How Do You Ice a Juggernaut on the International Stage? Have Your Elite Talent Train, Play and Win Together Year-Round
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How do you ice a juggernaut on the international stage? Have your elite talent train, play and win together year-round BY RYAN KENNEDY T’S A CRISP AUTUMN MORN- ing in Ann Arbor, Mich., and the front office of USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program is jammed with teen- agers. Two NHL teams have sent scouts to interview the players, who are getting their schedules for the day from ace manager of communications and marketing Jake Wesolek. It doesn’t take long before the smack talk about video games begins. The night before, I’d asked Jordan Greenway, a 6-foot-5, 223-pound battleship power forward, which member of the squad was best at NHL 15. He slyly demurred and said to ask two-way center Colin White. Now it’s time to unleash the snare. “So who did Colin say was the best?” Greenway asks in front of the whole crew. White, who admitted the night before that Greenway rules the sessions, nevertheless returns serve as everyone smiles and chuckles: “I never play, but I bet I could grind you out!” The din grows as the teens shuffle about, until uber-skilled Jeremy Bracco USA Hockey was at a crossroads in 1996. Coming up with a blueprint was hard spots the mom of fellow right winger Jack The Americans had stunned their Canadian enough, since no such program existed in Roslovic entering from outside and runs rivals at the World Cup thanks to the likes hockey. And to this day, Monaghan refers over excitedly to give her a hug. Behind of Mike Richter, Brett Hull and Tony Amonte. to the NTDP as a pilot program – essen- him is a trophy case featuring almost every That same year, however, the nation’s world tially a pair of all-star teams made up of championship chalice from the past six junior team had been an afterthought as the best under-17 and under-18 players in world under-18 tournaments, plus a couple host, finishing fifth in Boston. In 20 years the country. Early coaches such as Jeff from the world juniors. of the tournament, Team USA had all of two Jackson, just a couple years removed from These aren’t your standard goofy teen- bronze medals. “We looked around and said, two NCAA titles with Lake Superior State, agers: they’re the best prospects in the ‘We’ve got good players, what do we need Bob Mancini and Moe Mantha helped shape nation. And every year a new cohort signs to do?’ ” said Scott Monaghan, an original things, but convincing talent to come to up for battle. In less than two decades, the member of the NTDP and now its senior Michigan was challenging. “People couldn’t NTDP has become a force, counting at least director of operations. “The genesis was get their arms around what we were trying 10 NHL draft picks per year in recent times how do we take our best guys and focus on to do,” Monaghan said. “Those first couple of and helping Team USA go from also-ran to improving them and setting new bars that groups of kids, I call them the pioneers. They constant threat on the international stage. help other groups in the United States bring took a chance. They took a chance on their And it all started with failure. their level of development up.” own development.” KESLER: BRUCE BENNETT STUDIOS/GETTY IMAGES EICHEL+MATTHEWS: IMAGES; MINAS PANAGIOTAKIS/GETTY KANE+LEOPOLD: USA HOCKEY 18 | THE HOCKEY NEWS - DRAFT PREVIEW 2015 NATIONAL TEAM DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM One of those players was Jordan Leopold. Framed portraits of Leopold, fellow pio- SUPERSTARS AND STRIPES Coming from the cradle of high school neer Adam Hall and many other alumni now The NTDP has been breeding future hockey in Minnesota, Leopold originally line the hall of the NTDP facility in Ann Arbor. stars by the boatload, including Kesler, Eichel, Matthews, Kane and Leopold. turned down the NTDP’s invitation when he The early years were trying as the program was approached at a Christmas tournament established itself. “We learned the tough in Alberta. But after returning to his high way,” Leopold said. “We got beat up playing as did current NHL stars such as Phil Kessel, school team, which played a limited sched- OHL teams. The Canadians hated us.” Ryan Suter and Kevin Shattenkirk. ule due to state rules, Leopold and his dad But eventually, the ethos took hold. The These days, joining the NTDP is a priority had the feeling they’d made a mistake. Leo- 2002 installment won the under-18s thanks for many elite American teenaged players. pold signed on but then had to deal with the to a roster