There’s a fascination with the head coaches in the American Hockey League (AHL), something passionate hockey fans have taken note of for years. The league separates the elites from the frauds. It exposes different backgrounds and brings out the best in others. Steve Konowalchuk is still learning the league but in his season behind the Springfield Thunderbird bench, he’s made his mark as a unique coach.
Konowalchuk isn’t the typical AHL coach. The Thunderbirds play a fast-paced offense-minded style that often costs them defensively. He was hired out from the Seattle Thunderbirds in the Western Hockey League (WHL), and it shows with his speed-based approach.
Related: Springfield Surge in Standings Shows Maturation of AHL Team
The AHL has a learning curve that he’s starting to handle. Konowalchuk’s ability to adjust and build a competitive team has made him an interesting name to watch because things can unravel but maybe it all works out and puts him on the map.
Why Junior Hockey Coaches Usually Struggle in the AHL
When Nick Saban coached the Miami Dolphins (and at the time of this typing, they haven’t rehired him), he admitted during the draft process that if he could handpick his roster, the team would be great. If he has five or 10 first round picks, he could build a great team. That’s a story that shows the gap between recruiting and drafting.
The same applies to coaches who come from a college or junior hockey background. They can build their rosters at the amateur level and have it fit with their systems and identity. In the NHL and certainly the AHL, they have no control as players move up and down, and the teams change every night.
It’s why the coaches who can win in the AHL can win anywhere. They can get the most out of everyone and make the adjustments to win regardless of the roster. The list of AHL coaches who went on to have success in the NHL seems endless, with Kris Knoblauch, Jon Cooper, Jared Bednar, and Barry Trotz being some of the many names to make a mark in both leagues.
Konowalchuk admitted that this wasn’t his biggest issue. The parallels to juniors are that the kids who develop later in the season are fighting for spots and ice time with the older kids. The yet-to-be-drafted players and looking to stand out among those who have already been drafted and want to stand out in their team’s prospect pools.
To be fair, this isn’t as extreme as the changes in the AHL, where turnover comes at coaches fast. However, it wasn’t Konowalchuk’s biggest adjustment with the new league.
The Biggest Adjustment For Konowalchuk
“You’re developing guys, and then there are veterans,” Konowalchuk noted in a conversation with Hockey Hot Stove. In the AHL, players come from all age groups and all backgrounds.
He admitted that it was the age gap. In the AHL, players come from all age groups and all backgrounds. “The age gap. You have 20-year-olds and players with kids,” Konowalchuk added, and there’s a great case to be made with this in mind that it’s more extreme than the NHL.
Every team has prospects who are still developing and learning the game. There are the journeymen still fighting for a shot at the NHL, and most of the time, hanging on to their careers. Then there are the “tweeners” who are still young but not considered prospects. With this mix, it’s hard to get the same message across to everyone, and more importantly, communication is different for each player.
The St. Louis Blues gave Konowalchuk a tough team to handle when the season began, notably with goaltending being an issue after Colten Ellis was claimed off waivers. It’s why the Thunderbirds stumbled out of the gate and only won one of their first 11 games. However, as the season progressed, the team matured, starting with the head coach. It’s why they’ve played their best hockey as of late.
Will Konowalchuk Work Out in the End
Konowalchuk is the biggest unknown in the AHL, or at one of them in the coaching circles. The coaches with NHL backgrounds have a track record, and teams know what they’ll get out of them. The coaches who were assistants for years were well known within the organization and are making the most of their opportunities.
The Hershey Bears vice president of hockey operations, Bryan Helmer, mentioned this summer that “Players can see a phony,” compared to a coach willing to connect and work with the players. The Thunderbird locker room probably thought Konowalchuk was a phony when they started the season 1-8-1-1 and had no answers for the losses. It’s hard to say that about him now as the team has found its footing and an identity. The Thunderbirds aren’t a great team by any means but they’ve climbed out of the bottom of the Atlantic Division and are in the middle of a competitive division.
Konowalchuk is a contract from the other coaches in the league. His style and the way the team plays aren’t common in the league. That said, it’s working out this season and might make him a coach to watch for years to come.
