TBN: Sources: Matt Ellis joining Sabres as director of player development

[Buffaloed]

Sources: Matt Ellis joining Sabres as director of player development
General Manager Kevyn Adams has hired a former colleague and player whom he coached to head the Buffalo Sabres’ new development program.
Sources told The Buffalo News on Friday that Matt Ellis, a former Sabres player and most recently the Academy of Hockey’s director, is joining the team as director of player development. An announcement from the Sabres isn't expected until next month.

He's authentic.

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[Myllz]

Only the best of the best.

 

[TheMistyStranger]

That’s a smart move

 

[Bones Malone]

Lindy Ruff approves

 

[1point21Gigawatts]

Good to see we are still going with ex-player hires.

 

[brian_griffin]

Clearly, he will authentically translate his former playing experience to player development. Accordingly, I predict two years from now, the Sabres overall record for player development with him in the player development role will be 12-2-2 S-B-ETs (successes, busts, even-up trades). He will become Kevyn Adams favorite developer to work with a prospect in the final two months of a player's development.

 

[Buffaloed]

“It took me a little while to adjust and figure out exactly where that fit was for me, but those are the things that once I got entrenched in the development world that I started to understand how things are built,” Ellis said during a phone interview with The News in June. “How to go from vision mission to strategy to execution in a way that matched up with what we were about as people with a level of authenticity and integrity.”

I feel like I'm watching The Stepford Wives in an alternate universe.

Spoiler: The Stepford Wives full movie

 

[CrazyPsycho]

That’s a smart move

How so?

 

[Reddawg]

Great move, Matt Ellis is a great guy and Buffalo had a long stretch where we won every game he was in the ice. It was during one of the tanks, either 13-14 or 14-15 but I remember lots of people wanting us to sit or send him down because he was hurting our draft chances.

 

[Myllz]

Great move, Matt Ellis is a great guy and Buffalo had a long stretch where we won every game he was in the ice. It was during one of the tanks, either 13-14 or 14-15 but I remember lots of people wanting us to sit or send him down because he was hurting our draft chances.

I remember that and all, but why would that have any effect on if this is a good hire or not? You can find some great stretch of play or coaching or whatever in every single career out there.

 

[Jim Bob]

Given Matt's previous role as the director of the Academy of Hockey at HarborCenter, this move isn't surprising.

The big question will be what kind of budget will he have to build out a player development staff.

 

[TehDoak]

Can i just say it appears the Pegula's are staffing the front office with people whose only real skill appears to be loyalty to the Pegula's. It seems like something destined to fail miserably.

 

[SackTastic]

Can i just say it appears the Pegula's are staffing the front office with people whose only real skill appears to be loyalty to the Pegula's. It seems like something destined to fail miserably.

It's 100% what they're doing, not just in the front office, but throughout their entire business empire. Telltale sign of bad businesspeople.

 

[Jim Bob]

Can i just say it appears the Pegula's are staffing the front office with people whose only real skill appears to be loyalty to the Pegula's. It seems like something destined to fail miserably.

By that logic, they would have kept Taylor and not axed him and hired Appert.

 

[TheMistyStranger]

How so?

Maybe I’m misremembering but I feel like I’ve heard a ton of praise for Ellis’s work with younger players over the past few years. Just because he didn’t have all the talent in the world on the ice doesn’t mean that he can’t do other hockey-related things. If his corporate persona is similar to his on-ice one, he will be a dedicated employee who values work ethic.

 

[Beerz]

Can i just say it appears the Pegula's are staffing the front office with people whose only real skill appears to be loyalty to the Pegula's. It seems like something destined to fail miserably.

Are you saying you know what skills Matt Ellis provides? Can I say it appears this is just a cheap shot trying to frame a narrative with no basis of facts?

 

[Buffaloed]

Can i just say it appears the Pegula's are staffing the front office with people whose only real skill appears to be loyalty to the Pegula's. It seems like something destined to fail miserably.

Adams has been grooming him for years just as the Pegulas have been grooming Adams. Eventually Ellis will ascend to a senior leadership position and be invited to attend a high council meeting where he will be initiated into the family.

