Rockford IceHogs coach Derek King sat before a computer in his office recently and answered question after question from the media about his team.
One question began, “Coach, as these losses continue to mount, what’s the tone you’re taking with the guys?” There was another question about the IceHogs’ struggling power play.
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King took all the questions seriously and gave thoughtful answers. He’s considerate of the media and tries to provide them with what they need. And, yes, he cares about wins and losses, struggling power plays and so on. As a coach, you can’t help but want those things to go well.
But when it comes to the Chicago Blackhawks, King’s employer, their concern isn’t any of that. When the IceHogs lose 9-4, like they did not too long ago, King’s conversations with Blackhawks president of hockey operations and general manager Stan Bowman or vice president of hockey operations and team affiliates Mark Bernard aren’t about the overall team result. The wins and losses aren’t the focus. Bowman and Bernard do want to talk plenty about individual players and their development. That’s what matters.
Most IceHogs seasons are like that. If the team has enough experienced and talented players, there might be a greater desire to win and get Blackhawks prospects a taste of the Calder Cup Playoffs. But whether the IceHogs make the playoffs is usually determined by how the Blackhawks are faring in the NHL. A non-playoff Blackhawks NHL season usually benefits the IceHogs in the AHL.
What doesn’t ever change with the IceHogs is the priority being player development. The Blackhawks want their prospects to improve and eventually become NHLers. The Blackhawks understand most of their players are going to have ups and downs on and off the ice with the IceHogs. For some players, it’s their first season of pro hockey. For others, it’s their first experience in North America. Everyone’s development path is different, and the Blackhawks try to assist as much as they can.
That’s especially the case in Rockford this season. A lot of the Blackhawks’ top young players are already in the NHL, and there are others on the taxi squad who would have played key roles with the IceHogs this season. That leaves a depleted IceHogs roster full of first-year pros, including a number who would have still been playing junior hockey this season if it hadn’t been for the pandemic. It’s not a surprise the IceHogs were 3-8-1 entering play this past weekend.
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“We have 28 players in-house right now,” Bernard said recently. “Our average age is 22.3. We have 16 rookies in-house right now, rookies to North American pro hockey. I look at our D-corp, our average age is 21.7. You got (Wyatt) Kalynuk who’s 23 years, Isaak Phillips at (19), (Alec) Regula at 20, (Cole) Moberg at (20), (Michael) Krutil at 18. Some of those kids could still be playing junior hockey. And then you’ve got two kids up front with Michal Teply (19) and Chad Yetman (20). So we have six players here that could still be in junior.
“You could look at it the glass is half empty or the glass is half full. For us getting our hands on these kids early, when they still could be in junior, and, yeah, we’re going to take a few lumps this year, but you know, these kids are developing right in front of our eyes every week, and it’s going to be so exciting to see how these kids are going forward into next year. … And our coaching staff is on board with development 100 percent, so they understand what we’re doing. They understand and they get it, and they’re 100 percent on board. And I always try and reaffirm to them that I know it’s tough right now, hang in there.”
Every NHL team talks about development, especially in the AHL. There are definitely challenges in working to develop unsigned players, but the AHL is where an NHL team finally gets to work exclusively with their prospects. So, what are the Blackhawks doing to develop their prospects?
There was a time when the Blackhawks development staff was one person. The organization had an assortment of amateur and pro scouts, but there was just one person overseeing the development of all their unsigned and signed prospects. That person was Norm Maciver.
Over time, Bowman steadily grew the department. Maciver moved up, Barry Smith moved to director of player development, more people were hired, Mark Eaton replaced Smith in the 2016-17 season in the position, and since then even more development staff has been hired. Eaton was promoted to assistant general manager of player development prior to this season.
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Now, player development in Rockford is a product of Bernard, King, IceHogs assistant coach Anders Sorensen, who was previously a development coach, Eaton and his development staff working together. That development staff includes Peter Aubry, Christian Burrus, Brian Campbell, Erik Condra, Kevin Delaney, Yanic Perreault and Kendall Coyne Schofield. Each has their own specialty and most will spend time with prospects on and off the ice.
As the staff has grown, so has the Blackhawks’ approach to development. The IceHogs not only practice, but they also hold skill sessions, usually 45 minutes before practice, to focus on individual development.
