Mel P show summary for 7-17:
On assistant coach position:
We're fortunate to get a guy like Joe
Wealth of experience, known him for a long time
We looked for a comfort level, compatible and on same page, we both know Joe, one of first names that came up
2nd is goaltending, wanted someone to do it full time, Dieter/Shields did great, Joe is a goalie guy
Recruiting too, Joe has an extensive network of people he's gotten to meet over the year, he's very likable and easy to get to know
Out team got better the day we added Joe Shawhan to our staff
On Development camps:
All camps are different, some teams on ice a lot some are not
Johnstone at Detroit - As coaches we like to follow up with NHL teams and see how their player was, strength and condition etc, gives us some feedback if we're doing the right things
Also is another voice - for example: can say well here's what Detroit thinks, got good feedback on David, he represented MTU well
Phillips-Sturos-Hanna all at Winnipeg - you find that when a team with a drafted player follows a team like Tech/Phillips they see other players they're interested in, similar to recruiting, Jets tracked us quite a bit, only negative is Hanna is a free agent, same for Reid
Pietila/NJ - Talked to Blake, he's at camp, had full scrimmage, had him play RW, told Blake nice thing about us putting him at C, he can be flexable with different positions, feels good, wrist is 100%, ready for big year
Watson/SJ - Haven't talked to Cliff, will be calling him.
Jake Jackson was also at SJ, will come a year down the road
Kero's first camp with Wild - Mel talked to a MN scout at a USHL camp, Mel asked if Wild had a spot, Scout had Mel call Brian Hunter former MTU guy, Tanner got into the camp, did well, hard worker, good experience for him, see where he needs to improve
Is skating something that attracts an NHL franchise?
Part of it, not all teams focus on that, some focus on size. Look at NHL draft, good percentage over 6 feet.
Couple former huskies recently signed.
Conner - credit to Chris, he can play a great roll on your minor league team and then fit a role on your NHL team. Works hard with good hockey sense. Good guy in locker room and on ice.
Brett Olson - good for him, 1st deal was straight AHL, now a 2-way, good deal, get paid more even if he's in minors. He'll get a shot in NHL. Coaches dream, not as flashy, but on ice/locker room realize how valuable he is.
He had a number of teams interested in him, Mel fielded a number of call at Tech asking about his character. One of the best Captains Mel has ever had including Michigan.
His biggest asset is character/competitiveness. A great team guy.
John Scott a 1 year with SJ. Good for John, went through issues with Phil Kessel incident, but he has value and a good teammate. SJ understands the size/grit. John can do other things, would like to see someone stick him in front of the net on PP. He's a really good teammate.
On Josh Robinson - Tough without seeing him, but he had a good year with Idaho ECHL, played some in AHL, he's taken advantage of opportunity. Dallas is deep in goalie, but play well and someone will take notice. Talking to Scott White GM of AHL team, dependable/capable goalie.
Joe Shawhan on the phone:
Very excited, got to meet everyone
Will spend a few days in Houghton a week, then will start
3 basic areas with goalies, ability/shot prep, ability to stop a puck, recovery/setting up for next shot - and last see guys that can steal a game, puck looks like a beach ball
Remember the 1st time he saw Ryan Miller steal a game in midgets, knew there was something special
Try to create consistency, and work on technical abilities
Can fall in love with a goalie right away, the goalie at NMU, knew he wanted him right away, can tell
What about Tech goalies? - Knows Kero best, had an interest in him as a recruit, talented, got better/better, familiar with Phillips the 2nd most, has reached out to Winnipeg for thoughts, don't know mental makeup etc, will start right away getting video to watch last year for Jamie
What was your reason for moving from NMU to Tech - sometimes the time is right, talking with wife etc, the position at NMU wasn't set up as a career position, not funded that way, not intended to be that way. They have Walt and his brother, the timing was right, NMU's recruiting pattern was set, NMU is strong, so not leaving NMU in a bind as they're setup for recruiting, so it felt right, comfortable with Mel/Billy, got to know Billy through Mel the last 3 years as a coach
Like the area and a lot of people in the area, as long is worked out family wise it was the right time/fit, coming in to Tech at a good time, will benefit from a lot of hard work those guys have done, Mel/Billy/Damon have done a great job, being on the recruiting trail, you know what they've brought in, Tech is setup with good talent now and down the road
Dirk - what will dynamics be, PP, PK etc?
Mel - We've talked about that. Joe with goalies and defensemen. Haven't talked about special teams. Joe will have some crossover in recruiting, he did a great job in NAHL as a coach. He can coach any position, that's why he was at the top of our list.
We'll start discussing things for this fall and recruiting etc soon. Like that Joe can run practice, excited to have him.
Recruiting strengths? Joe - Pretty comfortable in every area of North America, except Quebec, but the Maritimes, Europe, BCHL, etc have recruited. Mostly did BC recruiting at NMU. Will cross reference recruit notes with Billy. Has some contact in Ontario from LSSU days.
Joe/Mel were in most of the same rinks in June at USHL camps, will compare notes etc.
Question for Mel:
Is Mel surprised non of current commitments were drafted?
Not really. A couple guys we thought might go had injuries this year so missed time. It's a crap shoot. Some guys you think will get drafted do not, and the opposite. Most surprising was Shane Hanna. He led all freshman D in WCHA league games.
What separated Joe Shawhan from rest of candidates?
loves UP, his wife loves it, nice to have someone that wants to come here and will stay here.
#2: goaltending expertise, very important to us. Dieter did a real nice job for us. Joe will be full time, and his experience, networking, recruiting is huge.
The whole package, biggest thing is moral, integrity, class are second to none. We had some good candidates. Hard to call some people and tell them they were not selected.
Cliff Watson called in:
Camp went real well. Felt good/strong. A lot of SJ coaches happy with Cliff's progress. 1st year was nervous, but bigger progress the last 2 years now that he's played at college level.
Mel - Cliff is part of our leadership group, will be wearing an A this year. Congrats to him.
Talk about Jake Jackson for our listeners - Jake was drafted a year after Cliff. He's very skilled forward, good skater, scored in a scrimmage.
Tanner Kero was on the phone:
Camp went well. Learned a lot, had a lot of fun. All of the players are so skilled with power skating, passing etc.
You learn a lot of what you can improve on.
Tanner ranked in top 5 and top 10 out of 41 in all categories of strength and conditioning, speaks to the work that Tyler Shelast has done.
What's next for Mel?
Bit of a break coming up.
Busy between going to camps/recruiting. Last Thursday we had a player in on a visit. Last Sunday/Monday we had a player and his dad in on a visit. So recruiting is always ongoing.
High School hockey camp put on by Tech, not Mel's camp, he just participates. Shelast, Billy, Mel a couple players will be around. It'll be like a typical week at a college. It's all donated time, something to do to get involved with local players, July 28.
First game is October 4. Mel's done it before with game on 1st day, veteran team other than maybe goaltender, a lot of systems will not change. So we'll be ready to play on the road.
