Amerks Head Coach Chris Taylor was on WGR550 this morning with Howard and Simon talking about the system, coaching tasks and talked about some individual players. Scroll down to listen to the audio.
After years of players being rushed to the NHL and strictly talk about development it’s great that winning is also a big part of development as well. In previous seasons the NHL system was forced on to the Amerks and it just didn’t work out. Different players and different league.
Talking about coaching to the same system as Phil Housley and the Sabres…
“Not tasked to do the exact same things. We’re taking a lot of different things and what they’re doing yes for sure. Like the main components. Then we have to work with the team we have down here. You just can’t automatically think you can do the same exact thing. We’re working hand in hand.”
“You’ve got to coach with the players you have on your team.”
Tasks as a coach…
“The first and foremost I think is developing each and every individual. Doesn’t matter if you’re a veteran or young guy. I expect Kevin Porter to develop every day just as much as Justin Bailey because I want both of them to play in the NHL. I want everybody to play in the NHL, that’s what their goal is, their dream still, doesn’t matter how old they are.”
“If you develop and everybody’s on the same page then you’re going to win some hockey games and that’s what we want to do to, develop and win some games at the same time. It’s a tricky combination but I think with the right veterans and the right young guys you can do that.”
On Brendan Guhle…
“He’s got a lot of great offensive skills, we just got to work on his defensive skills so when they recall him at some point that he’s ready to play against top forwards and that he can handle it, not just the offensive aspect of it. We don’t want him to get called up and be a liability in the defensive zone and all of a sudden he loses his confidence. We don’t want that. We want to make sure he’s prepared.”
“We’ve had a lot young defensemen. Brian Campbell was here. I played with him for I think three years before he got his NHL games. This is only his first year so you just have to be patient with guys like this.”
On his role and where he plays, “We’ve been putting him on the PK and all of that stuff. He’s got to learn. That’s why he’s here, to get him ready for those situations. If we tried to hide him and not put him in those situations we’re not developing him. That’s the tricky part of wanting to win as a team and developing at the same team. There’s times that we’ve got to develop and that’s the most important thing here is to make the Buffalo Sabres get to to their ultimate goal and that’s the Stanley Cup and make all of these players be up there in Buffalo.”
“We’re putting him in all situations but we’re lucky enough to have veterans that can play beside him and go on the ice with him that all of a sudden we’re not putting two guys out there, we’re putting one guy out there with a veteran. All of a sudden that helps out, eases out and all of a sudden that gets the confidence and then you get the wins as well.”
Alexander Nylander…
Not much new. Still hasn’t skated. They’re making sure that he’s healthy. Still sounds like he’s week to week and not day to day.
When he does get back, “He needs to get more on the inside of the game instead of on the outside.”
Guys like Bailey, Baptiste and Fasching not hanging heads being stuck back in the AHL…
“I just refer to a lot of different stories and players that have played five years in the minors without getting a chance, first game to play in the NHL. These guys are lucky enough to get those games early on in their careers. They’re still learning.”
“All three of them are doing a great job. Last three weeks chins been up, happy to here, working hard, they want to win for our team. They’re a Rochester American. What they’re trying to do is develop every day to get better to be a Buffalo Sabre. That’s what we want. We’re encouraging all that. We want all the guys to play in Buffalo but when you’re here you’re working hard, you’re a good teammate and you’re trying to get better skill wise for yourself and skill wise for team play.”
Listen to the entire interview here:
Let’s Go Amerks!
