th ....................S.S. Marie...................7:05pm ...................................Trick-or-Treat night Friday, Nov 12th ........................Windsor ......................7:05pm .........................................Scout Night #1 Saturday, Nov 13th ....................Kitchener ....................7:05pm .........................................Scout Night #2 Saturday, Nov 20th ....................Guelph........................7:05pm .............................Salute to Heroes Night Wednesday, Nov 24th ...............Saginaw .....................7:05pm ............................................. Turkey Bowl Saturday, Nov 27th ....................Peterborough .............7:05pm ............................................... Food Drive Friday, Dec 3rd ..........................Owen Sound ..............7:05pm .............................................. Blood Drive Saturday, Dec 4th ......................London .......................7:05pm ...................................... Teddy Bear Toss Friday, Dec 10th ........................S.S. Marie...................7:05pm ......................................Girls Rock! Night Saturday, Dec 11th ....................Kingston .....................7:05pm .............................................Jersey Night Tuesday, Dec 28th .....................Erie .............................2:00pm ....................Kids Day/Shooter’s Birthday Thursday, Dec 30th ...................Kitchener ....................7:05pm ...........................Ringing in the New Year Saturday, Jan 8th ......................Sarnia .........................7:05pm ........................................Labatt Blue-out Saturday, Jan 15th ....................Sarnia .........................7:05pm ...........................................Country Night Monday, Jan 17th ......................Saginaw .....................2:00pm ........................... Skate With the Whalers Friday, Jan 21st .........................Brampton ...................7:05pm .............................................. Pepsi Night Saturday, Jan 22nd ...................Erie .............................7:05pm ........................... Special Olympics Night Friday, Jan 28th .........................Niagara .......................7:05pm ............................................... Faith Night Saturday, Jan 29th ....................Oshawa ......................7:05pm ............................... Mousepad Giveaway Saturday, Feb 5th ......................Sarnia .........................7:05pm .........................Go Red! Shocks & Saves Saturday, Feb 12th ....................Owen Sound ..............7:05pm ............................Trading Card Giveaway Saturday, Feb 19th ....................Windsor ......................7:05pm ...........Hockey Weekend Across America Friday, Feb 25th.........................Ottawa........................7:05pm ..................................... Mascot Madness Saturday, Feb 26th ....................London .......................7:05pm .............................Team Autograph Night Friday, March 4th.......................Saginaw .....................7:05pm .............................................. Blood Drive Saturday, March 5th ..................Windsor ......................7:05pm ............................ Fan Appreciation Night Sunday, March 13th ..................S.S. Marie...................2:00pm ........................... Skate With the Whalers Saturday, March 19th ................Guelph........................7:05pm ........................ Go Green! Recyling Night
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Michigan Hockey
ALL TICKETS
Howell’s Beau Schmitz is one of five defensemen returning to the Whalers this season.
PHOTO BY AARON BELL/OHL IMAGES
2010-11
Whalers prepared with or without Tyler Seguin
BY MATT MACKINDER
Last year, the question surrounding the Plymouth Whalers was about whom Tyler Seguin’s linemates would be for the upcoming Ontario Hockey League season. This year, that exact same question has surfaced - but with a catch. Will Seguin be back with the Whalers or honing his dynamic skill set in the NHL with the Boston Bruins? That question remains to be answered, but with the Whalers having graduated a slew of top talent from last season, and some that have even been in Plymouth since their 2006-07 OHL championship season, one report came out recently debating whether or not Plymouth head coach and general manager Mike Vellucci would consider dealing Seguin, the No. 2 overall pick in last June’s NHL draft and last year’s league MVP, to a contending club. When asked by Yahoo! Sports, Vellucci didn’t mince words. “I’m not trading him,” said Vellucci, who is entering his tenth season behind the Whalers’ bench. “I have zero interest in trading if he comes back. I haven’t talked to anyone (in the OHL) about it and I don’t plan on talking to anyone about it. I don’t even think my ownership would let me do it, if I wanted to, and I don’t want