Sturm Talks Sharks Firing Quinn, Drafting Celebrini
welcome to the San Jose hockey Now podcast I’m Shang Pang editor and chief of San Jose hockey now you can also find my work at MC sharks and on Twitter at changor Pang and I’m keeg MCN you can find me on Twitter at haor hockey my website half-wall hockey.com or at San Jose hockey now this week what do we got very exciting episode we have a very very special guest Nico Sturm friend of the show it’s the second time on the show but I want to have Nico on for the particular reason of there’s so lot discussion out there about David Quinn why he got fired was it fair all that kind of stuff who better that Nik Str to tell you the player side of David Quinn getting fired if Nik was a political candidate I don’t think that there would be a sharks player that would have a higher do you trust him score higher Q rating in that area than Nik Sturm and and so I think he’s perfect perfect question perfect guy to ask questions about David Quinn and also too Nico shared his thoughts about the Sharks winning a draft lottery and about mlin celebrini and um right now he’s competing at Worlds um our interview was uh conducted right after the draft lottery right before world started so we talk a little bit about that as well and Nico’s always a fantastic guest uh such a insightful um hockey player person and I love love having him on here so stick around for That interview it’s a great interview guys um other than that we’ve got a few topics for this week we’re going to touch on the some updates about the coaching search what Shang has been hearing um what’s been out there in the media in terms of who could be the next Sharks coach and talk about Will Smith a little bit of a discussion on um just uh what might benefit him if he does leave College other than just him being on the sharks um as well as a quote recently about um about his chances of coming to the sharks from uh um his or at his time at Worlds um we’re going to talk a little bit about um Casper Halton and Luka kenyon’s Seasons coming to an end uh out of their respective uh junior playoffs well how in the season did not come to an end that’s a good good teaser as well um and uh finally we’re going to speak about two more things um the topic of moving up in the draft and uh some Leon dry cidal rumors which is a name I did not did not anticipate knowledge them we’re not going to spend too much time on on it rumor with a capital R is a good way all all oh not no not a capital R in quotes yeah I guess yeah like uh Ultra speculation it’s speculation specul they’re not I don’t know if they even get up to to rumors and finally too we’ll close off to Brody Brazil did an excellent interview with Jason Dez recently you guys may have seen it it’s uh May 13th episode you can find it on Brody’s YouTube Channel and actually it’s a good contrast to what Nico said about David Quinn Jason Dez had some interesting things and Jason you know always brings it he’s been a friend of our show too always brings it he has some interesting things to say about David Quinn and we’ll get to that at the end of the episode love it um I guess the the question on everybody’s mind so far is we still don’t have a head coach not that we expected to get one yet um I think we were all waiting at least until Draft Lottery and then cou more years after that to see really where the the candidates started to to um come out of the woodwork and uh what’s been going on what’s the what are the names that you’ve heard so far well we have why Ryan warski former sharks not former current sharks assistant coach yep and San Jose hockey now we reported that last week will’ll say that it did surprise me at first because the initial things I heard were that he was going to get let go along with the rest of the other assistant coaches that they were told you can look for another job but in Ryan’s case though they did uh they did interview him checking and see where that is right now but so he’s a candidate Elliot fredman reported jeff blaso which was a little surprising just because he wasn’t the name that’s been really been mentioned Jeff blaso of course famously Red Wings coach from I believe 2015 to 2022 not a lot of success with that team only made the playoffs once his first year there but he’s a a guy with a lot of Developmental experience not I’m not in on any of these interviews so there might be something that’s kind of clicking there but so he’s a guy that’s in it and a name that’s been kind of bed about a lot from the beginning sounds like he’s still in it according to Elliot fredman Marco Sturm but Marco right now is busy he’s leading the onario Reign into the Pacific Division final against cachell Valley and so he’s kind of busy right now and so any know those are the three main candidates that are sort of out there I will ask ask you Keegan any of these three candidates excite you at the moment um always a Marco STM fan been a fan of Marco stms for a very long time so that he’s still out there the warski one’s interesting because that’s the one that everybody was kind of thinking might be not like the air parent but like the you know we’re getting this guy that’s going to be behind David Quinn for a while see how he was interviewed for the head coach stop in 2022 before they hired Quinn so somebody that’s at least been around the Sharks system I just yeah I didn’t know if that was actually a more of an internet thing or a real thing and it seems like it’s more of a real thing which is kind of interesting um wouldn’t wouldn’t be upset with either of those guys I don’t know a ton about Jeff blal I don’t I understand I guess there is some and you’re looking for development coach and if there is that aspect to that can’t be mad at it but you’re right they didn’t have a lot of success and I don’t know I I I would want to I guess they are looking for somebody with experience but man it would be fun to try something new like a Marco Sturm or warsofsky it would just be fun so I would want those I think but I’d probably kick myself in a couple years and when they don’t pan out you know I just want something new I want something exciting and I feel like just the same retread coaches not gonna it’s not going to get me excited not that matters what matters to me like it matters what the players think so yeah I would say that Marco would definitely be the most exciting hire obviously he has Olympic success LED Germany to a silver medal in 2018 familiar shark too great shark from from the from the old days from the 90s and early 2000s big part of part of the Joe Thornton trade I I don’t have a sense of sort of you know looking at this list I I couldn’t quite really figure out what they have in common I know there’s more names that are are out possibly out there digging on it and I’m going to put out a story soon there’s a number of names that haven’t been talked talked to that might surprise you and I alluded to that in an article last week and I continue to kind of work on on all angles the guys who are being interviewed and guys who are not being interviewed that maybe people thought would get interviewed and so when I look at blaso wosi and Sturm as the names that are out there they do all have developmental backgrounds Blas before he coached the the Red Wings he was uh Grand Rapids Griffin’s head coach Wana cder cup I think he’s he’s coached not not us ntdp but I think he’s coached Ro maybe he’s part of that I know he’s been part of Teo I got to check on that part of it but before that though he also has college experience as assistant coach in college and a head coach in college and also he was a USHL head coach and general manager so a lot of devel mental experience and Elliott Freeman made an interesting point and of course that this is what happened with David Quinn too but Elliot was curious about what guys learned after the first time around obviously Detroit didn’t work out quite like blash show the Red Wings would would have liked but what does a guy learn a second time around obviously the same thing was happening with David Quinn what did the guy learn a second time around didn’t work out with the sharks but of course there are stories of guys who did seem to learn something the second time around or at least it translated to suc I think Craig baru is probably a good example of that off the top of my head before he was a blues head coach I think he was a flyers head coach for a little bit and so I I just thought that that was funny so he’s not the most exciting hire but who knows maybe he could be the very best hire but I think the three things the of these three names though the other thing that they have in common is these are none none of the heavy hitter names these are not your you haven’t heard of Craig baru Todd m Ken Jay Woodcraft any of the big heavy hitter names even the guys that aren’t Sheldon Keefe or even the guys that aren’t out there now but who might become out there like a rod renmore you haven’t heard any of the heavy hitter coaching candidat associated with the shark jobs for obvious reason the sharks are in a clear rebuild and all these guys are looking to win a Stanley Cup probably and they’re going to teams that at least have a passing shot of winning the Stanley Cup next year be it the Devils or the Maple Leaves or who ever right and so I think the other well the other bit is that Craig buuy just got hired for a Toronto’s job like an hour ago oh really I didn’t see it like an hour ago thanks for that yeah so he will not be the Sharks head coach there we go he will not confirmed confirmed well I never even heard his name associated and I I chased that too I