“I worked with another team (in the AHL) and I’ve done skill stuff, but this is like a constant,” King said. “Every day, there’s some type of skill going. Some players need different things, other players need this thing, whether it’s skating, stickhandling, shooting. But it’s constant here where every day before we start the full practice, which I guess would be considered the structured stuff or working on building up for the games coming up, we always do skills for 20 minutes to half an hour every day.
“There’s always a group of things to do with forwards, there’s always a group of skills to work with the D and they’re consistent. But then it’ll be down to the individuals. For example, if it’s (MacKenzie) Entwistle and Reese Johnson, maybe they need to work on their skating, on their first two strides. So we’ll take aside Kevin Delaney, one of our skills coaches and power skating guys, and will work with them for 10-15 minutes to get those first strides going.”
Which players need work in which areas and what drills should be used to address them is determined by the whole group of coaches and development staff. They look at trends in players and will take situations from recent games to help decide what to pinpoint. They ask for the players’ input, too. They also work on a broad range of individual skills for each position.
“There’s the actual skill-based element too, some skating movements, edge work, handling the puck, different ways of shooting, that a lot of times in normal practices you don’t get a chance to really hone in on and really get specific,” Eaton said. “It’s a lot of just trying to get that individual attention that you don’t get a lot of in regular practices because at the AHL level in normal years there’s a pretty full schedule, coaches have to prepare for games and worrying about the team as a whole. So the development staff working with Anders and Derek are able to kind of construct a more specific plan if there are certain individuals that need specific work or the positions as a group.”
For the players, it’s nice to break up the usual routine.
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“I think just regular practice sometimes can get repetitive, and it’s just the skills kind of keeps you engaged,” defenseman prospect Alec Regula said. “(Eaton) was down here (recently), and he was a big part of those sessions, so he did a good job there. And then when he’s not here, it’s usually Brian Campbell. They both offer their own kind of advice and techniques and drills and stuff like that, so it is really good. It helps you kind of mix it up a bit.”
Once the skill session is complete, the team’s practice follows, and they’re asked to implement what they’ve learned.
“A lot of the skills we’re working on are just your everyday stuff you need to be better at,” King said. “Whether it’s handling a puck on your backhand or it’s shooting off your wrong foot, these are game situations where you get into those situations, and that’s starting with practice when we’re doing shooting drills or handling the puck or taking passes. Now you can implement those skills into it. Sometimes guys get it right away, and other times it takes a little longer, but that’s all right. We have patience here.”
Campbell noticed something about defenseman Wyatt Kalynuk the first time they got on the ice together in Rockford earlier this year. There were a couple of times when the puck went under the heel of Kalynuk’s stick. Campbell once had that same issue himself.
Later, Campbell went up to Kalynuk and discussed it.
“So I proposed a question, why do you think that is or why did that happen?” Campbell said. “So, it gives him something to think about. We talked about it. Maybe you could try something with your stick to make it different, and then, if it works, it works. If not, you just go back, you just keep doing your same thing.”
Kalynuk heard Campbell out. Young defensemen tend to listen to former 17-year NHL veterans.
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“He’s obviously lived through the game,” Kalynuk said. “He let me know a couple things I could try and he did back when he played, just different things with his stick. We kind of talked about my blade and my curve that I use. Then he said, try this, we sanded down the end of my stick to get the toe flatter on the ice.”
Kalynuk tried it, but he didn’t feel comfortable with it, so he went back to what he was doing. Ultimately, he didn’t change anything, but it allowed Campbell to have that conversation and give Kalynuk something different to think about as a pro player.
“Just talking about sticks and having the right equipment or trying some different things with your sticks, you know, can make a huge difference in a player,” Campbell said. “Hopefully it helps benefit these guys and just trying to make them think out of the box and think about different things and different things that are going on in the ice and asking them questions and kind of pointing out things about maybe what I would see. There’s a lot of different small details to a game that a junior kid has not obviously had the experience to pick up on yet.”
Since retiring after the 2016-17 season, Campbell has done a bit of everything within the Blackhawks. He helped with Adam Boqvist’s development while Boqvist was in London, Ontario, a few seasons ago. Last season, Campbell got more involved with players in Rockford. He was going to just assist with the defensemen during the skill sessions and practices, but he then started joining the coaching staff on the bench.
