On the benefits of camp for the prospects: I think it’s pretty important. Obviously I’m biased. For some of them, it’s their first time over in the US. Some of them, we can give them some pointers and some things to work on and some of them it’s just good to meet each other. So a lot of this is getting used to the staff but some of it is also getting used to each other, getting to meet each other and just having some fun. I think that’s a huge part of this and that’s what this week is about I think.
On the biggest differences between returning and new prospects: I think they’re just a little more comfortable. Some of them, like I said, it’s their first time over in the US and there’s a lot of new things and they’re maybe a little nervous, a little hesitant. I think [the returning players] are just more comfortable. They know more guys so there’s just that level of comfort for them. But we have a great group here. Honestly, all of these guys were pretty outgoing. You didn’t have to pull any of them out of their shell. Obviously we have some language issues with a couple of them, but honestly this has been a great group.
On what’s next for these players: Well a lot of them are going to go back and play with their clubs in Sweden, Finland and Russia. Some are going back to college and juniors. So some of it is just going over the things they can work on. We introduced them to some of our systems. They’re not going to play those systems when they get there, but I think it’s just trying to build that familiarity with the way we prepare ourselves, the way we play and that kind of stuff. And for them, it’s just about doing what the coaches ask of them. Where they are, we’ll follow up with them, we do video work with them throughout the year just trying to help them progress on the ice off the ice. Really just being a sounding board for them sometimes is the best we can do and I think it’s beneficial to them to have resources to ask questions. As a head coach, it’s hard to have a lot of 1-on-1 time with 23 guys so we can give them that 1-on-1 time and I think that’s beneficial to them both on and off the ice.
On if the team does exit interviews with the prospects: Yeah, most of them we’ll just pull aside. A lot of it is just things that they need to work on, the improvement we’ve seen since last year and just making sure that if they have questions, we can answer them and making sure they leave here knowing exactly what they need to work on and what they need to do and what the year’s going to look like.
On the most common questions players ask: I don’t know if there’s just one common one. I think a lot of them want to know, ‘When are we going to start video work?’ and that kind of stuff. Some of their seasons start pretty soon here so end of August we get started and then we’re at it. For me it’s fun because we get to start earlier and we don’t have to wait for training camp, but most of it is on-ice questions. Some of it is, ‘What should we be looking for,’ ‘What do we need to work on to make it to the NHL,’ and a lot of it is pretty simple answers depending on what their position is. There’s a handful of things that everyone can get better at and the better at those fundamentals, the better their chances are in the long term.
On Cam Abbott: It was super important to have him here. I played against him and I want to say he was a year above me, but he played at Cornell and I played at BC so they knocked us out of the NCAA Tournament my first year, but hockey is a small community and so we’ve been one or two degrees away from each other for a long time. He was overseas for a long time so I didn’t get to interact with him much, but this week’s been great. He’s going to bring the exact kind of personality we need. He’s a lot like Roddy which is really beneficial for the players on all fronts. I think him coming here and getting to know the players, but also the staff he’s going to be working with is going to be huge. We’re pumped to have him.
On the kind of player Abbott was: He was a grinder, I think. Some skill, some skill, but he worked his tail off. He does the bike test we do and he’s a workout aficionado so a lot like Roddy. Again, a great personality and fits right in. I think the Hurricanes organization suits him very, very well.
On working with Allie LaCombe: It was great. She knows her stuff and we just let her run those sessions. Everything that she did was very, very good. Took the boys through it and was really good at explaining drills, really touched on things that were important to the game and we were all thankful that she was here. It was a great experience and happy to have her back whenever.