chased some of the heavy hater names just to say who knows who knows if if if something could could have could have could could work out there for yeah that they could be interested in in a change of pace or in maybe a little more patience because obviously Craig R rube going to Toronto sounds sounds great on paper but until you actually get there and you lose in the first round or second round a couple times onto the next coach right and so it sounds great on paper whereas in San Jose of course this is what David Quinn probably thought too but you figure that you might have a little bit more rope and that sort of thing and so anyway um but anyway so I I think that’s that’s a those are a couple commonalties commonalities I’m still actually very interested in when they do hire the head coach or if I I can tug on on my sources to figure out what the sharks are looking for exactly and developmental part you see clear with these three names and with most of the names that you’ve seen even on the periphery of this conversation but besides that not so sure I know that there’s been talked that they’re looking for X sharks but obviously Blas show that that’s not him at all so that sort of that sort of that sort of contradicts that which I think is a good thing I talked I think I talked last week or two weeks ago about how I think that that’s a kind of a silly bar I I I I get it to some degree but I don’t get it uh in terms of the job as important as head coach you just want a guy that is going to develop your young players and to lead you to the promised landine it doesn’t matter if he used to be the shark’s video coach he used to be the shark’s assistant coach in rasi’s C case or he used to be a sharks player like like in sturm’s case so yeah well the right guy for this job I don’t even know if this is going to be the right guy for the Stanley Cup winning job but the right guy for this job at least good point um and I think people thought maybe D Quinn was the right guy um clearly Greer has his thought differently so I wonder if how much he changes his hiring thoughts space yeah that’s interesting too the contrast who he hires to what we were told about Dave when they hired Quinn so yeah we’ll have to see like after somebody gets announced what the difference is in how he he speaks about the coaching hires and just their differences in and how they are as coaches will be interesting to see um okay so no no news but some minor news I guess some little news and then uh speaking of no news and minor news uh Will Smith uhh we’re still on Will Smith watch wsw wsw I’m gonna put a sign up w um Smith was interviewed was it by Aaron Vickers Aaron Vickers nhl.com also does great work for future considerations and he is covering the world championships for ang.com in Chia so he actually asked will in person yeah he got the uh he had to go all the way to CH to get a scoop on this story and follow Erin’s Twitter because he has it’s actually a great place to go if you’re a reporter and not a lot of reporters can afford to fly to Europe in in May but if you’re able to do it and you’re able to get the access I mean there’s so many stories that if you read this Twitter he’s giving you updates about what Brady kachuck thinks about the Senators hiring Travis Green Will Smith’s thoughts on mlin celebrini just anybody who’s out there at World Championships and there’s something relevant you can ask him ask Johnny GD what’s going on with the Blue Jackets gmch what does he think about that who knows I’m just throwing that out there but it just seems like kind of the the the world no pun intended is eron oyster right now I don’t know I don’t see any any other reporters out there in CIA English reporters English speaking reporters at least and so anyway I think uh it’s a really great thing that that so follow follow Aaron on Twitter and I think it’s uh is it AA viers underscore let me let me look up really fast I want to promotee the man properly so he’s giving us all this all this good work yeah absolutely and you mentioned this before too once you get the the handle there um players typically are a little more um bers yep a little more Loos spped when they’re on the road rather than when they’re at home and I guess this is like the ultimate Road right it’s a bunch of they’re more they’re more loose lip on the road than at home that’s what I was saying yeah so this is like the ultimate Road right like they’re they’re away from their teammates they’re away from their teams they’re like season’s over season’s over you’re in CIA you might run you might have run you might have run into Brady kachuck having tipping one back at a bar hey what’s up Brady yeah so it was kind of an interesting he asked Will Smith hey what did the uh have you made a decision on going back to the sharks that kind of thing and Will Smith Dan still up in the air so that’s the big news that’s consistent with with what I’ve thought about I know that there’s been a lot of contrasting conflicting reports he’s going to come out with celebrini he is not going to come out out and maybe even celebrini will stay and that sort of thing and I would have to think that in his mind W has made a decision to some maybe I’m wrong but I don’t know that I’m obviously not in his mind so there’s probably a good chance that there has been some kind of decision made or something he’s leading to but at least publicly though everything that I’ve heard from people around the situation around will around the Sharks is that it is indeed up up in the air and I was talking to somebody that a couple interesting points I want to add though to this non- new story I also want to apologize to to everybody I I I wrote the the story off of aerin’s quote and I titled it report Will Smith still hasn’t decided if he’s signing with sharks and I forgot that we are living in a post cutter go theier world oh yeah good point I didn’t even think about it yeah I didn’t think about it too because I I think the the the last time that a high profile high draft pick too really high draft pick there was like a real debate about the about the guy defecting or becoming a UFA though I I I didn’t I haven’t done any hard research on this but Blake wheeler was the one that I can think of a long time ago that’s a long time ago that’s that’s like 2004 or something like that when he was a top top five pick of the of the coyotes and otherwise I I know there’s like Adam Fox but Adam Fox was a second round pick that really blossomed in college and so by the time he was ready to come out he was basically the equivalent of a lottery pick right so that’s a little different than the guy that from the time he was drafted he’s been catered to by the team he’s been sort of spell hey you’re the man you’re the guy etc etc right there’s never there should never be a moment where Will Smith feels dissed by the Sharks and I don’t think that there has been uh where he feels slighted or or or whatever he feels or he feels like he’s not priority of the Sharks right because he was the fourth overall pick of the 2023 draft but anyway I think uh uh a few comments on on San Jose hockey now on Twitter too I saw a couple someone asked me like something like oh is is he coming like I I forgot what the question was on Twitter but just I I looked at I was like wait why are you worried about that because I wrote a story three months ago uh with his agent saying nothing to worry about no issues true and I haven’t seen anything anything like that but I realize though again that we’re in a sort of a everyone is is is kind of sensitive paranoid uh after what happened with cutter gothier and the Flyers and basically demanding his way out of town eventually Landing in Anaheim that I don’t think that’s the case at all with Will Smith of course things can happen that can become the case in a year if things don’t if the things don’t work out but at this point and I don’t anticipate any any any issues and so I do want to say that flat out I actually want to thank too Joseph on San Jose hockey now freaking qu critic of mine on sjh but he mentioned that and he was right uh it wasn’t intended I wasn’t trying to Jin up clicks which is what other people thought I really wasn’t I honestly just didn’t think about it because I was thinking in the capacity of next year that that was sort of my my mind that’s that is my mindset of Will Smith That’s how little I’m worried about about a cutter situation developing at least at at this point that I wasn’t even thinking about people being worried about about cutter because I thought that I had addressed that also in a story months ago but that was months ago so I I should have been a little more a little more careful about that and so anyway nothing to worry about uh but the two things two unrelated Will Smith things I wanted to mention were that I was talking to someone he made this this point that I thought was very good I’m not saying this is like the defining winning point in terms of whether will should come out or not but I think this is a good point to throw into there that obviously will can still develop in his body and he could do that in college right he’ll get a lot more time to do that in college than the NHL but in terms of his actual game on the ice and we’ve seen this and this is why I think that opinions oscillate to some degree this is why opinions oscillate about will as a player we have sort of on the lower end right we had cam Robinson on about a month ago will talk about that and we have on a higher end and we’ll tease this we’ll tease this again later we talked with Craig Button Craig Button loves Will Smith and so there’re sort of