“It wasn’t supposed to happen that way, it just kind of evolved into that,” Campbell said. “With them, they only have two guys on the bench. When I went to those games, I would go on the bench because I could just help Derek King out a little bit, can take a little bit of the focus off of teaching as much as him watching the game. I can help teach on the go a little bit, kind of take some stress off of him that way. I have a really good relationship with those guys and the coaches there, so it’s nice. They ask a lot of my input. I learn a lot from them.”
King has been glad to have Campbell as much he’s been around.
“How many development guys are there that actually played for the Hawks that these players are trying to make and winning Cups and being the type of player he was in a Hall of Fame-type career?” King said. “And now he’s working with the D, and he helps me out on the bench with the forwards. He brings a lot of … he’s just been around, right? He knows the game and has been a part of it at every level. I tell these guys when a guy like Campbell’s on and all these other guys, you got to be a sponge, just take it all in, ask questions. Because you’re not going to get this at too many other organizations.”
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Kalynuk got that, too. He was engaged, but it also helped that the coaches engaged him.
“While I was in Rockford, it was good dealing with Brian and Anders,” Kalynuk said. “They did a great job of breaking things down for me, kind of making it fun and easy for me to develop. I think for anyone who is down there, they’re in good hands. They’re great coaches and they’re easy to approach and they make it fun.”
Nicolas Beaudin had been a first-round NHL draft pick. He was one of the best defensemen in the QMJHL. He played major minutes in a major role.
When he arrived in Rockford last season for his first year as a pro, he was expecting to be that same player. The reality check was harsh. He struggled in the AHL early on.
“You know, you come from junior and you are the best player in the league and you come to the AHL and you play against men, you know, it’s not easy,” Beaudin said. “For me, it was really hard. I was thinking about getting better defensively so much that offensively, I wasn’t doing what I needed to do.
“Until Christmas, I didn’t think I was playing well. I got scratched a couple times. You go from playing 30 minutes and being the best player in junior to being scratched in the AHL. It wasn’t easy.”
IceHogs coaches and Blackhawks development staff spent a lot of time with Beaudin. They held video session after video session. They then put those examples onto the ice and walked him through how he could handle situations differently.
“I think I was working a lot without the puck,” Beaudin said. “With the puck, I can make plays and they’re not worried about that. For me, I was working on one-on-ones, my gap. … I think the biggest thing, too, is we do a lot of video, so that helps. I’m kind of a visual guy, so that helps me a lot. They always tell you to just keep going and things are gonna turn around and I think that’s what I did.”
The Blackhawks were hopeful it would eventually click for Beaudin and he’d understand what he needed to alter to be a productive pro. Beaudin’s hockey IQ is one area he excels in.
“(Away from the puck) was part of this game that needed some growth,” Sorensen said. “Between being put in those situations in games in the AHL, but then also reviewing a lot on video and discussing with him certain situations in terms of utilizing your skating and utilizing a stick and a smartness to defend. Credit to him, he grasped it and he progressed in that area.”
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Campbell worked with Beaudin plenty last season, too.
“I think with Nic, it’s just you got to give them time,” Campbell said. “Being a former player, I’m trying to learn how this time thing works. You want it all to happen overnight or the next day, but you got to be patient with these guys. He maybe started out a little slower the first half of the year, but there was a stretch after Christmas before everything got shut down where he was starting to go pretty good. Obviously there’s a reason why he got called up (to the NHL).
“It’s hard. You come to a different league and everything’s different to get comfortable. I think with him, it’s just a lot of being aware of things on the ice. Being a little bit more patient and calming. A lot of times there’s junior kids who just run around everywhere a little bit. I know I did, I ran around everywhere on the ice. So you kind of figure out less is more. I think a lot of video that Anders does or just talking to him, his game has calmed down.”
Beaudin has gotten a larger taste of the NHL this season and had some success. He’s not an everyday NHLer just yet, but his development has come a long way. Now that he looks back on last season, he can see the benefits of what they did in development.
“Just in Rockford like we had some skill sessions before each practice with D-men on one side and offense on another side, and I think that was really good for me just working on stuff you don’t usually work on,” Beaudin said. “And then after practice just working with Soupy (Campbell) and Anders on my D-zone, my gap and stuff like that.
