Quote:
Originally Posted by gvitaly
Huberdeau was benched in Huska's first year behind the bench:
https://dailyhive.com/calgary/flames...esday-benching
As for the development of players. Huska put Wolf, Coronato, Zary, Honzek, Gridin, Pospisil, Gridin, Kuznetsov, Brzustewicz, and Parekh in positions to succeed. Unfortunately, prospect development is not linear. Moreover, the initial excitement of being in the NHL wears out, and the games become more of a grind. I would argue that Huska's coaching broke both Zary and Coronato out of their slumps this year.
Parekh didn't lose his confidence because of Huska, but because he had a lot less time and space in the NHL compared to the OHL. Playing Parekh with Hanley in sheltered minutes, with plenty of offensive zone starts, and giving him PP time is putting Parekh in a position to succeed. |
I will not give Huska credit for Wolf, he is not a goalie coach. I would actually argue that Coronato should be at a better point in his development, considering it seems like a confidence issue with him. He shows signs he could be a top liner some day but then will not play great for long stretches. The Zary situation has more to do with recovering from an injury, in my opinion. Bru was just healthy scratched after playing great for several games.
I don't think we are going to be able to agree about Huska. But I will think about the points you made and consider that maybe he has done things for other prospects. I do think he does better with the defensively sound prospects like Kuznetsov and Honzek. I just am worried because I do not want another Bennett situation.
I also miss the "always earned, never given" motto we used to have. You would see Johnny, Monny and Tkachuk competing just as hard as the 4th liners. These days, Huberdeau floats every game and rarely misses a shift. Kadri shows up when he wants to and nothing happens to his ice time. It is just such a drastic difference in philosophy that I do not agree with.