Sheng Peng
The San Jose Sharks’ new head coach David Quinn filled out his coaching staff yesterday.
Scott Gordon and Ryan Warsofsky will be joining Quinn behind the bench as assistant coaches, Thomas Speer is the new goaltending coach, and Nick Gialdini has been promoted from the San Jose Barracuda to be the Sharks’ video coach.
Quinn, Gordon, Warsofsky, Speer, and Gialdini spoke with local media yesterday – here are my takeaways from some of their more interesting quotes.
“When Scott was running the PP in Toronto, they thrived.” (Quinn)
Takeaway: Gordon will be running San Jose’s forwards and power play.
He was a Toronto Maple Leafs assistant coach from 2011 to 2014, guiding Ron Wilson then Randy Carlyle’s power plays. The Toronto PP, led by the likes of Phil Kessel and Dion Phaneuf, was solid under Gordon, finishing seventh in the NHL in that time period.
“There were some things I liked [about last year’s San Jose Sharks’ power play], I liked the fact that they consistently had a net front presence. It didn’t always have to be in front of the goalie’s eyes, but around the net, a presence in the slot.
“But one of the things – I think I’ve watched five games now – there’s just a lot of predictability. For a successful power play, you have to be predictable amongst yourselves, but unpredictable to the opposition. There’s some options that are still on the table that haven’t been used.
“Obviously, quick puck movement is something that’s important. You don’t have to get possession of the puck and feel like you have to score right at that instant. Having the ability to wear teams down in the offensive zone, that just makes your power play more effective.”
Takeaway: You gotta love Gordon’s candor.
For what it’s worth, I doubt John MacLean and his power play’s aim was to be predictable. You need talent to execute a top-10 PP, talent that I’m not sure that the San Jose Sharks have enough of. Remember too, Rocky Thompson took over the Sharks’ PP in 2020-21 with promises of shaking things up. I don’t think Thompson got worse as a coach, he just simply didn’t have the horses, as his power play finished 29th in the NHL.
That said, I’m curious how Gordon changes things up on the San Jose man advantage. Someone who played under Gordon described him to me as “creative” – we’ll see how that applies to the Sharks’ power play.
“[Ryan Warsofsky has] been a byproduct of what’s going on in Carolina from their penalty kill standpoint.” (Quinn)
Takeaway: Warsofsky will be running the Sharks’ defense and PK.
Quinn makes a great point. Warsofsky has been part of the Carolina Hurricanes organization since 2018-19, as assistant coach and head coach of their AHL affiliate. I assume his PK was in the style of the parent club’s.
The Hurricanes have led the NHL in penalty kill percentage since 2018. Second to the Canes? The Sharks.
“Maybe there’s some things we’ll do a little bit differently, but there’s a lot of success in that team last year, guys who are coming back.” (Warsofsky)
Takeaway: That’s Warsofsky recognizing how reliable that the San Jose PK has been over the years, so I’m curious to see how he’ll tweak things to squeeze a little more out of what already works.
“Mike [Ricci] will obviously be involved with the developmental side of things. But I actually talked to Mike two nights ago and he’s going to be involved with us as well.” (Quinn)
Takeaway: San Jose Sharks fans have been curious about Mike Ricci’s future role with all the upheaval happening around him this off-season. Previously, Ricci was the NHL Development Coach, an unusual title that saw him travel regularly with the team (unlike most development coaches). It sounds like that travel may be reduced, perhaps because the Sharks are projecting to be a more veteran team than in recent years. Ricci’s new title hasn’t been announced, but don’t worry, he’s still going to have a big role on the team.
“First and foremost, they’re human beings. I’m gonna get to know them as people first, and then, as hockey players second. Start building relationships with them. I’m here to get them to improve their game and get them better and whether you’re 34 years old or you’re 22 years old, let’s try to get better today.” (Warsofsky)
Takeaway: That’s the 34-year-old Warsofsky talking about how he’ll connect with Marc-Edouard Vlasic, 35, and Erik Karlsson, 32. It echoes exactly what Chicago Wolves GM Wendell Young told SJHN about Warsofsky recently: “He is a caring coach. First and foremost, it will be about what [Karlsson and Vlasic] are off ice, then trust will be built over time. He gets all to buy in as he has their back at all times. Players will feel secure. He recognizes players’ strengths.”
“I’ve coached two players in [my] 20-plus years of coaching, there’s been two players that have been low-maintenance. One was Oskar [Lindblom] – and when I say low-maintenance, just knew how to play the right way, did everything right. Trained hard off the ice. On the ice, great attitude, great work ethic, intelligence. The other player was Patrice Bergeron, who was a 19-year-old playing for me in Providence.
“Getting the cancer was obviously something that set him back. But I can just tell you, he was a pleasure to coach, and I’m excited that he’s on the team. I would like nothing more than to see him get back to the level that he was at when I coached the Flyers three years ago.” (Gordon)
Takeaway: “Flash” Gordon – as he’s known around the hockey world – was Philadelphia Flyers interim head coach in 2018-19, Lindblom’s breakout year. The following season, Lindblom was diagnosed with cancer, throwing off his development track, leading to Philadelphia buying out his contract and the 25-year-old winger signing with San Jose.
Lindblom isn’t Bergeron, but if he can get back on track with the Sharks, he’s going to be a complete two-way winger at a bargain $2.5 million dollars AAV.
“Nabby’s gonna figure [the development coach position] out. I think that’s something he’s thinking about. But at the moment, it’s just gonna be Nabby.” (Speer)
Takeaway: Because Speer’s background is in goaltending development – star prospects Spencer Knight and Dustin Wolf blossomed under him – I wondered, despite his title, if he would be focused more on the San Jose Sharks’ netminding prospects. Apparently not. Director of goaltending Nabokov will focus more on development for now and decide if he wants to bring in a specific Goaltending Development Coach. Speer will be working with Kaapo Kahkonen and company on the NHL side.
This isn’t Speer’s first encounter with the Sharks, by the way. Per the Athletic, he was a guest coach at San Jose Sharks development camp in 2016.
“Compete, really, at the end of the day…My general philosophy with goaltending is you have to compete for your team. People say goalies are crazy, but the players are the ones that have to block shots with no face masks.” (Speer)
Takeaway: Speer was answering a question about how his and Nabokov’s goaltending philosophies align. Of course, “compete” is the buzzword all around the Sharks these days, not just between the pipes, but at all positions.
The acquisitions of Lindblom, Luke Kunin, Nico Sturm, Steven Lorentz, Matt Benning, and Markus Nutivaara – and letting Jonathan Dahlen and Rudolfs Balcers walk – are no coincidence. It looks like San Jose’s keepers will also be expected to be hard to play against, in their own way, this year.
“Being in San Jose my whole life, growing up in this building, playing as a kid, and kind of working my way through everything, to say it’s a dream come true is probably not even coming close to what it actually is.” (Gialdini)
Takeaway: What a great story – local kid, Santa Clara High School student, San Jose State graduate, Sharks Ice employee, Jr. Sharks coach, Barracuda video coach – who’s now made the big leagues.