The Province - Willie comes strong defending the deployment of his young players

[funkyfresh]

http://blogs.theprovince.com/2015/10/23/willie-comes-strong-defending-the-deployment-of-his-young-players/

I was pretty upset with Willie yesterday but this kind of makes some sense. He doesn't mind if they make mistakes, he just wants them to be aggressive and not be afraid. 

Edit: I don't agree with him, but I see where he is coming from.

“With the young players, they are trying so hard to contribute and do the right things,” Willie said.

“They don’t want to get beat. So, they back off and they give the other guy time. The guy doesn’t beat them but he has time to make a great play and that beats us.

“We have to get them more confident where they can be aggressive.

“If they get beat, they get beat. But they play the game the way they need to play it.” 

 

“I know you will look at it like these guys didn’t get that much ice time in the third or they didn’t get that.

“But you have to develop guys from junior to the NHL. There’s a growing phase. Usually, the growing phase is the American League.

“But we’re trying to miss that phase. So, sometimes there are situations in the NHL they may not be quite ready for.

 

Edit 2: interview with tsn (thanks Gstank29)

 http://www.tsn.ca/radio/vancouver-1040-i-1410/desjardins-we-always-like-to-roll-4-lines-1.381661

 

[hatedkid666]

He has to play them for them to make mistakes 

[RonMexico]

http://blogs.theprovince.com/2015/10/23/willie-comes-strong-defending-the-deployment-of-his-young-players/

I was pretty upset with Willie yesterday but this kind of makes some sense. He doesn't mind if they make mistakes, he just wants them to be aggressive and not be afraid.

“If they get beat, they get beat. But they play the game the way they need to play it.”

Fans are just impatient. There are plenty of examples of young guys being brought along slowly at the NHL level.

[Ilya Mikheyev]

How is a player/line going to become more aggressive and confident when they get benched for things like: setting up a goal?

[Gstank29]

http://www.tsn.ca/radio/vancouver-1040-i-1410/desjardins-we-always-like-to-roll-4-lines-1.381661 you can also add this to the OP if you like

[Chris]

Thank god.

 

The problem with our last core; The only exception being Edler; was that is took FAR too long to develop them; If the Sedins had been putting up 82 point seasons at age 22-23, we'd probably have a cup or two by now, Glad to see Willie is willing to let them live and learn.

[DeNiro]

Benching them when the game gets close does nothing for their confidence, and sends the message that he doesn't trust them.

We needed a 3rd goal when it was 2-1 but instead he shortened the bench and tried to protect the lead. Reminds me of AV in his first couple years here. Sit back and hope that your goalie stands on his head. A strategy that has been proven to fail.

Either he trusts the young guys and can play them 10 minutes a game, or send them back to junior. They're ready or they're not. Trying to shelter them to this extreme level does nothing for their confidence. Especially when they're playing no worse than the vets for the most part. How about Burrows, Sutter, and Hansen be aggressive and play the right way?

[Dancin'Droid]

How is a player/line going to become more aggressive and confident when they get benched for things like: setting up a goal?

Different coach same tatics  

[shinker]

WD is a hyprocrite, talks the talk but does not walk the walk.  Last time I checked willie, you can't make mistakes keeping the bench warm in the last half of games, unless he meant their ability to open and close the bench door...

[Canorth]

How is a player/line going to become more aggressive and confident when they get benched for things like: setting up a goal?

It was an excellent explanation. It goes to show that there is much more to developing young players than force feeding them ice time.  

[DeNiro]

Willie was brought in because he was good with young players. Now is his time to show he can develop these guys and put them in situations where they can succeed.

To me this is just a distraction from the fact that Willie still hasn't been able to figure out his lines 7 games into the season. He may have started the season late, but the players didn't. The lack of scoring is a direct result of the lack of organization in preseason.

[cbdoubleu]

I'll buy it. I believe Willie D is genuine with what he said, and from how he handled Horvat and Vey last year, I think he deserves a bit more trust from the fans.

That said, I think even Willie would admit that last night they tried to shorten the bench and get that game at least to OT. We started the 3rd on the PK, and by the 5 minute mark it was 2-2. As much as I disagree with the call, I don't blame him.

It was an important game early in the season, and the way things have gone at home, the win would have been a monkey off their back (against one of the best teams in the league right now).

 

[oldnews]

Some people have no concept of the middle ground. 

Have to wonder if some of you bothered to read what WD said.

People wanted a couple of the teenagers to get a shot - and now that they've made the team, people here seem to think they have a better handle on how ready they are for trial by fire than WD does.  Not considering the situation or the opponents and matchups.  Just throw the kids out there....but WD is doing what he feels is a balance between giving the team the best chance to win and developing these young players the best way.

Micro-complaints imo.  Not all teenagers have the game that Horvat did stepping into the NHL.  A few of them might need to be eased in.  IThey've been impressive imo - particularly McCann and Virtanen, but 'll trust WD's judgement in that respect over some know-it-all armchairs in this forum.

 

“But you have to develop guys from junior to the NHL. There’s a growing phase. Usually, the growing phase is the American League.

“But we’re trying to miss that phase. So, sometimes there are situations in the NHL they may not be quite ready for.

“We have to try to help them go through that without losing confidence.”