“I think Soupy helped me out a lot with how to be in a good position in the D-zone, just to be on the right side of the puck all the time and be more aggressive. I think I’ve done a good job of that and I just have to continue to do it.”
What helps the process right now is the Blackhawks have a lot of current examples of players who benefited from Rockford. Beaudin is one. He’s currently on the Blackhawks’ taxi squad and has played in 11 NHL games this season.
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Just last week, there were seven players in the Blackhawks lineup who played for the IceHogs last season. Philipp Kurashev and Brandon Hagel are the most notable, having played almost all of last season in the AHL and turning into everyday NHLers. Lucas Carlsson is an example of a player who put more time into Rockford and is still working to become an NHL regular.
“You got to remember when I first started, we had Gustav Forsling and Carl Dahlstrom, and those guys kind of graduated,” said Sorensen, who previously coached in Sweden and with the Chicago Mission. “We’ve had a lot of guys. It helps us as a staff to look back at those guys and what kind of helped them and using different tools to refer to for players. The biggest thing is just understanding that it’s OK to be here. If it’s even for a season, season and a half, just keep working with him. Keep working through all the speed bumps with him. It’s OK to be right up to the NHL just working through all that and it’s as much mental as it is on the ice.”
The Blackhawks are aiming to develop NHL players, but they recognize there’s more than the on-ice element to being in Rockford and becoming pros. It’s the first time for a lot of these players living alone. Some players have moved away from their home country for the first time.
Bernard, IceHogs assistant general manager Nick Anderson, the team’s coaches and the development staff try to help the players however they can. Early in the season, Anderson drove around with Andrei Altybarmakyan, who joined the team from Russia, looking at apartments.
“A lot of these kids would be still living with families wherever they play junior hockey, having their laundry done for them and having meals made for them,” Bernard said. “We’re teaching them how to be adults as well as professionals. It’s a maturation process. Our coaches are not only managing the on-ice product, they’re managing the kids off the ice and how they continue to develop.”
Regula lived with a billet family with the London Knights last season and now is living alone.
“They take good care of us here,” Regula said of the IceHogs. “They give us breakfast and lunch, so right off the bat, there’s two meals knocked off the board. I think that’s just the biggest thing, just cooking and being able to provide meals for yourself.”
Regula was expecting to be with the IceHogs this season. Krutil, Moberg, Phillip and Yetman thought they’d be spending the season in the CHL. It’s been a lot to adapt to, especially being on the young side of most AHL players, but it’s been a positive for the Blackhawks and the prospects.
Phillips played his 10th game for the IceHogs last week. He could already notice a difference between that first day on the ice with Rockford and where he’s at now.
“Obviously it’s a bit of a different situation for a lot of the players this year, obviously with the OHL still on hold, trying to figure out what’s possible for them,” Phillips said. “They created an opportunity for me and some other underage players to come in and gain an extra year experience of professional hockey. For me, it’s been a great opportunity obviously and a challenge that I’m trying to get better every day almost. But it’s been really fun so far.
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“I think I’ve learned something new almost every day from working with Anders and Brian Campbell and then just working with our older leaders, Franny (Cody Franson), Mitchy (Garrett Mitchell). The environment in Rockford is so development-based and a great place for me to come into.”
King has been focusing on the positives of this unordinary season. Though he is still striving to coach the IceHogs to victories, it’s such a small part of what this season is actually about.
“Obviously it’s due to COVID that we got all these junior kids here that should be playing junior hockey,” King said. “But the nice thing is, we got a lot of practice time this year to develop these guys. Now, if they go back to junior, that’s fine, they’re gonna play and they’ll play here. But the nice thing is they’re not gonna let winning get in the way of developing. That’s not every team. I can’t speak for all of them, but I would say that’s probably not on every team.”
The Blackhawks are hoping the payoff comes in the future, too.
“I’m hoping these guys a year from now, there’s going to be a big difference in their game the way they are on the ice, skill-wise, skating, and you’re going to see that next step,” King said. “Whether that’s the NHL or not, maybe it’s a solid year with us again. … We’re looking forward to hopefully turning them into players for the Chicago Blackhawks.”
(Top photo: Todd Reicher / Rockford IceHogs)
