Dusty Imoo, Dr. Phil & Jack Campbell; Iafallo Can Make Immediate Impact
April 21, 2017, 10:39 AM ET [1 Comments]
Sheng Peng
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Earlier this season, Jack Campbell made 36 straight starts for the Ontario Reign. To put that streak in perspective, LA's franchise record for consecutive starts is the same number, accomplished by Felix Potvin in 2000-01.
The 2010 first-round draft pick's professional trajectory, which was in doubt after the Dallas Stars gave up on him during the summer, is back on track. The NHL -- which must've seemed so distant to the 25-year-old when he was toiling in the ECHL last year -- is a possibility once again.
On the eve of Ontario's first-round series with the San Diego Gulls, I caught up with Dusty Imoo, Kings goaltending development coach, to discuss Campbell's streak and reclamation.
Imoo was also given a lot of credit for Peter Budaj's career revival last year; I imagine teams will be eyeing him for their NHL goaltending coach position.
HockeyBuzz: Generally, how does a goalie stay sharp over such a long streak without pause? For example, do they take practices off?
Dusty Imoo: In general, you find when you go into practice, you never want to do a practice at fifty percent. You start developing bad habits.
It's about managing to stay consistent in your work habits, but not petering out. If you keep busting your balls every single day, right from beginning of practice to the end of practice, going after every rebound...it wears on you, especially if you're playing 36 games in a row.
[As a coach,] you show them how to manage a practice.
You go hard, then you let up the gas a little bit.
You learn when to get up and take drinks. Little things like that. Little tips about how to conserve energy without giving away the practice.
HB: Specifically, how did you and Campbell manage him?
DI: We engage in conversation about different ways to play things. If I notice he's starting to get tired...or doing something that's expending excessive energy, I can point things out to him. If he's by himself, and he's getting gassed...when you're in the moment, it's tougher to see, right?
Just me being there, keeping him aware of his practice habits.
HB: Being able to communicate seems to be key here. (HockeyBuzz note: Before LA, Imoo was Winnipeg's goaltending development coach. There, he worked with Connor Hellebuyck and Michael Hutchinson.)
DI: Oh, totally. Of all things -- if someone else would ask you some of the things I'm good at -- one of them is rapport-building.
My style of coaching is largely based on that. Once you've built that rapport, trust is built along with that. After that, they will start to come to you. They will start to open their ears to what you have to say.
But if you just come in hot and heavy -- "I'm the coach, you're the player" -- for me, that doesn't work as well.
Some older-style coaches like to have that barrier -- the respect thing -- but for me, it doesn't allow me to really dig in and earn their faith.
You can probably ask [Budaj, Hellebuyck, or Hutchinson]...we become friends. For me, that's not a bad thing. I still keep it professional. But they trust me and it allows me to help coach them better.
HB: Is this a more modern kind of approach?
DI: Definitely different than when I played for sure.
HB: So you got yelled at a lot when you were playing?
DI: Yeah. (laughs) That's how it was back then. You feared the coaches.
It had its merit, for sure. It kept you respectful.
But for development and for me personally -- like I said, I don't knock anybody else's style -- but for me, I rely on that [modern approach].
HB: As a teacher, what did it mean to you when Jack took your number for the All-Star Game?
DI: It was one of the highlights of my coaching career.
Maybe the [highlight]...but there's a bunch.
With Budaj and what he did...[going winless in St. John's], him turning around to being the best goalie in the American league, and then this year, being third in goals against in the NHL.
And Jack, with what he's done...
But when he did that...it was something pretty special. I've never seen that done before.
HB: Where has Jack shown the greatest growth from training camp to now?
DI: One would be the control of his game. Then the control of his mind. Those are the two biggest things. I think they go hand in hand.
He is a talented, talented kid. It was more about getting him in the right mind-set and place in his life.
We'd joke about it...it felt like "Dr. Phil" a little bit.
But it was important. His personality...very personable, very emotional...he was affected greatly by how things had gone for him. He based his happiness on his success or failure.
So I really just worked on getting him to understand that there's a lot of people worst off in life. We play a great game that we love. I just really wanted him to learn to love the game of hockey first.
Him doing all that and controlling his mind and how he perceives the game now...being able to do that was his biggest change. And everything else kind of followed suit.
We worked on a lot [of technical aspects] of his game. He doesn't even look like the same goalie anymore. But that would never have happened if he didn't get in the right mind-set.
***
It's been five years since the Kings plucked Brian O'Neill out of Yale. It's been that long since the organization has inked a college free agent.
That changed earlier this week when Rob Blake made the first acquisition of his tenure, signing Alex Iafallo from the University of Minnesota-Duluth for two years.
There's reason to believe the 23-year-old left winger can make a fairly immediate impact in Los Angeles.
But before we get to that, let's review some of Iafallo's skills.