that that that a little higher a little bit lower right and part of it is because in college he is not uh he is not a highly responsible player in college he he he isn’t at this point because he doesn’t have to be he’s not he’s not a mlin celebr type or just sort of ingrained in him that he’s going to play the right way no matter what even as as a freshman in colle right with will it’s not he can get away I mean mlin could get away with it too but he doesn’t whereas will he can’t get away with it and he does because he is on the the best line arguably in college um and tot’s Craig Button again Craig calls calls it actually the best line not in the NHL over the last couple of years this line with with with Ryan Leonard and Gaye perau and Will Smith and so he get away with so much in college and he will continue to probably do so at least on the ice and so on the ice it may not be benefit that a lot of times you see right and we’ve seen with so many players at this prospects with this level we don’t need to throw in the tell you the names because you you know all the names basically every High skill high-end Prospect forward prospect that comes into the league has to learn to play a m to come of defense that’s usually not how they come into the league doing that’s what makes mlin CBR so special because he’s already doing it but very very rare is a guy like that gonna come in as 18 year old 19 year old and do that right like they need to learn that to actually win at the an level you need to back check you need to do this and that right things that may not be as fun but they lead to winning which is a lot of fun and I think that will does have that courage to to learn at least at the at the highest level at NHL level and he’s not going to do that going back to BC I’m not saying that there are no other benefits from going for him to go back to BC but in terms of that part of it and getting to play with his with his buddies his linemates where they just will Ru the roost in in college in their sophomore Seasons until they get to like the final against du where they learn okay that that’s maybe that’s a little bit of winning hockey there and but until that point though they’re just going to dominate the whole season until they get to like the Frozen floor or whatever and so so I think that that was a good point to think about that at least the on the ice part that that will maybe best serve being getting challenged just like he’s challenging himself now at World Championships even though he’s been playing a lot he is still practicing against the best players in the world practicing against men practicing against literal stars and Superstars right and I think that’s that’s a great experience for him even if he’s only playing seven minutes eight minutes n minutes a night and so that’s one point that was brought up to me by somebody I think is an interesting thing to to to bring into conversation the second second thing I want to bring into that was very interesting that someone else told me and somebody that that I’ll say has made very very high graphics before at the NHL level lottery picks that sort of thing right sure and he was telling me a story of someone he drafted a long time ago and basically this guy’s a high school kid when he got drafted he had nobody to hang out with on the road the team goes on the road of course the team will try to include them but if you are a veteran Angel team you want to go get a drink somewhere go grab a beer right you can’t necessarily bring 19-year-old Will Smith with you or 17y old mlin celebrini but okay what happens when you have celebrini as your number one pick instead of let’s say the Sharks had lost a lottery and they picked Aram lunov or Kaden Lindstrom or whoever they might have drafted right lunov Lindstrom may not make the sharks next year so BR we’re fairly certain if he does come out that he is going to make the Sharks next year and so if you’re Will Smith you have somebody to hang out with you have somebody that will not exactly replicate the fun you had with your good buddies your good buddies London and pero because you don’t know celebrini as well and that’s what it sounds like talking with both celebrini and seeing Smith’s interview with Aaron Aaron Vickers that they don’t seem to know each other particularly well but obviously they’re familiar with each other having played play against each other in in college and also I think USHL level when mlin was with Chicago still and Will was with us ntdp but so you have kind of like a running mate you have somebody that you can room with maybe um you have somebody that when the when the guys are going get getting some pops late at night you can’t be a part of it you have somebody you can talk to or even when you’re back in San Jose right like if there’s something that maybe you can’t be or shouldn’t be a part of because you’re underage or look bad whatever you get caught that sort of thing right you have somebody that you can hang out with someone that you could talk to about what’s going on being a basically a teenager on a rebuilding sharks team and so I don’t know Will Smith well enough to know that that’s important to him but I mean if I was 17 that would be a plus to to know I was if I if I knew I was going into a hard situation and I had some and I knew that there’s somebody coming in with me about the same age we could talk about sort of we had that in common right that that experience of being a teenager trying to turn around this morun franchise whatever right that would be a plus to me and did you use the word Mor abund yes I did that’s very good oh thank you well well I um what i’ would be interested in is if we could get um like Patrick Marlo’s opinion on that kind of thing because he was a guy that came in super super young and came you know across the country and right um well the Continental whatever whatever the North America and um you know joining a place that like it’s unfamiliar and and I wonder just how much it would mean if he did have somebody’s age at the same time well I think he did though let me look up on this but I believe that was Marco sturm’s rookie year two and so maros a year I me actually like this s Bry Smith case but uh Sturm is a little bit older but yeah maybe a year or two right and should be just a year because yeah sterm was 19 when he entered the league and Marlo was 18 and STM stayed the whole year too so so it wasn’t like it wasn’t like let’s say you draft a Kaden lindström and you give him nine games and then you send him back definitely not the same thing right whereas yeah actually I wonder I that’s a good question to ask uh Patrick and ask anybody around the stries at the time if that’s something that they kind of anticipated too that that they thought that Marco probably was ready and that he could sort of be his running mate and Marco and Patrick remain good friends to this day too and so yeah that’s that’s that’s that’s a good that’s a good question to ask Patrick Marlo but um but yeah so I think I so I think I think that’s that’s a little underrated you know this is sort of like this the soft stuff like yeah it’s not about just like points that he can put on the board or like if he’s strong enough or big enough or that sort of thing right but yeah just having somebody that you can talk with same age that’s going through exactly the same thing that you are yeah it matters for sure and it’s a huge transition and I think um the other aspect and and Craig talks about this too in the interview that we’re going to have um next week but um that even if they do go back even if both of them go back it’s only going to be till about April you’d think and then they both would be signing with the sharks anyway well that’s still a long time though so I I would say I would push back on that like there’s a big difference there so but he did give a lot of arguments with guys that did stay and came out in March or April like k marar for example that so I’m not saying either way I still think that will will come out just like what I think and I think he’s ready for it and I think it’ll be a good thing for him same thing absolutely with with mlin CBR too but I’m not saying if they do go back at some kind of disaster or or whatever I’m already seeing people Chicken Little like oh if Will doesn’t want to come out he doesn’t want it like like come on no you give the kid some time so yeah I don’t think that at all I think I would like to see him away from Leonard and perau and and trying to to drive play away from those guys cuz even even not even mentioning the defensive stuff but like the offensive side of their game and his game when he plays with them is is very I don’t know I don’t know what the word is um it’s not differential it’s just like it seems to be the same and it doesn’t um evolve that much and you can the person that I talked to actually to your point was that going going back to college it’s too easy for will to fall back on on on his bad habits the ones that he does have in the college game yeah absolutely and you need he needs change up I think at some point he already led the NCAA points that would be super pump for him to come out I still stick it with it he goes back just for I don’t know whatever reason I don’t I just think that’s what’s going to happen I don’t know if that’s the best thing to do for him but I think I think he does but who knows it’s still up in the air as they say as the W as the wsw Contin yeah I fig we won’t know then until after after Ro Championship so we have another another week or two of wsw yeah maybe he just really hasn’t had a good long talk with with Mike G like