From preparing videos for every detail imaginable to assembling the player groupings, a lot happens behind the scenes as coaches and management prepare for NHL training camp.
A coach chats with players during the New Jersey Devils' development camp in July.The temperature is cooling down, and that can only mean one thing – hockey season is around the corner. That begs the question: what happens in the few weeks leading up to NHL training camp?
It is undoubtedly the most exciting time of the year for every team. New hopes, new players and new expectations. Each team prepares differently, but there is a blueprint.
After a summer away, most front-office executives return to their city in mid-August. The management team will meet, go over salary cap options, as most teams are tight to the ceiling, and discuss major decisions such as contract negotiations, facility updates and business-related tasks. They will discuss everything from rookie camp to training camp logistics, pre-season travel plans, player groupings, PTO candidates and any other pressing matters.
It is up to each team’s staff to ensure the NHLPA guidelines are being followed. Some players enjoy being around a little longer, especially if they are trying to prove themselves. Others have complained if they are kept at the rink for three minutes too long. Teams could be subject to fines if the guidelines are not adhered to, so it is best to stick to the guidelines to avoid additional headaches.
The GMs will converse with their counterparts to establish rosters for the various pre-season games (of which there are too many). Often, teams will keep their star players at home for any split-squad games to benefit their fan base. As the pre-season wears on, GMs will communicate with each other about who is playing to ensure the games are competitive and give the coaches an opportunity to see certain players in various situations.
Most coaching staffs have meetings that start the last week of August. The video coaches spend a good chunk of time preparing clips for coaches to break down every detail imaginable. From defensive zone to neutral zone forecheck, offensive zone forecheck, power play, penalty kill and the infinite number of plays and switches their players are required to know in each situation. For context, a team’s penalty kill booklet will be anywhere from 11 to 30 pages. Just for the penalty kill. Same story for the power play. Those booklets contain everything from guidelines to rules, to detailed drawings and explanations. It is robust to say the very least.
The head coach will lead the meetings, and the video coach will run the screen. Each day begins at the crack of dawn to ensure enough time for golf and errands in the late afternoon. Coaches will pick clips that best demonstrate the system they are trying to run. Telestrations are added, and key points are noted for each clip. Further, coaches are mindful of who is involved in the clips. If a player does not react well to critique or reacts particularly well to praise in front of the group, that will be considered when putting the video package together. It is a small thing, but it can go a long way to having a positive relationship between players and staff.
Once the clips are done for the day, the coaches will break out the whiteboards and discuss various drills that fit the different days. The head coach will ultimately decide the drills and their order, but a lot of fantastic dialogue happens on the merits of each drill. The drills will be written out for the video coaches to put together and print out on a practice plan for the upcoming camp.
Throughout all of this, various members of upper management enter the room for conversations and updates. They will ask for the coaching staff’s opinion on potential PTOs, travel schedule and roster construction. Management takes an active role in determining the groups that start camp. They don’t tamper with the lines, but they place certain players with others for various reasons.
Training camp is not something to be read into, but who is with whom in the first few days has management's fingerprints all over it. They want to see players with certain others, they want to challenge other players to show they belong, or they want trusted veterans in a group that lacks a lot of experience. There is a method to the madness, and those groups are discussed for hours on end – so yes, you can read into those.
Depending on the relationship between management and coaching staff, other conversations may happen. Coaches may not agree with the groups and may elevate or demote players based on what they would like to see. If the two groups are in lockstep with each other, they’ll discuss lines and rationalize who sees the ice with whom at various points in camp. The groups will rarely agree on every detail or player because debate and disagreement are healthy. The hallmark of a synergistic group is to be on the same page but at a different paragraph. If management and coaches are on a different page or chapter, that is where things can get interesting.
As training camp nears, the team logistics person will converse with management and the coaches on travel plans, meal options and whatever else is necessary. The head coach keeps in contact with the equipment staff to get regular updates on how the skates are progressing. On the weekend before camp, there is a dinner for the staff to bond and kick the season off. It is one last opportunity to have fun before everyone’s hair gets lit on fire.