to.” With the Bruins in a salary cap pinch, there is actually an outside chance Seguin will be playing on Compuware Arena ice in a few weeks. Vellucci isn’t so sure, though. “They (Boston) probably don’t even know what they’re going to do yet (with Seguin), so why pester them and ask them questions they don’t have the answers to,”added Vellucci. “When they’re ready they’ll talk to us, and if he stays up there the whole time, then so be it.” One player who will be back in Plymouth for sure is fourthyear forward RJ Mahalak, a Monroe native. He’ll be joined by younger brother, Matt, a rookie goalie who will battle veteran Scott Wedgewood for ice time. But for the elder Mahalak, he knows the facts – talented forwards AJ Jenks (Wolverine Lake), Josh Brittain, Phil McRae, Ryan Hayes, Joe Gaynor are all gone, along with starting goalie Matt Hackett and defensemen Leo Jenner and Michal Jordan. That said, the elder Mahalak doesn’t see anything deficient with the current Whalers’ roster. “All the older guys have been around the block and know what to expect come training camp and the regular season,” Mahalak said. “It will be the new guys feeling the pressure more than anything. I have no doubt we will be in contention. “It’s tough losing all of those guys because they’re all great players, but we also have a lot of great players returning that
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really seem to gel, so I’m not worried whatsoever.” Losing just Jenner and Jordan on the back end, Plymouth has Colin MacDonald, Austin Levi (Farmington Hills), Jay Gilbert, Beau Schmitz (Howell) and Nick Malysa all back in the fold. Max Iafrate, a Livonia native and Plymouth’s top pick in May’s OHL draft, should make an immediate impact. Clarkston’s Josh Bemis may be back as an overage player as well and import draft pick Dario Trutmann will be eased into the lineup. Up front, just Austin Mattson (Livonia), Stefan Noesen (Northville), Mitchell Heard, Garrett Meurs and Jamie Devane are locks to come back, while Tyler Brown, James Livingston and Robbie Czarnik (Washington) are all overage candidates. OHL teams can play three overagers at any one time, meaning if Bemis and the three forwards are all back, one will have to sit out on a game-by-game basis. Rookies Tom Wilson (2010 draft), Adam Restoule (2009 draft) and Rickard Rakell (2010 import draft) should get decent minutes. Rakell and Trutmann are two skaters Vellucci is excited to see perform on their new home ice. “We like both players,” Vellucci said. “They should fit right in with our team. We look for both of them to be impact players right away.” Jordan was Plymouth’s lone import last season and OHL clubs can carry a maximum of two non-North American players. Mahalak made note that last year’s rookies are now looked upon as veterans and are no longer first-year players. He expects great strides from last season’s rookie class. “Coming into their second year, you can expect big changes from every one of these guys,” Mahalak said. “You know what to expect and you know how to prepare and train. Last year was all about learning for these guys and now it’s time to play.” Still, it would definitely be a treat to see Seguin back with the Whalers, right? “Seguin is an outstanding talent and without him, there will be lots of slack to pick up,” said Mahalak. “I have no idea what Boston plans to do with him. I just wish him luck.” Still its hard not to wonder what Seguin would mean to the Whalers if he returns. “He’s the best player in the league and would help any team,” Vellucci added. “If you could add someone that had 106 points last year, you’d have to imagine he’d have more this year. To have that kind of player that would make us change our focus most likely.”
( ) plymouthwhalers.com compuwarearena.com
Junior Hockey
OHL teams take aim at Windsor in hopes of breaking Spitfires streak BY MATT MACKINDER
Windsor has dominated the Ontario Hockey League the past two seasons, but will the Spitfires still have a stranglehold come May? That is but one question waiting to be answered as the OHL season is right around the corner. Training camps have started and rosters are taking shape. The Plymouth Whalers (see page 30 for preview) and Saginaw Spirit (page 29) are two of five teams in the always-tough West Division along with Windsor, the Sarnia Sting and Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. As in past years, there always seems to be a Michigan theme spread throughout the league with players from the state on teams other than the Whalers and Spirit. And that has never been more evident than this year. This season kicks off on September 23 with two games â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Peterborough hosting Oshawa and Windsor raising their 2010 championship banners at home against Plymouth. The West Division is profiled in capsule form below, while the rest of the Western Conference and all of the Eastern Conference get notebook previews with top stars and Michigan connections mentioned.
Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds Home arena: Essar Centre (built 2006, capacity 5000) Head coach: Denny Lambert (third season) Last season: 36-27-1-4 (third in West, Back for more: Goaltender Bryce Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Hagan, defensemen Brandon Archibald (Port Huron), Mike MacIntyre, David Mead and Brock Beukeboom and forwards Daniel Catenacci, Tomas Rachunek, Brett Thompson, Myles McCauley (Sterling Heights, ex-Whaler), Trevor Morbeck, Jordan Carroll, Ryan MacLean, Nick Cousins, Justin Thomas and Carson Dubchak
WESTERN CONFERENCE â&#x20AC;&#x201C; WEST DIVISION Sarnia Sting Home arena: Sarnia Sports & Entertainment Centre (built 1998, capacity 5200) Head coach: Dave MacQueen (fifth season) Last season: 17-46-3-2 (fifth in West, no playoffs) Back for more: Forwards Brett Ritchie, J.C. Campagna, Brandon Francisco, Craig Hottot, Brandon Alderson, Ben Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Quinn and Jesse Stoughton, defensemen Anton Zupancic, Daniel Broussard, Ron Soucie, Nathan Chiarlitti, Kyle Flemington, Anthony Donati (ex-Whaler) and Joe Rogalski and goalie Shayne Campbell Overage possibilities: Forwards Tyler Peters and Kale Kerbashian and defenseman Brent Sullivan Welcome: Goaltenders John Cullen (from Kingston) and Brandon Hope (Canton, 2010 draft), forwards Nail Yakupov (2010 import draft), Nickolas Latta (2010 import draft), Garrett Hooey (2010 draft) and Alexander Galchenyuk (2010 draft, first overall) See ya: Forwards Zack MacQueen (to Windsor), Peter Stevens, Kyle Neuber and Miroslav Preisinger The skinny: Sarnia finished dead last in the OHL last season and their reward was the first overall pick in Mayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s draft where they took Chicago-area native Alexander Galchenyuk. Bet on the Sting, with a boatload of returning players and a new assistant coach in ex-Sting captain and NHL veteran Trevor Letowski, to not have the top pick next May. Cullen should be a mentor to Hope in goal, leaving Campbell the odd man out. Ritchie is a star in the making and could be an early round NHL draft pick next summer.
S.S. Marie defensemen Brandon Archibald of Port Huron
Overage possibilities: Forwards Jake Carrick, Vern Cooper (ex-Whaler), Dominic DeSando and Brian Shaw and defenseman Dylan King Welcome: Assistant coach Pat Curcio, goalie Matthew Murray (2010 draft), defensemen Gianluca Curcuruto (2010 draft), Colin Miller (2010 draft) and Derek Hartwick (from Ottawa) and forward Egor Omelyanenko (2010 import draft) See ya: Defensemen Jake Muzzin (Los Angeles), Michael Quesnele and Marshall Fox (to Barrie), goalie Robin Lehner (Ottawa) and forward Jordan Nolan The skinny: Muzzin, the OHLâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s top defenseman last season, and Quesnele will be very tough to replace, but Archibald, now in his third season, is ready to anchor
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the defense corps and cement his place as one of the leagueâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best. There may be question marks in goal with Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Hagan and Murray, but look for that to sort itself out in training camp. Cooper, entering his fifth season after Plymouth took him in the first round in 2006, potted 25 goals last year and is capable of 40-plus. Windsor Spitfires Home arena: Windsor Family Credit Union Centre (built 2008, capacity 6500) Head coach: Bob Jones (first season) Last season: 50-12-1-5 (first in West, won OHL title, won Memorial Cup) Back for more: Defensemen Ryan Ellis, Saverio Posa (Grand Blanc), Cam Fowler (Farmington Hills), Craig Duininck (Plymouth), Steven Trojanovic and Patrick Murphy, forwards Zack Kassian, Kenny Ryan (Franklin Village), Mitch Dunning, Dylan Seguin, Derek Lanoue and Michael Whaley and goalie Michael Nishi Overage possibilities: Forwards Stephen Johnston, Adam Wallace and James Woodcroft Welcome: Goaltender Jack Campbell (Port Huron, 2008 draft), forwards Nick Czinder (West Bloomfield, from Kingston), Anthony Cortellessa (2010 draft), Michael Clarke (2010 draft), Tom Kuhnhackl (2009 import draft), Brady Vail (Northville, 2010 draft), Zack MacQueen (from Sarnia) and Alexander Khokhlachev (2010 import draft) and defensemen Nick Ebert (from Mississauga), Grant Webermin (Novi, 2010 draft) and Bryan Deeley (2010 draft) See ya: Head coach Bob Boughner (new Columbus asst. coach), goaltender Phillip Grubauer (to Kingston), forwardsTaylor Hall (Edmonton), Adam Henrique (New Jersey), Greg Nemisz (Calgary), Eric Wellwood (Philadelphia), Dale Mitchell (Toronto), Scott Timmins (Florida), Justin Shugg (to Mississauga), defensemen Mark Cundari (St. Louis), Harry Young (New Jersey) and Marc Cantin (to Mississauga) The skinny: Will we see a three-peat in Windsor? Not likely, but that doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t mean the Spits wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t make a deep run into the playoffs. No Boughner behind the bench is a huge loss, but Jones, a 15-year assistant around the OHL, has a great knowledge of the game. Hall graduating to the NHL was expected, but look for Campbell, who has won at every level, to win games on his own from between the pipes â&#x20AC;&#x201C; just one reason Dallas took him in the first round last June.
WESTERN CONFERENCE: MIDWEST DIVISION NOTEBOOK Erie â&#x20AC;&#x201C; St. Clair Shores defenseman Shawn Szydlowski may be back as an overager, but count on defenseman Evan Accettura (Novi) returning to play a bigger role on the back end. Forward Andrew Yogan, when healthy, can dominate the OHL and can show why the New York Rangers drafted him this past summer. Robbie Ftorek, a former Red Wings forward (1972-74), is the Ottersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; head coach. Guelph â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Forward Peter Holland, an Anaheim first-rounder in 2009, is back for his fourth season and should put up bigger numbers than his 30 goals and 80 points from 2009-10. Forward J.R. Marsden (Plymouth) and defender Adam Comrie
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Junior Hockey (Saginaw) are potential overagers and former in-state skaters for the Whalers and Spirit, respectively. Kitchener – Third-year defenseman Christian Stevens is a Clawson native, while newly-acquired defensemen Cody Sol and Matt Braun played for Saginaw last season. Second-year forward Gabriel Landeskog should be a top-10 pick in next year’s NHL draft, while Jeff Skinner, Carolina’s top pick in June, will light it up if he doesn’t crack the Hurricanes’ young roster. Defenseman Ryan Murphy will hear his name called early next June at the NHL draft. Former NTDP goalie Brandon Maxwell should continue to excel with the Rangers. London – Battle Creek native Jared Knight, defensemen Troy and Cody Donnay (brothers from Fenton) and defenseman Jarred Tinordi (last year’s NTDP Under-18 Team captain) are this season’s Michigan connection with the Knights. Knight is battling diabetes, yet still was an early second round choice by Boston at the end of June. Troy Donnay was drafted by London in May, while older brother Cody was taken in 2008 and played last season with Marquette of the NAHL.
Phoenix and will be a workhorse. Defenseman Dougie Hamilton is looked at as a possible first round pick in 2011. New assistant coach and former NHL defenseman Mike Van Ryn played at Michigan from 1997-99. Oshawa – Dimondale native Jimmy McDowell returns on the blue line, as does NHL prospect Boone Jenner up front. When healthy, defenseman Calvin de Haan is one of the best in the OHL and was a New York Islanders’ first-rounder in 2009. Forward Daniel Pachis was Saginaw’s top draft pick in 2007. Ottawa – Goaltender Petr Mrazek was drafted by the Red Wings in the fifth round in June and will battle Chris Perugini for the No. 1 role. Mrazek was 12-9-1 with a 3.00 goals-against average and a .905 save percentage for the 67’s in 2009-2010. Peterborough – Ann Arbor native Austin Watson, a first round pick of Nashville in June, should go from a star to a superstar this year and may get the ‘C’ for the Petes. Forward Matt Puempel is s surefire first-rounder next June.
