Practice impressions
Published 10:26 pm Wednesday, September 2, 2009
So I’ve gotten the chance to check out a couple practices under new head coach Craig Hartsburg. I know there’s a lot of interest out there about his coaching style. What have I seen so far?
– I’ve seen a coach who’s involved in practice. He interacts directly with the players, rather than being a watchful overlord while the assistants do the hands-on work.
– I’ve seen a coach who regularly bangs his stick on the ice to indicate to prompt the players to pick up the pace. He also put the team through a vigorous conditioning session today.
– I haven’t seen a coach who yells and screams at the players. He lets the players know what he expects or when they’ve done something wrong, but he hasn’t been overly demonstrative about it yet.
It’s early yet, and we’ll all learn more about Hartsburg as time goes on. But these were the things I’ve noticed so far.
One other note today. New goaltender acquisition Luke Siemens was not at practice today, but he’s expected to arrive Thursday. Siemens is trying out for the Quesnel Millionaires of the BCHL and he played in an exhibition game Tuesday night. He is, of course, not expected to make the team this season. But he will provide insurance against injury this season before making a bid for the roster next season.
