Developing players is seen as the way to go
01:00 AM EDT on Sunday, October 18, 2009
BY MARK DIVVER
Assistant Sports Editor
PROVIDENCE During most of Don Sweeneys 13 years as a Boston Bruins defenseman, player development was not a priority for team management.
Young players came and young players went.
Mostly, they went.
We used to joke a little bit in the past that kids would be sent down (to the minors) and youd hope theyd develop and youd see them again, said Sweeney, a Bruins assistant general manager, during a recent visit to a Providence Bruins practice.
Now the Bruins are banking on more than hope. Over the last few years, the team has paid much closer attention to developing its prospects in Providence.
The results have been impressive.
The Boston roster is now sprinkled with good, young players David Krejci, Tuukka Rask, Mark Stuart, Matt Hunwick, Byron Bitz who honed their skills in Providence under former coach Scott Gordon and current coach Rob Murray. Others such as Matt Lashoff and Martins Karsums were traded (for Mark Recchi) to shore up the parent club.
The emphasis on development reflects an organizational philosophy that growing your own players is a key to competing in the new NHL, Sweeney says.
You look at the game now, in the salary cap era, the draft has to be your lifeline. Youre investing time, energy and money in these young players. You have to see it through. It starts with these (AHL) coaches and the job they do, said Sweeney.
This year, the P-Bruins have a skills coach who works with players at every practice, a strength coach who helps them with off-ice workouts and a power-skating coach who comes in once a week.
Sweeney also laces up his skates for practice from time to time and works with the P-Bruins young defensemen. Boston goalie coach Bob Essensa tutors the netminders.
Were trying to fill in the gaps with the resources that these kids need, said Sweeney.
Murray, a 16-year pro hockey veteran, says that ideas on player development have changed league-wide over the years. When I was playing, I dont ever remember an NHL goalie coach coming down, he said.
With so many young players in Providence 16 of the 22 players on the roster are 24 or younger there is always room for improvement.
Youve got all the tools in place to try to make these guys better, said Murray. These are your assets. You want them to be put in a position to succeed. In order to do that, they have to have every tool at their disposal.
No doubt about it
Its official: Trent Whitfield is the captain of the Providence Bruins.
Whitfield wore the captains C on an interim basis for the first four games of the season while Murray got to know him better. After last weekend, Murray had seen enough.
Whitfield comes highly recommended, Murray said. The 32-year-old center was the captain in Peoria last year, where former P-Bruin Brent Thompson was an assistant coach.
Anytime I talk to Brent, and we talked a lot during the season, he couldnt say enough about Trent Whitfield and what he brings, Murray said. This guy leads by example. Hes one of the hardest-working guys in practice every day. Murray said. (Assistant coach) Butch (Cassidy) had him in Washington and he endorsed him right off the hop.
Whitfield, a center, signed a two-year contract with Boston over the summer.
Murray said he is still in the process of deciding on assistant captains.
Adam McQuaid and Jeff LoVecchio wore an A on Friday night. In Portland last Saturday, it was Vladimir Sobota and Drew Fata.
Thatll cost him
A cross-check to the jaw of Portland captain Brad Larsen with 37 seconds left in last Saturdays game prompted the American Hockey League to suspend Fata for four games.
(The league) deemed it a head shot, Murray said.
Fata was assessed a minor penalty on the play by referee Mark Lemelin.
Portland coach Kevin Dineen asked the league to review the incident.
Within 24 hours, you have to submit a form telling the league that youre asking for supplementary discipline and then you send in the videotape, Murray said.
They kind of came together and (Fata) got his stick up and it hit him in the jaw. It was enough for a penalty, and I guess Larsens hurt. That comes into play, when theres an injury sustained on the play. If that had happened to one of our guys, I would have sent it in, too, said Murray.
Fata wont be eligible to play again until Oct. 30 at Manchester.
mdivver@projo.com
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