Owen Sound – Scott Stajcer is as underrated a goalie as there is in the OHL and defenseman Jesse Blacker plays a steady game on the blue line. Forward Joey Hishon, hurt for half of last year, was drafted by Colorado in the first round. Now 100 percent, Hishon should wear the ‘C’ for Owen Sound this season. Oshawa defensemen Jimmy McDowell of Dimondale
EASTERN CONFERENCE NOTEBOOK Barrie – Rugged forward Dean Pawlaczyk (Madison Heights) is back for his second season with the defending Eastern Conference champion Colts. Ex-Plymouth forward Taylor Carnevale is back for his fourth OHL season. This team lost a lot from a year ago, including head coach Marty Williamson to Niagara, and may struggle this season.
TEN BURNING QUESTIONS FOR THIS SEASON
Belleville – Forward Alex Aleardi, a Farmington Hills native, was acquired from Kitchener last season and scored 14 goals for the Bulls after the trade. Defenseman Bjorn Krupp played for the NTDP in 2007-08 and is the son of ex-NHL blueliner Uwe Krupp. Brampton – Phil Lane, a New York native, was drafted by Phoenix in the second round last June and was also invited to the summer evaluation camp for the U.S. World Junior team. Kingston – No Erik Gudbranson (third overall to Florida) on the back end could mean a long year for the Frontenacs. Former Whalers forward Kaine Geldart, Saginaw forward Joe Pleckaitis and Red Wings’prospect Brian Lashoff are all also gone. Former NHL great Doug Gilmour as head coach is a plus, though. Mississauga – The 2011 Memorial Cup hosts, the Majors should be at or near the top of the East standings all season and if not, look for some blockbuster moves. Armada native T.J. Battani graduated from the OHL after last season. Former Saginaw goalie Anthony Peters was acquired over the summer from Belleville.
Peterborough’s Austin Watson of Ann Arbor
Sudbury – John McFarland was upset after not getting picked in the first round in last June’s NHL Draft, so look for a breakout season from the Florida prospect. He was the top pick by the Wolves in the 2008 OHL draft. Ex-Red Wings forward Mike Foligno (1979-1982) stepped down as general manager over the summer to accept an assistant coaching job in Anaheim.
Niagara – Goaltender Mark Visentin was a surprise first round selection by
Windsor lost a lot this offseason – can the Spitfires still win their third straight OHL title and this one under a rookie head coach? Who will be the first big name traded? Calvin de Haan in Oshawa? Can Austin Watson continue to carry Peterborough on his back, as he did last year from January after he was dealt there from Windsor? Who is the next star in the making? Alex Galenchyuk in Sarnia? Jack Campbell in Windsor? If he comes back to Kitchener, can Jeff Skinner top 60 goals? By already acquiring Justin Shugg and Marc Cantin from Windsor, how many more pieces to the championship puzzle will Mississauga add before hosting the Memorial Cup next May? Will Marty Williamson as Niagara’s new head coach pay immediate dividends after he led Barrie to the OHL finals last year? Top pick Alexander Galchenyuk comes to the OHL with huge credentials, but does midget hockey success translate to success at the OHL level with Sarnia? Stan Butler has been Brampton’s only coach in their 13-year history and the Battalion has been to just one OHL final (in 2009). Does Brampton break through next spring and finally win a title? Taylor Hall – Windsor or Edmonton? Count on Hall having played his last OHL game when Windsor won the Memorial Cup last May. Stranger things have happened, though.
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Red Wing Insider PHOTO BY DAVE REGINEK/DRW
Detroit will monitor the progress of goalie Thomas McCollum, who is slated to begin his second season with the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins.
