Proposal: Following the Red Wings AHL Coaching Model

[Smokey Thompson]

I agree that the Red Wings do have a knack for developing players but the reason is because they make them play in the AHL for years before becoming NHL regulars. In Montreal, fans seem to always want to give the kids a chance to play regularly in the NHL but that often hurts development more than it it helps it. IMO Leblanc and Latendresse are two prime examples.

It has nothing to do with the fans. For years we've had a huge lack of organizational depth. We always had 3rd liners playing top 6 and defensemen playing on the 4th line. So we would need our prospects to fill holes in our roster before they were even near being ready to do so.

One of MB's greatest assets is his ability to sign plugs for depth as to avoid rushing our prospects.

 

[Stjonnypopo]

The Red Wings have had really stable (and solid) coaching so this works.

Do we want an AHL coach to come and learn the ways of Therrien, only to have a new NHL coach the next season?

 

[LePoche69]

Montreal has developed more young coaches in the AHL over the years than anybody...Pat Burns started with Sherbrooke....Claude Julien....Alain Vigneault....Michel Therrien....Guy Boucher.....Montreal's problem is not developing systems and coaching their problem is not having good enough players,trading away young players like Leclair,Cassels,Desjardins,Ribeiro,Grabovski,McDonagh and getting very little in return.

I kind of agree with that. But the fact is, the NHL team had so little success the last 10-15 years that the minute a player seems ready for the NHL, he plays. See Max Pac, Gallagher, Galchenyuk, Subban, Price, etc.

Until this year, Detroit had the luxury to let their players in the AHL for a long time, helping his AHL team to perform in the process. Many of their young players would have played in the NHL in other organisations. Nyquist isn't exactly a youngster. He's a young man.

If it weren't for the injuries to Zetterberg and Datsyuk, players like Tatar would have play 1 or 2 more years in the AHL.

 

[Jeffrey]

For as bad as people think Therrien is with the habs he is still mile ahead of Lefebvre is in the AHL.
Bergevin worst move has been hiring Lefebvre and his second worst move has been giving him another chance...

Look at Colorado... sometime it's amazing how a change in the coaching philosophy can do wonders with a team.

I see the same parallels with Granato and Lefebvre... Basicaly nothing to improve the team.

 

[25get]

Couldn't agree more OP. Its all about creating a winning culture from top to bottom. The youngins should come up through the ranks and do their due diligence in the AHL.

If I'm not mistaken, the Grand Rapids won the Calder Trophy last spring. And if the Red Wings are to make the playoffs this years, it'll be because of their young players who led that AHL team to victory; Nyquist, Tatar, Sheahan, Jurco, Ferarro, etc.

If you look at the Bolts and their resurgence this season, if it weren't for their young players, they'd be a lottery team again. But Cooper won a Calder Trophy a couple seasons ago and many of those players are now playing with the Bolts. Guys like Johnson, Gudas, etc.

Heck, Subban, Patches, DD, Price all won the Calder Trophy before becoming impact players for us.

I really thought the Bulldogs would be the playoffs this year. But I think 3 years of wasted drafting really ****ed us. 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 will be huge years for Hamilton. The 2012 and 2013 draftees will make the jump to professional; Bozon (he'll come back stronger than ever), Hudon, Thrower, McCarron, Crisp, Reway, Gregoire, DLR, Lehkonen. Hopefully most of these guys make it to Hamilton and help create that winning culture.

Besides Price, I see nobody in your list winning the Calder Cup.

Desharnais was breaking records in the ECHL the year the Dogs won the cup.
PK and Patches were not even drafted.

Players who won the cup: D'Ago, Grabovski, Chichura, Benoit, Lapierre, O'Byrne, Halak/Price and Stortini played more than 100 NHL games.

 

[Hoople]

Some good news for the OP: apparently the owner of the Bulldogs is unhappy with his teams performance and will mince words with Bergevin at seasons end

http://m.thespec.com/sports-story/4...he-play-of-the-bulldogs-neither-is-the-owner/

Great news.

 

[Smokey Thompson]

Besides Price, I see nobody in your list winning the Calder Cup.

Desharnais was breaking records in the ECHL the year the Dogs won the cup.
PK and Patches were not even drafted.

Players who won the cup: D'Ago, Grabovski, Chichura, Benoit, Lapierre, O'Byrne, Halak/Price and Stortini played more than 100 NHL games.

Whoops my bad. I know those three spent some time in Hamilton and did make they playoffs with the team though.

 

[WG]

Step 1. Define the Montreal Canadiens "identity". MB is the boss so he defines the mantra.

Step 2. Go find the best French coaches in the Q who fit the philosophy and hire a couple of them for Hamilton. Money should not be an object, a QMJHL coach salary is a relative pittance and the Canadiens should be able to afford to overpay a couple of guys by $50K or whatever.

Step 3. However you want the new coaches to merge with the overall system is open, either by having them spend time with the Habs, having regular progress reports, whatever. End result should be that players in Hamilton play the "Montreal way", however that has been defined.

Step 4, and probably most important. When you inevitably ****-can the current coach, the (French speaking) replacement is right there. Maybe our Jon Cooper is sitting there rather than forcing the team to sift through the recycling bin as was the case when MT was hired.

Now, if Bergevin and his team feel that Lefebvre is a suitable heir apparent for the NHL club then no formal strategy would help.