they just haven’t he’s been busy I mean both of them have so maybe and I I do think it’s my theory I don’t have this confirmed but it’s my theory that if you’re undecided it’s good to go to World Championships and good to test your your yeah I think it’s interesting to note that c Brady had the choice to stay with Canada for the World Championships too I don’t know if he would have played at all like at least will there’s an option of playing or there’s a chance that he’ll play even if it’s not that much I’m not sure if that’s what if if Canada offered Macklin a chance to play still when they took him off the team but I feel like they’re is a little more how do you say it uh people are more sure sure that mlin is ready for the NHL in terms of body wise and all that kind of stuff I think people are pretty sure about will but yeah not as 100% as with Macklin and so I think maybe for will maybe he he thinks that too and so it’s a good chance to test himself against Brady kachak against uh I don’t know Zach barinsky whoever you know whoever’s defending defending defending him and so Luke cunan Luke cunan is is is there for the Sharks on Team USA and so I think that could that would be a logical part of of of of the equation if if I wasn’t sure so mhm did you know that Casper hton put up uh 17 goals in 18 games in the OHL playoffs yes I I do yeah winning the O championship and that’s pretty the season is not over he and the London kns are going to Memorial Cup which starts next week along with the musaw Warriors in the WHL and what team from the from the Q I forgot the name I wrot a story about it remember and the host the host team is Sagen so s they’re they’re there h on then who’s Q uh let’s let’s see let’s let’s give them their their flowers because they deserve it for getting getting to the notal cup the Drummond view I Drummondville I I don’t know how to say this B Jaz B Jazz okay very good that sounds that sounds that sounds real so that sounds accurate the French French Canadian fan is gonna be like you no no that was completely wrong anyway um Casper Alton I watched a few of those games um there’s times when and Halton had this when he was playing I think it was the u8s not this year last right yeah last year he scored a he takes over games sometimes he he take he he really can look like a I guess take over is the right word he he really can look like an impactful player uh at certain times and he got he’s just gotten more and more comfortable in London which was a stacked team and A lot of times he was playing like third line even strength minutes even throughout the playoffs at certain points um and would be just feasting on the power play but I um I think it really has done wonders for his development to come to London and and come out of um out of the Finish system and come into his own as what he does well even if it is against Junior competition because he wouldn’t be doing this if he was in Finland he would sure he wouldn’t be playing maybe right well yeah or he’ beat like fourth line getting eight minutes a night and being like C hit that guy you know and that’s it like take a a far off shot from the point once a game that’s your that’s your shot K you know like it it doesn’t it doesn’t feel the same as him going out and refining what is at this point in his hockey career what’s going to make him a NHL if he ever makes the NHL is what he’s doing um feasting on the power play his shot some of his like big physical Winger aspects those are the things that going to make it so you got to get good at that and get you got to rise the bottom of your your floor attributes as well so those things that you need to round out they need to round out but the first part’s got to be exceptional and he’s starting to like really hone that just yeah well that’s that’s true earlier in the season I didn’t know if it was so exceptional that the stuff he’s great at but that is coming through now and so he is a guy that’s going to definitely benefit from another year there maybe entire year of domination right and being like the guy for London and so yeah it is exciting to see his because I definitely heard a lot of mixed things when the Sharks drafted him some people like that’s a that’s a kind of a DND guy just in terms of like he’s too limited he’s not gonna he’s not going to become a better all around player that was just the opinion of of some people that I trust and other people who like who liked him and and like the pick and like sort of the the potential that he you know he is a second rounder right so he’s not he’s not he’s not a lottery pick he’s not well-rounded that’s that’s expected right he’s he’s going to be more about potential show and if he hits then you know he can be a pretty Dynamic player and looks like he’s trending in in that way yeah it’s keep spoiling this Craig interview it’s gonna be a good one uh he he mentioned that as well he he really lik he had a lot interesting things to say about Casper and I don’t want to give it too much away but also about Luca kangel Who season just ended to the musaw Warriors yeah so um stick around for that that next week I kenon again I think I think he goes back to the WHL last year I think we had a conversation about it on our nail nail right about whether or not he should go to the AHL or WHL but you never know what happens over an offseason but um I would uh yeah I would say that he probably needs another year at least to to go back and work on a few things skating included as well as his body and everything yeah I’m gonna talk about that mailbag in a second that’s getting us uh in getting me in some trouble on Twitter right now as speak at this moment yes this moment yes what did you what did you do are we getting we’ll skip ahead then we’s let’s talk of Leon dryad right Leon ddle I put a story on soundy hockey now look I know it’s probably crap I if you read the story that’s that’s basically what I put into that it’s a reach but if it’s Greg wasinski friend of the show and Jeff Merrick both insiders talking about they have heard Merrick longer than wasinski over the last year maybe Leon dryad is going to be fasion in summer 2025 could he be interested in coming to the San Jose Sharks because the owner hosle platner is German and hey the Sharks will have a lot of cat space they can pay him they can make him a 134 million do man potentially if that’s what he wants true and there are so many sort of red flags about that which I’m sure that that Jeff and Greg know too I I I they it’s a speculation right and Ultra speculation Ultra speculation right in terms of just the Sharks even in two years summer 2025 don’t won’t shouldn’t probably will not be close out of the rebuild quite yet right in terms of add a piece like a leon dry cidal also too dry Sidle will be I think 29 during the summer of 2025 and so that’s the kind of contract it give a seveny year eighty year to a guy like that that got the sharks in this hole of course which many people have pointed out of course if the contract works out then beautiful right but there’s a huge risk obviously and so there’s there’s so many things that that that that that are off about that the Sharks obviously aren’t a player or two away from they probably will not be in the summer of 2025 they might be maybe I mean maybe maybe you’ll see that’s two years from now so maybe the Sharks will have shown enough that maybe that is they’re close enough that maybe you take a swing on a player like that so I’m not ruling it out but it’s definitely a real real reach and so I acknowledge that and but it’s a summer it’s offse and it’s two guys that I think are are trustworthy that are saying I’m and I’m sure they’ve heard it right and I haven’t heard it yet myself but it wouldn’t surprise me if if someone brings it up to me at some point too because apparently it’s out there if they’re allowed to if they’re allowed to ultra speculate for funsies so can we I mean we’re yeah exactly exactly light up everybody come on is that what you’re getting in hot water in about is no no no no no it just so happens that it’s it’s the the same week though that or after the same mailbag that someone asked again this isn’t me I’m not putting this out there someone asked them asked us in our podcast last week our mailbag podcast last week what would it take for the Sharks to land Mitch Marner A lot’s a lot okay you can blame me that I chose that clip to promote but look it is Mitch Marner it’s a big name someone asked me what would it take and I proposed a trade that we both said no to I I want to add you know we do not just like dry Sidle and definitely with Marner because Marner is a this summer proposition definitely the sharks are not are not ready uh for for that oh correction too dry cyle summer free agent 2025 so I mean it’s one year from now so I want to correct what I just said but anyway so definitely know with Marner but then I’m getting respon no one’s getting mad at me but yeah you know here are responses uh to to that tweet [ __ ] no keep Marner outside the state of California from Nathan Prime 8 damn I wish we could put that up just like uh Inside the NBA TNT they put the whole state though the whole state I know that’s that’s rough State it’s a huge State there’s three NHL three teams yeah with three teams damn 55 million people around it’s a huge State like come on but so I know it’s not a great look to follow dry sideo spec speculation with Marner speculation on in fact actually I told Josh rellan who helps us put together the Twitter video clips and he also writes at s hockey now so give Josh follow Josh vellin j f r o j l i n on Twitter and he also wrote