2018-19 Colorado Eagles (AHL) and Utah Grizzlies (ECHL)

[RockLobster]

Don't the Eagles, like, need a coach and stuff?

It would seem the rumor is that the current coaching staff are just going to be coming along w/ the rest of the team

I think Schneekloth (spelling?) was at the Dev Camp.

 

[AvsFanInMichigan]

I’m bummed the Eagles don’t come to Grand Rapids this year. Anyone know why that is?

 

[RockLobster]

And now Dater is saying he’s hearing it won’t be Schneekloth, lol.

 

[Avs_19]

They should probably get on that if they're not promoting from within. Also, please don't let Billington do the hiring.

 

[Balthazar]

And now Dater is saying he’s hearing it won’t be Schneekloth, lol.

Yeah I don't get it. He won the cup twice, "his" team got promoted to the AHL but not him?

 

[henchman21]

It sucks, but being a good coach in the ECHL doesn't mean he'd be a good coach in the AHL. Get the best possible coach period. That said, I'm sure Schneekloth will get a spot somewhere in the org... maybe Utah's coach or an assistant in Loveland.

 

[Avs_19]

I'm not familiar with this person.

 

[RockLobster]

It sucks, but being a good coach in the ECHL doesn't mean he'd be a good coach in the AHL. Get the best possible coach period. That said, I'm sure Schneekloth will get a spot somewhere in the org... maybe Utah's coach or an assistant in Loveland.

Henchy, do you know anything about Cronin?

 

[RockLobster]

Also, I'm glad that Schneekloth & Tobler are sticking around for now, but Henchy is right--being a good/top coach in the ECHL doesn't mean it'll translate. This provides them an opportunity to learn at the next stage, without being thrown right in to the deep end.

 

[Avs_19]

Henchy, do you know anything about Cronin?

Quick HF search for him on the Islanders board provides me with this analysis: "Cronin sucked."

 

[RockLobster]

Quick HF search for him on the Islanders board provides me with this analysis: "Cronin sucked."

Yeah but if a team isn't doing so well (such as the Isles last year), most fans of said team will think the coaching staff sucked

Remember when the Avs were a bubble team w/ Roy and how so many uneducated posters would make the same buzz-word filled post about "Roy needs a new system"? And then Henchy came in and carefully deconstructed those posts and pointed out that while Yeo more-or-less showed the rest of the NHL how to beat Roy's system in the playoffs his first year here, Roy was actually guilty of being too quick to make system changes, a lot of times doing these changes mid-game if the team weren't responding the way he felt they should.

I'd be more curious to know how he worked with rookies and development and such.

 

[Pokecheque]

Yeah, my Islanders fan friend in NY had nothing but bad things to say about Greg Cronin...but there were many reasons the defense sucked in Long Island, it wasn't just him.

 

[Avs_19]

The reaction to Cronin's firing was similar to us when Army was let go. Again, I don't know anything about him though and never even heard of him prior to today.

 

[RockLobster]

The reaction to Cronin's firing was similar to us when Army was let go. Again, I don't know anything about him though and never even heard of him prior to today.

I mean we were all glad to see Army go, but I guess I don't think that's indicative of the type coach he (or Cronin) could be. Fans of teams that are going through stretch of bad play (or seasons) will find just about anything to blame for it.

Again, not saying those fans can't be right, but pointing out that we have been guilty of being that way here too. For all of his warts, Army got A LOT of love from players who said he helped them, a lot.

 

[Pokecheque]

Take it for what it's worth...

Islanders Offseason: The Case against Greg Cronin

I'm guessing they wouldn't be hiring him if he still held the same beliefs about analytics as he did back when he worked for the Meathead-era Leafs.

 

[Avs_19]

Take it for what it's worth...

Islanders Offseason: The Case against Greg Cronin

I'm guessing they wouldn't be hiring him if he still held the same beliefs about analytics as he did back when he worked for the Meathead-era Leafs.

