Youth movement means more mistakes
With under-25 talent playing major roles, lack of experience shows
The irony was not lost on anyone who had talked to John Tortorella that day.
In a recent visit to Toronto, Tortorella explained how he worries less and less about players making mistakes, and more about providing positive feedback in a league that is skewing so much to younger — and inexperienced — players.
“There’s a lot of young kids. We’ve got some really good things going on with the youth. But holy crap, it’s a game filled with mistakes,” said Tortorella. “Coaches have to understand that. You can’t correct all this the next day because you’re playing another game.
“If you start trying to correct all the mistakes, you’re going to paralyze your team. It’s about finding a way to win.”
As if on cue, later that night, he was screaming at his players on the bench for screwed-up assignments on what became the winning goal by the Leafs.
“We played well enough to win and not to get a point out of it off just a simple coverage off a faceoff, it just (ticks) you off,” Tortorella said then. “It’s peewee coverage and we didn’t handle it. It’s frustrating.”
Young players across the league have again added spice, raising teams up faster than might have been expected: Elias Pettersson and Brock Boeser in Vancouver. Rasmus Dahlin added to Jack Eichel in Buffalo. Thomas Chabot, Brady Tkachuk in Ottawa. Mathew Barzal with the Islanders.
The youth of the league is personified by the top of the scoring tables. The top six scorers in the NHL heading into Tuesday’s action were 25 or under. Five of them were 23 or under.
But with youth comes mistakes.
“There are so many things to be corrected, but I’m not going to fill their heads,” said Tortorella. “That’s an adjustment coaches have to make in today’s game. Allow them to play.
“Certain big things, effort mistakes, we’re going to correct. But for me, you have to be really careful how much you give the athlete. It’s a different athlete.”
There have been four coaching changes already this season and their main messages are not about the Xs and Os of the game:
In Edmonton, Ken Hitchcock wants to get his players playing “for each other instead of with each other.”
In St. Louis, Craig Berube, a fighter in his days in the NHL, wants the Blues to play with passion and emotion.
In Chicago, Jeremy Colliton — the NHL’s youngest coach at 33 — talks about earning the players’ trust and forming a partnership with them.
In Los Angeles, Willie Des- jardins is trying to pump up the Kings’ confidence and competitive levels.
“Our job (as coaches) is to make sure they go to the right spots,” said Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy. “It’s their job to get on the ice, and execute, and compete. We try to meet them halfway in those areas. Coach them up. But at the end of the day, they’ve got to bring it once they’re on the ice. You don’t want to overload them.”
The up-and-down nature of the game these days — speed, long passes — can make many nights look more like ping pong. Fewer teams hit. Fighting has all but vanished. It often looks like a free for all. There’s very little by way of sustained pressure.
As good as teams are at gaining the zone, the other team is at exiting the zone. Most teams now employ youthful fourth lines that are all about speed and skill, instead of veteran players sporting size and brawn but also hockey savviness.
Young players are learning on the job.
“This is a hard league to learn your lessons in but you have to do that,” said Flyers coach Dave Hakstol. “The best way to do that is by getting opportunity and playing with confidence. With young players, we want to empower them to go out there and play.”