excellent he asked a question about Ethan Cardwell next week so look back on that he wrote a story about Ethan Cardwell midseason a great story and other great stories where hockey now to look up his his work but Josh had clipped this for me on Tuesday I think and I said um you know let’s let’s hold it because I don’t want to write a dry put out a dry s article on Tuesday I think put it out and then the next day speculate on on Marner to the to the Sharks yeah and actually I told him Thursday but then I thought yesterday thought you know what I’m going to hold it one more day and so and so I wanted to have more substantial work in between from me so I wouldn’t be accused of just being a rumor clickbait monger and so I just want to put that out there that I do not think it’s a good idea even the trade I thought which I think is actually a fairly fair trade sports that had an article from Ryan Dixon kind of positing all these kind of speculative Marner trades this Summer complete speculation on his part but I think that the value I I hav seen his article yet but I looked at it yesterday and I think the value that that that we kind of or that I propos Mar Ferraro William eckan and this year’s 14th pick from the Sharks would be roughly around the same value and if you look at Ryan’s proposals on sportset it’s not that far off it’s in in that range right but anyway though all speculation it’s just a coincidence that this week is Leon dry sideo Mitch Marner week at s hockey it’s not intended yep we’re getting both everybody getting both we’re going to trade for Marner we’re going to sign dry cidal we’re gonna exactly we’re gonna have Toronto 2.0 exactly Toronto 2.0 right it’s a bunch of forwards right Smith dropping seven goals on like the the the the new Atlanta expansion team and everybody cost 14 million round losing in first round it’s going to be Toronto 2.0 everybody it’s going to be excellent but okay I want to segue forward to more substantial work and so more substantial work is I put out an article yesterday about whether or not the Sharks should trade up and who above them might be interested in it that’s the substantial part in it and I talked with beat Riders from every every team well not every team above the Sharks but from five to 12 yep so from Montreal to Philadelphia and I it’s a it’s a payall article I don’t want to give it all way but the best quote I was telling you was from Craig Morgan who doesn’t actually cover the Utah team but obviously nobody more connected with the Arizona Coyotes when they were there and obviously the coyotes their front office is intact moving to Utah so GM Bill Armstrong right yeah and so he said he just gave one sentence The KES are looking for defenseman at number six or the I’m sorry the Utah team and so if Craig says it that’s like 90 95% going to happen and so that’s not a team that sharks are going to trade up with but anyway though just want to get your thoughts keeg again in terms of just the because there’s been a lot of talk about the Sharks number 14 being outside of sort of the the top six defensemen from boam to yakum chako and alphabetical not talking about the sort of the rankings of those guys but B to A A to Z but it’s B to Y it’s boam de yeah B the Y exactly that’s good yeah but anyway what so I’m sure you thought a lot about this last couple weeks what do you think about the idea of of of moving up and you you read the article um teams that maybe at least based on the beat writers from their teams what the beat writers thought maybe Calgary at nine New Jersey New Jersey at 10 especially might might be open to it the other teams maybe not so much but what do you yeah what do you think of all that yeah the um I really like the article just uh as an aside um I thought it was cool to get that many opinions I I did like that you said no yeah but it’s so but it’s so much Insight from Craig I just one sentence but it’s so much Insight let me shout out the writers really fast so before try to interrupt you there but uh Mark Dumont for Montreal hockey now Craig Mo Morgan you guys know friend of the show phnx Sports number seven Ottawa Murray Pam full press hockey John bar sound of hockey representing Seattle Kraken number eight number nine Trevor new newfeld Calgary hockey now number nine James Nicholls New Jersey Devils that’s 10 number 11 Jason Moser of Buffalo hockey now and finally number 12 John Bailey Philly hockey now I love it I think um I want to a couple things I uh I want to game plan this out a little because I think mock drafts being what they are like it’s hard for me to see where these guys are going to fall unless we like really go like pick by pick and and what you get kind of already done which is to see what teams need right and I I like the one where New Jersey it’s like I don’t know if they really do need a um like they could use a defenseman but it’s not like it’s high high up on their list they’re in the draft lottery for shits and giggles it’s like oh what funny if we want a number one pick and we can throw in mlin Celia to be our third line Center next week behind next year behind Jack Hughes and N Hees honestly wouldn’t be surprised Giggles yeah if they traded out of this pick for a player like somebody to or like a go Ender or something like just cuz it’s kind of like just free not free money but it’s it’s money they don’t need I guess it’s the way to put it like they don’t need it’s great to have but it’s like extra money and they could use it to to get something they really want yeah um so I don’t know it’s there is possibility that they do that that pick is movable I think and then you got player or teams like Seattle and Utah and it’s like no we really need like a foundational piece here you know right at defense it seems like at especially like Utah um they have a bunch of skilled forwards but maybe they are lacking that highend Defender so they’re probably but maybe I’m not sure yeah I would even call him like a a puck mover though like he is and he isn’t but like I mean he he um great skater a lot of raw skills at moving the puck but he’s not like so polished as these guys that are already doing it right um Seattle definitely needs one yeah no highend kind of well just like the Sharks right yeah Buffalo probably could use one as well they have Doan and like they have power they’re I think they’re okay and they’re they’re in a place where they may not get the top defenseman too because that that’s where maybe maybe Buffalo will draft the forward right and that will help the Sharks if they like all of the six guys there very smart hockey person once said not everybody can go top 10 so I I don’t remember who said that but there’s so many guys that like like basically are I’m I I’m pretty sure nobody not everybody goes into the top 10 that’s what I’m saying like but it means like everybody’s like oh this guy’s top 10 for sure these guys are gonna go fing with whoever that said that but like not everybody go top 10 so like ma celebrini demidov leov Dickinson boam perk Iginla uh Carter yakam Chuck um silv you haven’t even gotten Katy Lindstrom or back brookley Cen or Eiserman not everybody can go in this little grouping so I feel like somebody’s going to be there that it’s yeah you might just hold it but but if you’re at 10 and New Jersey’s like yeah just slot us a second or slot us a player or something or slot us Mel granin um maybe because like stop trading Mel granin I want mcran out of this I want mcran out of here get out of here mcran I’m just trying to a player that the the Devils could use from the Sharks and he’s like the only usable player that the sharks have sorry everybody else no they actually could probably use uh they probably could use a Mero Ferraro they could of course but I don’t think I don’t know if the sharks can afford to give up a granin and Faro if they want to surround and Will Smith with actual players next year yeah yeah no I agree so I but I do think there is a fit there to trade up and as long as one of the top 60 is left at 10 which I think I don’t know unless you’re really thinking everybody gets pushed out like you’d have to push out so many people and and tjla included K lindström right I mean they they should go in the top 10 right based on Berkeley K might be the one that falls and if he’s there at 14 too right and eer let me let me ask you then since since New Jersey is sort of uh just we’re just speculating obviously but just for fun let’s say New Jersey is the Target and the sharks can can swing a deal to get that number 10 which defenseman do you think is there and do you personally like that defenseman enough we’ll have to assume that lunov will be long gone maybe Salia because seems like opinions are mixed on him but people do like him a lot so let’s assume that that that he’s gone by then and so who who is left in uh I don’t know if is yakam Chuck that exciting that you need to trade up four spots for him I don’t know you tell me so what do you what do you think I personally see it like like this I think levanov goes first and I think that goes in the like maybe Anaheim position just because Anaheim not that they don’t have they have a good a good amount of defenseman um they a lot but I think that that he kind of makes sense in their system a little bit a lot he has a lot of size um and I think that that just given that the fact that they just got cutter go to they traded Dale their other top end prospects like zelg are kind of tiny um and so I see it going like sharks celebrini demidov to Chicago Le shanov at three Blue Jackets are a wild card but um I don’t know let’s say they take they could take either