The former left wing played seven years with the Sabres, including four when Adams worked as a development coach and assistant coach under Lindy Ruff.
After retiring from the Rochester Americans following the 2015-16 season, Ellis became a mentee of Adams while the two worked together with the Academy of Hockey in LECOM Harborcenter from 2016 through 2019.
Ellis joined the Academy of Hockey as a development coach in October 2016, only a few months after his retirement, and he was elevated to his role as director in January 2019 when Adams became the Sabres’ senior vice president of business administration. The two also coached together with the Buffalo Jr. Sabres.

 

[Buffaloed]

Given Matt's previous role as the director of the Academy of Hockey at HarborCenter, this move isn't surprising.

The big question will be what kind of budget will he have to build out a player development staff.

I look at this season as an opportunity to get organized and determine what they really need to have to be an effective program. They need to implement a system to grade players and provide coaching in areas that are deficient. They need skating, skills, and shooting coaches. They have Seamus Kotyk as a goalie coach. I'm not sure what role Adam Mair can fill teaching players at the professional level.

 

[Jim Bob]

I look at this season as an opportunity to get organized and determine what they really need to have to be an effective program. They need to implement a system to grade players and provide coaching in areas that are deficient. They need skating, skills, and shooting coaches. They have Seamus Kotyk as a goalie coach. I'm not sure what role Adam Mair can fill teaching players at the professional level.

Personally, they need to raid the Chicago Steel organization.

What Ryan Hardy has built in Chicago is really good from a player development POV.

 

[HaNotsri]

“It took me a little while to adjust and figure out exactly where that fit was for me, but those are the things that once I got entrenched in the development world that I started to understand how things are built,” Ellis said during a phone interview with The News in June. “How to go from vision mission to strategy to execution in a way that matched up with what we were about as people with a level of authenticity and integrity.”

I feel like I'm watching The Stepford Wives in an alternate universe.

Spoiler: The Stepford Wives full movie

Is that a real quote?
The Sabres staff has really bought in to dropping "value" words instead of describing actual actions that the strategy is based on. Everyone will feel like they are in agreement since no one actual says anything that can be followed up.

I know "it's just an interview" but that kind of mouth diarrhea forebodes the vision of another authentically mouldy lockerroom gorgonzola on top of the limp spaghetti of a team that will maintain its usual flaccid integrity while efficiently missing the playoffs preaching self-improvement.

 

[Member 308457]

Seems to me Pegulas don't give a rat's ass about the Sabres. They just hire cheap former Sabres in management positions who are happy just to have a job.

 

[TehDoak]

Are you saying you know what skills Matt Ellis provides? Can I say it appears this is just a cheap shot trying to frame a narrative with no basis of facts?

Sure, let's look at his resume as assistant director/director of player development at the NHL level?

Shoot none? Let's look at the AHL level then?

Hrmm, none there either.

Ok, what about NCAA or Major Junior?

Still at absolutely zero?

Wait, hold on, it appears he has experience with the Jr Sabres. That is OJHL experience.

So, let me ask you:

What qualifies Matt Ellis to be a Director of Player Development in the NHL other than:

His loyalty to Adams/Pegula's
His likely cheap salary (by comparison)

I'll wait.

 

[Buffaloed]

Is that a real quote?

It's real

 

[jc17]

Sure, let's look at his resume as assistant director/director of player development at the NHL level?

Shoot none? Let's look at the AHL level then?

Hrmm, none there either.

Ok, what about NCAA or Major Junior?

Still at absolutely zero?

Wait, hold on, it appears he has experience with the Jr Sabres. That is OJHL experience.

So, let me ask you:

What qualifies Matt Ellis to be a Director of Player Development in the NHL other than:

His loyalty to Adams/Pegula's
His likely cheap salary (by comparison)

I'll wait.

A U T H E N T I C I T Y

 

[Jim Bob]

Sure, let's look at his resume as assistant director/director of player development at the NHL level?

Shoot none? Let's look at the AHL level then?

Hrmm, none there either.

Ok, what about NCAA or Major Junior?

Still at absolutely zero?

Wait, hold on, it appears he has experience with the Jr Sabres. That is OJHL experience.

So, let me ask you:

What qualifies Matt Ellis to be a Director of Player Development in the NHL other than:

His loyalty to Adams/Pegula's
His likely cheap salary (by comparison)

I'll wait.

He had his own notebook.

Duhhhhh