Quote:
Originally Posted by Northern Lites
I totally agree,young prospects are like sponges, so able to absorb ideas and work ethics plus eager to develop. The stats, in my humble opinion, don't point to Ward developing prospects. He is a good enough coach but his players have pretty great stats playing with other teams, not so much with the Heat.
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I think a development team like the Heat has to have balance. You need your prospects to develop their individual skills, but you also need to temper that with a winning environment (confidence comes from this, and 'learning' how to win) as well as get them used to playing strong team systems. Players coming out of Junior generally have a tougher time not only with the faster pro leagues (especially the NHL), but also at how much work is put into systems.
I think Ward is an excellent coach to get systems play across, and also how to make players more 'professional' and mature. Somewhere in there, hopefully there is also a big emphasis on developing each player's individual skill level.