Jon Rosen gained this insight from LA's scouting staff:
In terms of his actual skill package, it begins with his legs. Described as a “speed-based left wing with very good touch around the net”...
“They don’t advance to the Final game and win the NCHC championship without his efforts,” said Gasparini, who noted Iafallo’s effectiveness on both the forecheck and in back-pressuring situations. His biggest asset is clearly his speed, which allows him to attack open ice quickly and take away ice while checking and was one of the main reasons Los Angeles was attracted to his game.
Let's see those legs...Iafallo blows by 2011 Canadiens' seventh-round pick Colin Sullivan here. Most recently, Sullivan suited up for the ECHL's Atlanta Gladiators.
Here, he pickpockets 2016 Blackhawks' sixth-round pick Blake Hillman:
However, Iafallo isn't all speed or he wouldn't have broken out for 21 goals and 51 points this year (previous highs were 11 goals and 25 points). He also ended his collegiate campaign on a high note with 24 points over his last 15.
Minnesota-Duluth head coach Scott Sandelin pointed at two key factors for the winger's spike in production:
He is shooting the puck more — and shooting confidently — as well as taking pucks to the net and finishing more chances. (Duluth News Tribune)
Indeed, Iafallo averaged 3.8 shots/per game this year, after averaging 3.0 over his previous three seasons.
Iafallo's linemates Dominic Toninato and Joey Anderson also lauded his puck protection and two-way play:
What stands out to Toninato is the job Iafallo does protecting the puck, specifically when Iafallo gets his leg out so a defenseman can't knock the puck away.
Anderson and Toninato both cited Iafallo always being in the right spot, offensively and defensively.
While the 6'0" Iafallo doesn't look the part of an above-average puck protector, the 6'1" Trevor Lewis is a good example for him to follow.
College hockey analyst Dave Starman agreed with Toninato and Anderson:
He's a really good net-front presence. And the most underrated part of his game is how good he is defensively. (NHL.com)
Add all this up, and you start to see why the well-rounded prospect is somebody to watch in training camp.
Upstate New York native Iafallo's recent comments about his signing are also telling:
"It's emotional to say no to the Sabres, but at the end of the day I just kind of looked at the right opportunity for me. Obviously growing up in Buffalo I've always wanted to play for Buffalo, but just seeing where I was, on left wing, LA needed speed." (WGRZ)
There's certainly opportunity in Los Angeles for a speedy left winger -- only Tanner Pearson is clearly irreplaceable at that position.
At 23 and with just a two-year contract, the timing seems right for Iafallo to get a long look. The cap-strapped Kings could certainly use a Joonas Donskoi-like surprise in their middle-six.
***
Jim Montgomery obviously counters the notion that LA is confining their head coaching search to just those with NHL experience.
The former St. Louis Blues forward employed a high-pressure system at Denver, pushing the program to the national championship in just four years:
Besides Janssen, who played juniors under Montgomery for the Dubuque Fighting Saints, the remaining classmates had to adjust to Montgomery’s system of high-pressure, “relentless” hockey.
“I think the one thing he’s done really well in the four years is a total culture change from freshman year all the way until now,” [Captain Will] Butcher said. “He’s changed the brand of Denver hockey into a more in your face, puck-pressure type of game and I think that’s better for the program since the way the game is evolving. (LetsGoDU)
He also seems to be very much a players' coach:
Montgomery looks to balance being a “partner” to his players while making sure they know who’s in charge...
“He knows every single guy and what makes them tick. He knows how to get through to them,” Janssen said. “I’ve been with him for five years now and I couldn’t be any luckier. He’s an unbelievable mentor, not just in hockey but in life.” (Denver Post)
Last year, Montgomery himself revealed how he keeps his team focused game to game:
I called it the process because if our process is good, the results will take care of themselves. It helps with the mental component, too—when moments get big, we talk about staying in the moment and focusing on our process. We should be focusing on our next shift, or the next face off. The simplicity of the process allows our players to mentally lock in.
So, what is the process? It’s made up of seven things.
1. 50 hits in a game
2. Win 60 percent of our face offs
3. Give up three or less odd man rushes
4. Commit to blocking shots
5. Win the special teams battle
6. Win the net front battle
7. Take zero undisciplined penalties
If we’re four out of seven in a game, we’re probably going to win that game. And if we’ve got five or six, the games actually become lopsided in our favour. Like I said, it’s simple. (The Coaches Site)
That's a lot to take in.
Anyway, my initial thought is Montgomery, if he chooses to employ a similar puck-pressure system in Los Angeles, might not be a great fit. That style requires a swift-skating, high-motor team, which is not necessarily how I'd describe the aging Kings.
An organization with a short window as a Cup contender would do well to find as perfect a coaching fit as possible.
My guess is the 47-year-old Montgomery is better suited for a team that he can grow with.
***
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