 

[Me_]

Benching them when the game gets close does nothing for their confidence, and sends the message that he doesn't trust them.

We needed a 3rd goal when it was 2-1 but instead he shortened the bench and tried to protect the lead. Reminds me of AV in his first couple years here. Sit back and hope that your goalie stands on his head. A strategy that has been proven to fail.

Either he trusts the young guys and can play them 10 minutes a game, or send them back to junior. They're ready or they're not. Trying to shelter them to this extreme level does nothing for their confidence. Especially when they're playing no worse than the vets for the most part. How about Burrows, Sutter, and Hansen be aggressive and play the right way?

Does that include Virtanen late in the third in a 2-2 tie? Because that happened.

I have no reservations against Willie's decisions. Sometimes, calming rookies down by letting them observe the game from the bench can be quite useful.

[coolboarder]

After pondering what Willie has said about the rookie forwards trying to protect them.  I agree with what he said about the protection.  You do not want to destroy their confidence, however, I disagree with this strategy when the game is tied 2-2.   Here is what I would do differently but yet protect them.   If it was 2-1 lead, I would shorten the bench until opposition scores a tying goal, then I would try a O-zone start shifts and once the opposition has the puck then I would call for the line change immediately to deploy the veterans in the neutral zone whenever possible.   That way the youngster don't have to have the pressure of defending the right way and focus on the offensive side and if they lose a faceoff in the o-zone then I would try to have the rookie wingers to the bench first then have the center replacing one at a time strategy on the way back.   I would have one rookie at one line at a time if we have three rookies and the veterans can stay on the ice on the way back to the defensive zone while the rookie to the bench for the defensive assignment.  Even if the shift is 5-10 seconds long, so be it, just give them a chance to play on the offensive side of the game and to the bench on the way back.   Just as long as you communicate with the rookies your intention of using them that way and I am sure that they will rather to play 5-10-seconds shifts and if they win the faceoff, they would have a longer shift in the O-zone.   With that strategy, they gain the experience of the third period in the O-zone shifts and replace immediately than to be benched for the whole 3rd period.  

That type of strategy cannot last the whole season because you will have to use them eventually and you do not want to have them making mistakes late in the season, than early in the season.  You do not want to give rookies 40-minutes nights, you want to give them 60 minutes nights.  

[TOMapleLaughs]

Aggressive and unafraid is not how i'd describe Bartchi's game at the moment.  He needs to build strength and speed, (but has needed this for years), and then the aggressiveness can come and the fear can go away.

At the moment he looks overwhelmed on every NHL play that features checking pressure.  I think that's been ongoing for all his time in Cgy.

Will he succeed?  Or will he lose his spot?  

On that note, Shinkaruk is in a similar predicament, is having a good start in Utica, and may jump Bartshi soon.  Then there's Jensen.

Vey isn't not doing well in Utica so far.  For a former AHL all-star?  Hmmm.  He was supposed to have dominated that level already.  It's early, but you worry about regression.

 

WD and JB appear willing to not reward stagnation with icetime for the time being, so it should be interesting to see what happens.  Esp. when Higgins comes back.

 

I think it's time to disregard age when it comes to development.  Just because he's 23 instead of 19 or 20 doesn't mean he's a better NHLer.  However, yes we shouldn't rush them into top roles when they're not ready either.  McCann and Virtanen need a year similar to Horvat's first year.  Bartshie might go the Vey route.  It's up to him, not WD.

[oldnews]

Not surprisingly though, the complaining is cherry-picked, as usual.

On the one hand, Baertschi (who arguably needs shelthering and has shown as much) and the two teenagers aren't being used in lockdown situations.

On the other, Horvat, who proved himself able to handle them, was considered ready for those situations early in his career.

Last night Hutton and Sbisa combined for 2 offensive zone starts and 13 defensive - handled fairly large minutes against a very strong opponent and did well imo. 

WD appears to look at each situation on an individual basis - as he should - as opposed to satisfying the cookie-cutter expectations of some people around here that want everyone be treated equally and that all the young guys 'get a chance'.   That's not how it works - thankfully.  This isn't youth culture kumbaya. 

If you want the youth to succeed, you put them in situations to succeed - not throw them in over their head prematurely.  

[VenitoHammer]

Becoming more and more clear why WD never before was given the opportunity behind an NHL bench.  Yes it's early,  but the same thing over and over again already.  Why shorten the bench with a lead when things didn't look to bad?   

[Nave]

I understand Willie's stance, but giving them some shifts might have made a difference.

McCann strikes me as a guy who takes more risks in clutch time; but then again--he did go to the bench asap whenever he made a mistake in the neutral zone.

Baertschi should have gotten more time, as his puck possession prowess put a lot of pressure on the Caps--especially since we won so many faceoffs--but he kept getting blocked.

Virtanen is someone who could have given Prust a breather, as he's a high energy guy who plays quite safe--maybe too safe.  

I can see why Willie shortened the bench, but when it was 2-2 they might have played with the urgency that was needed.  

[Dragonfruits]

people seriously need to calm down and relax 

also stop trying to coach and gm the team and psychoanalyze every player thinking oh this will hurt their confidence you don't even know them other than the brief glimpse on tv playing the game and doing some interviews