Madden can’t wait to coach Coyotes prospect haul
John Madden knows a thing or two about playing defense.
The Arizona Coyotes new assistant coach was recognized throughout his NHL career as one of the best defensive forwards in the league, having won the Selke Trophy in the 2000-01 season while finishing second on three other occasions.
That defensive prowess carried over into his coaching days, where he helped the San Jose Sharks post the NHL’s second-best penalty kill percentage (85.20) last season, a stark contrast to the rate elimination of 75% of the Coyotes, who ranked near the bottom. of the league.
It all starts with being active while on the penalty kill.
“A lot of fundamentals come into play. Just overall being aggressive,” Madden said. “Smart, aggressive hockey that doesn’t sacrifice much in terms of time and space.”
Coaching Arizona’s young roster is nothing new for the 49-year-old Madden, who also coached a promising young Florida Panthers roster alongside Gerard Gallant from 2013-16. were full of rookie talent at the time, with Aleksander Barkov, Aaron Ekblad, Nick BjugstadDmitri Kulikov, Erik Gudbranson, Jonathan Huberdeau and Vincent Trocheck.
One of the things Madden, who won the Stanley Cup three times as a player, has been emphasizing the most is getting to know young players as they strive to become NHL-caliber professionals. He’s developed that style throughout his coaching tenure, but has even taken some lessons from his son, Tyler, who is entering his third season with Los Angeles Kings AHL affiliate Ontario Reign.
“[Tyler’s] been around the game, and he still had a lot of questions where I was like, ‘Wow, he’s asking these questions, what other kids are doing that haven’t been around the game that much,'” Madden said. “There’s a lot of times they can shake their head and say “Yeah, I know what’s going on”, or they can get a good feeling about it, but I think when you really open them up and break them down, I think that they will be open to you to decide and tell you a bit more about them as players and as people.”
This approach to training has helped Madden achieve a high level of success in a relatively short time behind the bench. He compiled a record of 101-99-19-9 in three seasons as head coach of the Cleveland Monsters of the AHL from 2016 to 2019, and advanced to the second round of the Cup playoffs Calder during the 2018-19 season.
“It’s exciting to have the privilege of working alongside a proven winner like John,” Coyotes head coach André Tourigny said in a statement. “His curriculum vitae as a coach and as a player is extensive. Our staff, our players and I will take full advantage of his knowledge and experience.”
Madden also knows that not everything can be taught. The success he instilled in the shorthanded units didn’t happen overnight, and as a coach, sometimes experience itself has to be the best teacher.
Understanding other teams’ systems, or other players’ tendencies, is a big part of how players grow within the league. However, one of the keys to Arizona’s penalty kill this season will almost certainly include its ability to increase the pressure on the opposing team.
“If you look at passive disadvantages, other teams single you out. They’ve got too much talent, they’ve got too much time,” Madden said. “You turn an average player into a good player, and you turn a good player into a great player the more time and space you give them.”
Coyotes general manager Bill Armstrong is confident Madden will help improve the team’s shorthanded play.
“He’s a proven winner who had a very good career in the NHL as a defensive specialist,” Armstrong said in a statement. “I’m confident he will be able to help our shorthanded unit and will be a great addition to our staff.”
For Madden, the opportunity with the Coyotes is the chance to continue his stellar coaching career while teaching the game to a young Arizona roster — something he’s come to love during his time behind various benches in the AHL and the NHL.
If history is any indication, the prospects for the Coyotes have a bright future ahead of them.
“I’m really excited about it. I love working with young people and I had a little experience of that in Florida when I was there with Gerard Gallant,” he said. “I really enjoyed my time there and I still keep in touch with those guys, so I think it’s going to be a bit like that, and I’ll get to know those guys and see them. become great hockey players.”