And speaking of Cappy….Jack said he hired Cronin because they have similar ideas about the way the game is played. The first half of the season was a shining example of that brand of hockey and it was boring at best and putrid at worst. The team gave up the puck after a shot or so in the offensive zone, choosing to fall back on defense. But they didn’t challenge the opposition blue line. That would mean the opponents may dump the puck and allow the Islanders to get it back and start the breakout. No, the isles backed all the way up, allowing the opposition to enter their zone with possession—presumably, to make sure that first shot was “harmless”. And low and behold, they’d give up a lot of chances and scramble. Once in a blue moon they’d be able to get into the offensive zone, where they would maybe get a scoring chance, then drop back and let the cycle begin again. 2016 put to rest the possibility that Cronin had changed his beliefs from 2013.

Lets pray his thinking has changed and he'll be doing exactly what Bednar wants.

 

[henchman21]

Henchy, do you know anything about Cronin?

Not a terrible amount. A bit of an old-school throwback sort of guy. Has coached defense and PK most of his assistant time. Big on containing the middle defensively and clogging lanes... and thus, a big shot blocking believer. The defense will be a tight zone sort of defense and require the centers to do a lot of work down low and potentially with the goalie. it is tougher to get a read on other parts since it has been a while, but if I recall his Northeastern days... there will be a steady amount of puck rushing and carrying from the defensemen with outlets more on the edges vs the middle on the breakout. Defensemen will be conservative with their pinches and push a lot of pucks in the corners or slot for the forward (not a ton of point shots). Forwards will have to grind and muck to dig out pucks and the off wing will be getting the majority of shots in the zone. He's pretty well known to be an anti corsi guy, not anti analytics... yes, there is a difference.

FTR Not a fan of this hire.

 

[Pokecheque]

Well the analytics crowd ain't much into Corsi anymore so there's that.

FWIW the AHL is more of an old-school league anyway, so Cronin might be just the right kind of guy to get this franchise off on the right foot.

 

[Avs_19]

Well the analytics crowd ain't much into Corsi anymore so there's that.

FWIW the AHL is more of an old-school league anyway, so Cronin might be just the right kind of guy to get this franchise off on the right foot.

I think player development is equally important as just simply winning games though. Is he going to help these prospects get better?

 

[McMetal]

I guess what really matters is development? He's got a ton of NCAA experience so he's used to working with young players.

 

[Pokecheque]

I think player development is equally important as just simply winning games though. Is he going to help these prospects get better?

He won't have much of a choice--this roster doesn't really have much in the way of AHL vets and glorified grinders, he'll have to play the kids no matter what.

It's gotta be tough being an AHL coach--you have to strike a fine balance between winning and developing talent. If he can't strike that balance then I'm fairly confident he (and maybe even Billington) won't be in Loveland for long.

 

[Pokecheque]

Incidentally, what was the final verdict on Veilleux? Sounds like that was pretty much a mutual parting.

 

[BaconNater]

Colorado eagles twitter just said coaching announcement soon

 

[hockeyfish]

Not a terrible amount. A bit of an old-school throwback sort of guy. Has coached defense and PK most of his assistant time. Big on containing the middle defensively and clogging lanes... and thus, a big shot blocking believer. The defense will be a tight zone sort of defense and require the centers to do a lot of work down low and potentially with the goalie. it is tougher to get a read on other parts since it has been a while, but if I recall his Northeastern days... there will be a steady amount of puck rushing and carrying from the defensemen with outlets more on the edges vs the middle on the breakout. Defensemen will be conservative with their pinches and push a lot of pucks in the corners or slot for the forward (not a ton of point shots). Forwards will have to grind and muck to dig out pucks and the off wing will be getting the majority of shots in the zone. He's pretty well known to be an anti corsi guy, not anti analytics... yes, there is a difference.

FTR Not a fan of this hire.

I'm not that familiar with the AHL, but I was kind of under the impression that is more or less how the game is played there.

 

[S E P H]

....but should we trust Islander fans? I get the sense that they're the Maple Leaf fans of America. The "this player completely sucks when he played for us, so he'll probably suck for you guys' too", but turns out to be fairly decent and they're all shocked fanbase.