defense or forward but um I don’t think it’s said in stone then okay Montreal is probably wanting what did uh what did what did uh Mark uh Mark deont say he actually gave two names I think he said lstm and Dem yeah let’s say let’s say Lindstrom let’s say they go Lindstrom then if we go with what Mark is saying yeah let’s say they go Lindstrom then I I um I have a feeling that um Utah takes like boam or one of the other highend uh offensive like boam mer Dickinson okay um otta up or Seattle probably take um silv or um uh who else is left St pre maybe okay and then Calgary’s obviously gonna take again La so so I don’t think he falls past nine or 10 I don’t think any I think yeah and then I think if New Jersey’s there at 10 maybe they take like Berkeley Gaden or some small forward um but y who’s left in is only yakimchuk the only guy left in in your projection okay uh let me rephrase this question and let’s say New Jersey is the target team uh who is which of these defens do you think might slip to 10 and you’re and if you’re D stru like okay we got to move up now this is like the guy because yaka choke sounds like in every all the mocks like he’s like yeah he’s in the top six but he’s number six he is very much number six and so that’s not so exciting right but if you’re anyone in that top five you think could slip like a per or or you’re not seeing it I I I mean PR could just cuz there is concerns with his defense and um the other ones have like certain aspects to them that make them like Rock Solid I would say um so I would say per is probably fifth in that whole lineup I I would do it for you would do it Pera 10 as long as it’s not like an outrageous price I know yeah yeah like both second round picks I guess like like 1042 and a prospect or 1033 I I don’t know but yeah yeah something like that I I would do it cuz sharks need exactly what Zan per is in their system even if like everybody’s still get Merkley Vibes there’s there’s more to Zan per than there was to Maran Merkley as a prospect okay would you do that would you make that move for yakam Chuck how are you feeling about yakam Yak no no I don’t think so I heart iak Yak okay no I like him and I would take the 14 yeah um but I think if if you’re worried that he’s not going to get 14 then that means one of the other guys is going to come out like hello lenus or or uh or Ken or Eiserman or somebody where the the offensive upside still there yes we’re turning into Toronto with no Defenders but I don’t know we’ll figure that out later I guess that’s true make the flous first right figure out that [ __ ] later so it makes sense sign a bunch of free agents or I don’t know trade for David your or I don’t know but somebody’s gonna come out if you’re worried that yakob Jack’s not going to make it to 14 so or let’s segue then if you’re if if you’re done about the moving up discussion or segue hire Jason Dez to coach the Sharks defenseman they would all turn into Jason Dez which is good love love Daddy um Daddy had some interesting quotes on broy Brazil show um regarding um David Quinn the only reason we’re mentioning this is because right after this we’re going to go into our Nico Sturm interview where he also mentioned some I wouldn’t call it competing quotes but like some other perspective I guess yeah I think there’s slight contrast to it though to to some degree and not to say that either Is Wrong Nico obviously was in the locker room as a player but Jason obviously knows a lot of players in the Sharks locker room being a former shark and recent recently retired and so I think both are very legitimate points of view and I’m not going to give my opinion on Jason’s quotes too much yet because I’m going to write write about a little bit but I did want to read off a couple of theot quotes just so you can contrast it to what Nico is about to say to us and once again this interview is from May 13th and you can find it on Brody’s YouTube channel so couple quotes from Jason the thing that I noticed watching the Sharks game this year this is Jason Dez talking is that there was a lot of confusion in the dzone I only put that on the players for so long before that’s a coaching issue as an NHL player knowing where to go in the dzone is very important and also applying that I think to a certain point he wasn’t the best team on the ice but there’s anciel players in that locker room it’s not like it’s my Monday night beer league team which I’m sure he’s the best player on oh I’m sure I’m sure he is no doubt no doubt no doubt and more from Jason we have to give the players some credit that they can play some hockey so I think there’s too much confusion he’s poting that on the coaches too much gray area with within the defensive structure and there’s more that Jason says about David Quinn to Brody I don’t want to give away the whole interview on there so go listen to it it’s a it’s an excellent interview it’s about the seven minute Mark of of that interview but I I wanted to give you a sense though of what Jason was saying and that he is critical of David Quinn that yeah David Quinn didn’t have quite the players but Jason believes that David could have done more to get more out of the players giving them more structure and so I have thoughts about that but I gonna save that for next time because we’re running a little later than we said we would too and I want to save that for a story but anyway I think it’s a good segue too the interview with niik Sturm and just a reminder the interview with n Sturm that again we talked with Nico on May 9th so I didn’t get to ask him about these from Jason De would have been cool to actually ask him flat you know directly I think in his interview with with NI I did ask him about structure but in a more kind of oblique way not as directly as as as as Jason comments on it here but anyway we talked to Nico on May 9th uh he was in czechia talked with him after the draft lottery so we got to ask him about Mel Britney but we talked to him right before the worlds but anyway it’s a great interview you know Nico like Jason De he always brings it absolutely and uh he’s very candid he gives you an inside look into the locker room and he never I don’t think he ever mentioned anything about a lack of structure more just that um I mentioned like how many times could you say the like same things and still not working like that kind of thing like maybe the voice was not as uh profound at the end of the year that it was at the beginning maybe yeah I me I got the sense of the interv we did an interview with niik a week ago so I don’t remember everything about it but yeah Nico seemed to take it more on the on on himself self and the players as not being able to to carry out the the mission or the structure or whatever and that could that could be where that comes from too but anyway though it’s a great interview so enjoy it yeah hope you guys uh uh enjoy it and I hope you all have a good week let’s talk to you next week bye we’re excited to bring an old friend to the show for his second appearance niik Sturm you know him he’s the straight shooting fan favorite center for the Sharks he’s currently in chy getting ready for World Championships with Team Germany happy belated birthday Nico welcome back to the show yeah thanks for having me on Nico your birthday was on May 3rd so just checking uh what were you what what’s a birthday like for Nico sterm were you able to celebrate State Side ah not much I was already here it was actually I think the uh first the first day or second day that I joined the camp for the pre-tournament action so it was pretty much a normal practice day and then a team dinner at the hotel at night uh so not not very much action going on for me that day do you eat something special tonight you get a little a little cake a little dessert what do you uh what do you eat that night because it’s your birthday it was nothing it was just a plain old pasta and rice Hotel dinner hockey dinner with with the boys man okay well maybe next year um so Nico did you end up uh watching the the draft lottery did you hear any news on uh celebrini any any thoughts on celebrini uh no I did not watch because time difference I think it was um around uh probably 1 a.m. 2 a.m. our time here I’m not quite sure when so well I woke up and I saw little s bits of Grey smiling so I figured it probably worked out it probably worked out the way we wanted it right um celebrini has this reputation he’s just 17 but he has this reputation for being being a kind of a consumate two-way player he’s a guy that he has immense skill for a guy his age but he also is a very responsible player for a guy his age and what I want to ask you about him I figure you haven’t seen him play much but how unusual is it for a guy of his 17 years old guy of his age to just be that responsible two-way player um to have that kind of reputation along with all the skill that he brings yeah obviously never seen him play only read things about him um but um 17 years old dominating College hockey that’s pretty pretty impressive to me I remember coming in um into college I was 21 and um you play against men uh that you know they probably got in some cases 25 30 pounds on you and I think for me coming in as a freshman first time you hit the weight room with those guys it was uh you realize that you’ve got plenty of stuff plenty of things to work on in next three years and um a lot of times I think for freshman that comes into college hockey that’s where um you know they kind of Hit the first road plock because of the uh physicality of the game and um from what I’ve been hearing he’s adjusted extremely well not only been playing