that included Ryan Kesler, Jimmy “The aspect of representing my country fallout: Minnesotans didn’t take too kindly to Howard and Mark Stuart, plus Zach Parise, appealed to me,” said right winger Christian having some new team in Michigan poaching who had spent most of the season with Fischer, a Notre Dame commit from Illinois. the state’s best high school talent. “It was Shattuck-St. Mary’s prep school. Since “Putting on the USA jersey is something very controversial at the time,” Leopold said. the program began, there have been three special. Also, they have a reputation for “I remember being invited on to a radio show Americans drafted first overall into the NHL producing a lot of NHL players.” to talk about it, me and some veteran media – Rick DiPietro, Patrick Kane and Erik John- The key is in the program itself. Collect- KESLER: BRUCE BENNETT STUDIOS/GETTY IMAGES EICHEL+MATTHEWS: IMAGES; MINAS PANAGIOTAKIS/GETTY KANE+LEOPOLD: USA HOCKEY guys. They fed me to the wolves. I was 16.” son – and all of them came from the NTDP, ing the best talent from around the country DRAFT PREVIEW 2015 - THE HOCKEY NEWS | 19 NATIONAL TEAM DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM helps, but the NTDP has specific goals in mind. An almost universal need for teenaged players is strength, which is best achieved in the weight room, not on the ice. To that end, off-ice workouts are the No. 1 priority. Coach Don Granato, who followed the 1997 birth- days from the under-17s to the under-18s, began the run by giving strength and condi- tioning coach Darryl Nelson a calendar with the first two months left blank, telling him to fill it out for strength development. “On the ice, the kids are passionate,” Granato said. “It’s not going to be hard to implement sys- tems or develop their skill because they’re made for the ice. But I wanted to make sure we hammer them in the weight room, and if we need rest and have to shorten or cancel a practice, I’m willing to do that.” The results can be impressive and are propelled by internal competition. According to Wesolek, the players know when they’re a pound up or a pound down. While bigger kids draft. “When you’re overseas playing Russia AUSTON POWERS like Fischer and Greenway are molding the in front of 8,000 screaming fans, it really Matthews crushed Kane’s old single- frames they were blessed with, an under- helps the mental side of things.” season goal and point totals during an NTDP season for the ages. sized dynamo can really transform himself. There’s more pressure when the logo on Kane stands out in Monaghan’s mind, and the front of your sweater represents the the similarly crafty 5-foot-9 Bracco is the Stars and Stripes. Most of the NTDP sched- International tournaments, one of the latest success story. “Last year I came in ule is against junior teams in the United major reasons for the program’s existence, about 150 pounds,” he said. “Now I’m 173.” States League, followed by games against also dot the landscape. There’s a bit of The weight room is one of numerous NCAA teams. But a difference between chippiness in the USHL and NCAA games places where the team bonds. When they the NTDP and other squads is that winning and Fischer believes jealousy is a factor (op- want to take it up a notch, the NTDP brass isn’t everything. The schedule is designed ponents would counter the NTDP kids are organizes a “Kirk session.” to force kids out of their comfort zone, with cocky). But there’s so much more on the line Kirk Culik is a cross-training coach and the under-17s playing against USHL teams internationally and, once again, it offers a former Marine who’s become a legend with where the opponents are several years older. one-of-kind bonding experience. “When you the program since arriving 18 years ago. The under-18s also play USHL teams but go overseas, it’s just you, it’s nothing but He’s responsible for the call-and-response then move on to Div. I schools such as Miami, your teammates,” Granato said. “I love being military chant Team USA sings in the dress- Michigan and Cornell. “We’re always putting on the road because we have no veterans. ing room after every championship, and these players in a schedule where they’re There are no returning players that can he puts the boys through their paces. “We going to be challenged to pay attention to show guys the way things are run around do Kirk sessions where we run around the the details,” Granato said. “If they lost a puck here. We get 20 rookies at a time.” building with logs on our shoulders,” White when they played midget, they could turn The biggest tournament of the year is the said.