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