but but dominating I think the the points that he’s put up um is is quite impressive but like you said I think probably more impressive maturity on the ice I think one of the things that I read about him is more more of a Jonathan Taves type player two-way player right that’s that’s one of the comparisons set I so um that’s very uh I think that’s very uh unique very special for a player that age to have the immaturity to play smart hockey in on both ends of the ice I think you got plenty of young kids nowadays uh they’re great and on one end of the ice I think uh um we all know which end of the ice that is because that’s that’s uh what that’s what most of the most the kids work on now nowadays I think that’s what the focus is on especially for forers um and so it’s it’s good to hear that um he’s already uh figured a big part of that game out and have you been reading about your former team or your I’m sorry for your future teammate a little bit there yeah I mean well first of all we don’t know who’s going to get drafted right we know true it’s true yeah I know um anything can happen I guess but yeah um so uh no I think again you know I saw the little snit bit of of gy after they they said we’re going to pick first of all I think there was certainly some relief to to his face I think uh we need you know probably San Jose we need a new franchise type player I think that’s probably the hope that uh um everybody in in the organization has and not to put too much pressure on um on the kid if he does get drafted by us uh but certainly down the road I I think that you know management and fans hope that he’s going to be the the main guy to to build around absolutely absolutely and Nico big reason why we’re having you on we want to talk about this past year obviously a very very hard season for the Sharks and a big reason why I I wanted you in particular on is because the fans really trust your voice you’re the like I said the straight shooter you’re a candid honest guy and I know you can’t say everything about what happened in the room but I think that among the fans you have sort of that Authority though that that that there’s sort of a uh a a legitimacy there a little less hockey cliches from you and so that’s that’s why I wanted to to speak with you a little bit about this and um I wanted to ask you about the firing of David Quinn and just my first question is were you surprised by it was the as far as you know the room I know what happened after you guys had sort of all separated parted ways but what were you guys all surp surprised by that happening well I would probably say surpr like surprised yes but not shocked just because you know at the end of the day it was a terrible year we had a terrible year you can name many reasons for it but the year was bad uh I just figured that um it certainly wasn’t on uh on Quinny alone uh I think there was probably a multitude of factors that contributed to like I said the season that we had um and I I I figured that hopefully um we hit rock bottom and and Quinny would have a chance to you know coach uh his way or coach us into the new Direction and at the end of the day um you know management gy and the other people that make the decisions they came to their conclusions um and that’s I don’t really know what all the things that factor into that decision I can tell you that but um at the end of the day I have to accept it for what it is and uh I had a great work relationship with Quinny and and uh actually just talked to him the other day and I got nothing but but good things to say about him what did you think of him as a coach yeah I think he’s uh great developmental coach I think probably at some point you know sometimes it shines through I think he’s great with with the younger guys that he probably has their college background um that’s why I figured you know maybe we’ll probably go into another year with him and and since we’re going to have a probably a very young team again with quite a few unexperienced players um and you know you could tell that he’s a he’s a he’s a hockey teacher um I think I’ve had a couple different coaches now in NHL like my first one was like BR Bruce buo for example like Bruce and and Quinny like they couldn’t be further from each other on the coaching St Bruce Bruce is probably more I would say for my experience more a guy that plays or that goes better along with a more experienced team you know team that’s team that’s ready team that’s kind of you know has a lot of experienced players I probably put in more on that and Quinny is better probably with younger players that still need to learn important parts of the game and probably big reason of that is because he’s been uh he was a college coach for so long and and a great college coach at that so um so yeah I would probably put it as yeah maybe a little bit surprised but not shocked because I just know how not just in hockey but how the Sports World works at the end of the day coaches are usually the first ones to to pay the price if an organization has uh doesn’t have the the success they want to have so um yeah I I think that’s the best way to put it probably and you said that you don’t know exactly what management was thinking but would you venture like from your perception why do you think they let David go then if he was strong in that developmental aspect that you mentioned and obviously the sharks are still in that phase the sharks are probably not GNA win the Stanley Cup next year if we’re being honest right and I think there were some guys that make great stries last year like eeky and Zs probably in particular they took they took a big step forward but at the end of the day I think nobody really expected us to have like a a great season standings wise I think but the expectation was for me and for everybody else in the room that we wanted to take a step forward right and and we got worse like that’s just the reality of things and again that’s not on Quinny that’s a lot of factors I mean injuries were terrible like I think there is big time that’s certainly part of it uh especially you look at the center situation I think we’ve mentioned a lot we never once played with the center group that they envisioned down the middle to have with uh Tommy uh uh cooch granny and and and myself uh we unfortunately haven’t had one game cooch only able to play six games uh you know Benny out um and so yeah Quinny wasn’t dealt the best hands that’s just that’s just how it is uh he knows it uh I think everybody else knows it um and but at at at the end of the day um you know again you’ll have to ask uh gersy and and the rest of management but they probably saw that uh even with low expectations going into the season we weren’t anywhere near to to where we wanted to be so uh again uh coach unfortunately usually is the first one to to feel um to feel the wrath of that so uh yeah there’s some perception out there and this might be more like fan perception and so you can you know kind of address it or or talk about it but some people think that David lost the room in in some way and no I can definitely uh put a stop to that thought again one of the good things that I can say about this year and about last year is that everybody always was great coming to the ring there was never I think if you have season as bad as we had there’s a very good chance that you know the the wheels totally come off the wagon and that things go completely South and that’s actually one of the things we did a great job of and Quinny did a great job of is to keep to hold everybody accountable every day come to the ring and and and work hard work on details even if the end result that we wanted scoreboard wise wasn’t there and I I like again I have to give him credit because that’s very hard to do when your season standing twice if you know I effectively is over in in the middle of November and you have to you still have to coach this team all the way to the middle to the middle of April I mean it’s it’s very easy to just fold it up and and say all right we just we’re just gonna you know you know let let let we’re not going to take control of this anymore we’re just going to let the boys do whatever they want no they they H us accountable guys worked hard in practice uh regardless of of how the games went so I I do have to give him credit that there’s there was definitely never a point where I would say that you know was coaching staff versus the team or or anything everybody tried you know everybody tried uh coaches and players yeah was there a uh perhaps uh there could have been better structure or preparedness or is that not something that you put on the coaching staff there is that you know because there’s also execution that needs to come from that from the players so right uh I mean yeah probably um I would probably say that yeah like you said at the end of the day it’s it’s it’s up to the players especially you know up to us as as you know the leaders of the team to feel out the room does everybody really know what we’re doing and then communicate that appropriate appropriately to the coaches I don’t think I don’t think we did a good enough job of that as As Leaders on on the team to um because there were times where you know you talk sometimes to your teammates and we weren’t completely 100% sure about every aspect of the game and you know the reality is that in the NHL the most minute details that the fan observing the game probably doesn’t even realize will lead to a mistake on the ice that’s not very obvious to the person watching but it will lead to a goal because it opens up a tiny area of space or creates a tiny two in one some where