Roster deep at all positions BY DAVE WADDELL
It looks like golf isn’t the only sport Detroit Red Wings general manager Ken Holland aced this summer. With Holland, who reportedly wound up his summer vacation at his Vernon, B.C. off-season home by recording a hole-in-one, appears to have also aced his assignment of freshening up the Wings line-up without losing any key bodies. Heading into training camp, which begins Sept. 18 in Traverse City, the Wings have not only held onto to every player they wanted to keep, they’ve added some offense and depth with the return of forward Jiri Hudler and the signing of free-agents Mike Modano and Ruslan Salei. “Our goal is to win the Stanley Cup, but we’ve been at it long enough that you don’t talk about it, you do it,”Holland said.“There are a lot of reasons to think we have a shot. “If we get into the playoffs, I think we have as good a chance as anybody. I think we have the makings of a good team. “The extra month’s rest helps. It’s an extra month for our guys to train and get their tank full of energy, get that emotional tank filled up.” The Wings are actually just about $75,000 under the $59.4-million salary cap and they’d like to give themselves some breathing room to cover the inevitable injuries that occur during the season. That means moving a body through trade or waivers. While the odds-on favorite to be traded is defenseman Derek Meech, Holland said training camp would ultimately decide that question. “With Mike (Modano) on board, we probably have one forward too much,” Holland said. “We’re going to be cap friendly on the first day of the season. I’ll worry about it until then. “It’s an on-going process and there are teams in the league over the cap. You just
have to be cap friendly on the first day of the season.” On the NHL roster, the only battles appear to determine the pecking order on the fourth line. There the group of Darren Helm, Justin Abdelkader, Patrick Eaves, Kris Draper, Drew Miller and Mathias Rittola will vie for ice time. It’s unpleasant for them, but a delightful situation for the Wings. “It’s the deepest we’ve been in a couple seasons,” Holland said. “We can roll four lines again.” Defensively the Wings appear set on the blue-line with the addition of Salei. He fills Detroit’s need for a sixth defenseman to pair with Jonathan Ericsson as well as he adds a nasty edge to a top six that includes Nick Lidstrom, Brian Rafalski, Niklas Kronwall and Brad Stuart. Meech will essentially be fighting for the seventh defenseman’s position with Jakub Kindl and Brendan Smith and he’s already stated he’d rather move on if that proves the case. Perhaps the more intriguing developments in camp are monitoring the progress of some of Detroit’s prospects. In addition to Rittola, who has the most realistic shot at getting into the mix in Detroit, prospects Jan Mursak and Tomas Tatar are making real progress. One or both could be only a season or two away from the NHL. “Mursak really took a step forward last season,”Wings assistant general manager Jim Nill said. “He’s getting close (to being an NHL player).” Valtteri Filppula’s brother Ilari will also get his first look at a Wings camp after signing with Detroit this summer. Plenty of eyes will also be on goaltender Thomas McCollum. The former U.S. World
Junior team goalie is entering his second full season with the Wings’ AHL farm team in Grand Rapids. After some early struggles, McCollum finished last year strongly and is being counted on to be the starting goalie for the Griffins. “There were a lot of ups and downs,”said McCollum, who was 10-16-2 with a .881 save percentage and a 3.38 goals against average. “I feel like I finished really strong. I’d say my last 10 starts went really well. I’m trying to build on that. “I really feel like I have my game figured out now and I’m really excited to get the next season started.” With a six-foot-two, 210-pound frame to go with good athleticism, McCollum has all the tools to become an NHL goaltender. He said last season was all about learning how to use those tools at the next level. “I’ve really been working on playing much more patient, coming out and playing at the top of the crease,” McCollum said. “I’m really using my size to my advantage. “I know if I stay out and make guys try to beat me with a shot there’s not too much room to put the puck in the net.” McCollum, who grew up idolizing Dominik Hasek, said he’s been focusing on his footwork and lateral movement with Wings’ goalie coach Jim Bedard this summer. Though he won’t allow himself to dwell on it, McCollum knows a strong season combined with veteran Chris Osgood’s contract running out after this campaign could open doors to the big club. “I think about it here and there,”McCollum said. “A lot of times during the summer it helps you push harder during your workouts. “My main concern at this time is this season and building on my strong finish. If I have a really good season, it (a Wings call up next year) could happen. “If I don’t have a good season first, it’s not anything I’m going to have to worry about.”
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