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 crew’s outlook heading into the brand new 12 months, from returning veterans to promising prospects rising by way of the St. Louis Blues’ group.
*Some solutions have been flippantly edited for size & readability*
RS: Coming into your second 12 months as a head coach, and with plenty of acquainted faces returning, you have got an opportunity to choose up proper the place you left off. How a lot consolation does that present you and the crew, and what would be the overarching message heading into the brand new season?
SK: Constructing on the year-end conferences, the entire gamers appeared excited in regards to the 12 months and the prospect to construct. Clearly, it was a tricky end, however we had been proper there and actual near beating a extremely good crew. We’ve acquired a extremely good core coming again, and the younger guys have one other 12 months beneath their belt, so that ought to actually assist. They know the way I function, and I do know their personalities, so the expectations of the day-to-day operation ought to assist going into coaching camp and the beginning of the season. As a coach final 12 months, you had been attending to know your guys and the fellows had been attending to know you and your expectations, however now they know what I anticipate of them, they usually have pleasure amongst themselves that they’re an excellent hockey crew, so the expectations are set. At first of final 12 months, we needed to construct and put that basis in place. To me, I imagine the muse is ready, and now it’s only a matter of constructing on it.
RS: For thus many gamers, the leap from 12 months 1 to 12 months 2 and 12 months 2 to 12 months 3 is so pivotal. There are numerous gamers who might be difficult for spots in St. Louis. Exterior 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 greater, stronger, sooner. That may improve their skillset. When you get greater, 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, once you get into coaching camp and begin getting video games going, it’s a matter of getting that 200-foot recreation. On the finish of the day, that’s a giant separator for lots of gamers whether or not they’re within the NHL or the AHL. It’s the 200-foot recreation, and it’s the little issues they do – blocking pictures, taking hits to make performs, ending checks, going to the soiled areas persistently. I feel our guys did an excellent job constructing into that, however we nonetheless wish to construct on that in order that they’re prepared for the NHL. For me, I wish to see who’s acquired that skill to leap proper in the place they left off final 12 months and take one other step.
RS: With coaching camp and the onset of a season, you by no means know what accidents and roster motion can do, however on paper, the ahead depth in St. Louis and Springfield is noticeably robust. You will have a wide selection of items to play with up entrance. Have you ever given any thought into what kind of recreation and how much group you will have to work with?
SK: It’s thrilling and it makes a coach’s job simpler as a result of you have got competitors from inside. For a couple of month final 12 months the place we had everyone wholesome, we had a way of what our ahead group will 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 instructed 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 crew has an opportunity to make the Blues out of camp, so I don’t get forward of myself as a result of I imagine in our guys and they need to go in with the mindset that they’re going to make the Blues.
RS: You had an opportunity to educate Chris Wagner in Colorado, a participant that followers on this space are acquainted with 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 educate him each in Colorado and Anaheim. Very first thing is the character – he’s an excellent chief, main by instance and dealing arduous in apply and video games. To me, he’s the 200-foot, well-rounded participant. He brings grit, tenacity, is an effective faceoff man, can play energy play or penalty kill, is flexible, generally is a wing or a middle. He’s the kind of man different groups don’t wish to play in opposition to as a result of he’s going to maintain going at you. That’s such an vital factor on any crew, particularly on the American League degree the place you have got younger gamers to have the ability to watch (him). They see there’s a man who performed a very long time on the NHL degree; how did he do it? He did it due to his compete, his willingness to dam pictures, and the issues that you just’re making an attempt to show everyone. That’s what he’s going to deliver, 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 have got a powerful veteran group. The AHL is commonly coined a league of growth, and I feel the typical fan might not notice how vital it’s to have the veterans who’ve been within the struggle on the NHL and AHL degree earlier than. When you have got 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 skill however their character. There’ll generally be rising pains with younger gamers at occasions, 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 great character, the younger guys might not comply with them. With all of our veteran gamers, the youthful guys can comply with what they do on and off the ice. On high of the character, you need your veterans to have the ability to play; chemistry is so vital, and when you have got a younger man that you just’re making an attempt to construct confidence with, for those who can pair them with a high veteran, it helps them get success and maintain that confidence whereas limiting rising pains. I’m very excited with the veteran group we now have; we’re very lucky to have the appropriate character with good ability combined to herald a bunch of younger guys who’ve extra expertise beneath their belt. You wish to have the appropriate 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 12 months at growth camp, you had an opportunity to see numerous these gamers. Beginning with Juraj Pekarcik, being somebody who has grown up with Dalibor Dvorsky in Slovakia, what are your expectations for him, and the way massive of a consolation is it for the participant to have somebody like Dalibor that he can look to and see the street map to what his future could possibly 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 12 months behind him and has that have to assist out. With Pekarcik, he has such good 1-on-1 skill and expertise that he’ll be enjoyable to work with. Once more, it’s about broadening the sport. We talked about it with Dvo quite a bit final 12 months, and hopefully he can now assist translate a few of that for Pekarcik and make it slightly bit faster for him. Now, that being 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 attention-grabbing and intriguing prospect on the blue line for the rugged recreation he performs. Once you hear that description, it nearly screams Tyler Tucker, and we’ve seen how a lot his recreation has grown in St. Louis. What makes him such an intriguing prospect to work with?
SK: He caught out final 12 months within the rookie camp for his pure compete degree and the willingness to be arduous and gritty. From what I perceive, that’s his recreation. That pure degree 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 an excellent chief and really coachable from the occasions I’ve needed to work with him. In right this moment’s recreation, it’s nonetheless so vital to have the large, gritty, hard-nosed gamers. When the opposite crew is wanting on the lineup and who they’re enjoying that night time, it’s like ‘we acquired to maintain our head up for this man.’ To me, Burns will be that sort of participant as he grows and develops.
RS: Theo Lindstein is the participant garnering numerous pleasure in St. Louis heading into his first North American season. He’s had numerous 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 recreation is a distinct animal, what ought to T-Birds followers be most enthusiastic about for what he presents?
SK: His ability degree is above common, his poise with the puck, and his skill to make that first move is a extremely good mixture, plus he’s an amazing skater. Like most high gamers, it’s going to be about how briskly he can regulate to the North American recreation within the smaller rink, the place they’re coming at you quicker on the again finish. It’ll be an excellent 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 amazing goaltender could also be #1A. You had an opportunity to have that with Colten Ellis final 12 months. Plenty of people took discover of what sort of big-game participant he’s. How excessive do you view his potential ceiling?
SK: Goalies, not like every other place, take so lengthy to develop. I feel many individuals say it’s normally a five-year street map. He’s on a extremely good path. I can’t say sufficient about how effectively he performed for us final 12 months, particularly in the course of the occasions after we had been depleted with accidents and going by way 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 each day, and have become a high goalie in our league. To me, he needs to be going into St. Louis displaying them they’ve one other NHL-ready goalie and make it an issue. For a coach, it’s a luxurious when you have got goaltending like that. However I’m excited to see Vadim Zherenko as effectively. He performed some video games the place he was a distinction maker. We discuss in regards to the time it takes for a goalie to get polished, and it takes some time, however his high video games, in conditions which may not have been favorable, he went in and acquired us some wins with massive saves. I’m excited for him to take that recreation and see it extra typically. With each our goalies, I really feel assured within the web.