where again the average fan would never recognize that probably watching it but as a player becomes very obvious and there were probably some and I mean you can name very many areas of that from from breakouts to for check neutral zone um was everybody always confident 100% of the time in what we’re doing um probably not um but again that’s not just the coaches like they put the time in they explain these things and then they ask in the room you know is it is this clear like what we’re doing here and then everybody nods their heads and then you go out there and we’re not doing what we’re supposed to do then it’s again it’s on us to tell coach hey we should go over this again I don’t think everybody knows 100% what we’re doing and the other thing too is probably if you’re struggling as a team um it’s probably very important to maybe even oversimplify things I think you could you could literally say at least for the start of the year when we go back in our own end and we don’t know what we’re doing for breakouts every time you Rim it up the strong side or you go out the weak side so that everybody on the ice knows what we’re doing and uh again that’s on us as players to to kind of be the link between the coaches and and and the rest of the team there yeah because I had the perception that that David and his staff did actually really simplify things and I mean they really tried to dumb it down for us and uh we like again we weren’t able to execute it all all year um I guess I guess my final question about this is do you feel like I mean you guys had not a lot of points this year but do you feel like they got the kind of the most they could out of out of this team considering all the injuries considering all the the turnover and the Youth of the team that actually if you if you look at it that where you guys end up in his standings is actually about where you guys unfortunately kind of belonged I mean if if you give us the best cach in the world and everything goes perfectly right maybe we don’t come in 32nd but maybe it will be 27th or 28th you know yeah but not that the kind of that’s about that’s about where where we were at last year that’s that’s probably the honest answer that there’s uh again it was probably some tough cards that uh the coaching staff was dealt again I give Quinny and and and also the assistant a ton of credit for the upbeat spirit that we had at practice every day um I don’t Envision that to be very easy to do um and so uh yeah again that’s kudos to them to try trying to make the best out of uh a very very tough situation yeah no I Could Only Imagine by the last month of the season I had no idea what to ask you guys or the coaches it’s also and it’s also like you know at at that point of the year you’ve gone over everything a hundred times and you know you Quinny and the rest of coaches they’ve used every different type of way to get to us and to you know explain things to us after after games that it become so repetitive after a while that you almost feel for the coaches like what is it possibly that he could say today to us that you know he hasn’t already tried there’s nothing he’s tried everything so again he I don’t really I don’t really envy him for the situation that he was in h this year Well moving goad sorry I was gonna say do you think by the end of the year that it was kind of wearing on on Quinn a little bit in terms of all I mean it was wearing on wearing on everybody it was wearing on me is wearing on on on management I’m sure so if it it’s if it’s not wearing on you then you’re either not a human being or you just don’t care I don’t I don’t know it’s either one of those two things yeah for sure um I want to ask you too uh Nico moving on obviously the sharks are about to start searching or they are searching for a new coach now and you mentioned the difference between uh boo BR bro and David Quinn which I thought was very interesting I want to ask you about another coach that you actually played with in Minnesota and his name has sort of been mentioned at periphery and just what you can tell not that you know anything about the coaching search per se but just like what can you tell us about this coach and you played for Dean Evon uh in in Minnesota before you went to Colorado and Dean uh was let go by by Minnesota but uh Dean had a pretty good track record with the wild also has extensive history of development uh with the Milwaukee Admirals and so anyway just what is your what are your impressions of Dean yeah uh I think I’ve had Dino uh first as an assistant and then as a as a head coach in Minnesota and uh like you said he he has that uh track record track record of first uh coaching I think it was in in Milwaukee if if I’m not if I’m not wrong and so and then kind of worked his way up right so he knows how to handle a young players and also like older players I think in Minnesota we probably had a team that was a little further along than we are on on the timeline right now um I would probably say that he’s very um you know he’s a very Stern guy like very very direct like he’s not going to beat around the bush much with with your players he’s gonna he’s going to tell you what he thinks and practices were always um short but very intense very hard um and so yeah those are those are the kind of the the main the main things I know you know I remember with Dino it was always very like you know when you see him in interviews and stuff if you can kind of tell what his personality is it’s a very direct kind of Coach um and that’s how I remember him yeah he strikes me too and not to just like compare the co the coaches you you’ve had but you know David strikes me as a very a even-tempered kind of Coach usually um not not just how he talks to us but just what I hear from other people and whatnot whereas Dean is maybe a little harder Edge and not to say that you know both work right both coaches have had a lot of success but has maybe a little bit more of that kind of harder Edge maybe it’s also tough to compare because again we’re in a much different situation with when I was in Minnesota than we’re here in in San Jose so it’s like I don’t really know how Quinny would uh you know handle a team that let’s say has Stanley Cup aspirations I can’t really speak to that I’m sure there were times this year where um maybe it was time to yell or back skate us but you know he kind of had to hold off on that because what are you gonna do do that seven months of the year yell at everybody in the room and and SK than that every week right yeah like like like players are got players are GNA quit after two weeks or the season you can’t do that right so it’s again I think that that’s why the comparison is a little a little tougher in Minnesota for example you know we we always had playoff aspirations and and S the cup aspirations and if we hadn’t won a game in two or three games you can feel the intensity every day around the ring some you know we either win or somebody’s getting traded kind of intensity like like you can feel you know like everybody’s hair is on fire and Billy Garren you know he was always walking around like you can you can just tell that kind of intensity everyday practice with an extremely young team that keeps on losing obviously like it won’t work like players players are going to be like uh you know walking around eggshells at the rink every day scared to make a mistake so it’s a it’s a fine line that you have to walk so I don’t really want to compare those two situations it probably it’s a little tough yeah um one other name that’s uh out there in the coaching search is um former sharks player Marco Sturm um I don’t think go need relation but I’m not I actually no no he’s not really we’ve asked all the time no relation but um I guess the question is um what have you heard about him as a coach if anything from your your team Germany teammates I don’t think you you’ve played for him in the past is that correct yeah I have not uh I think the the first year I was about to jump in to the man’s national team he ended up um taking the job uh I think La assistant coach and you know one of the things he did certainly was kind of turn our national team program here around I think he was kind of the the guy where success came back to German hockey and after after him we had uh Tony uh sodol and now now we got Harry as coach here um but he was certainly the guy where I think Germany as a hockey nation or as a Hockey Federation we started to Garner some respect again internationally so um in that that year I spoke to him uh once or twice on the phone I was uh I ended up not going to Worlds because I had actually I had finals at school at at University so I actually had to kind of blow them off there and uh kind of just focus on school um so I don’t actually know him all too well to be honest with you but uh like you mentioned he obviously has the the San Jose background and uh certainly from the outside there seems to be a tendency that uh you know we or San Jose tends to hire people that have some sort of History uh often with with the organization which uh which totally makes sense to me mhm okay well uh Nico really really appreciate your time here I know that uh your your Wi-Fi it’s lasted for 24 minutes so we shouldn’t test our yeah done pretty well there so we shouldn’t test our luck uh too much I know you’re getting ready uh for um do you guys start tomorrow or tomorrow we got uh Slovakia tomorrow actually back to back we got we got the team Slovakia and then we got actually us the next day so uh and then Sweden two days later so we got the the on paper the three hardest teams right right out of the gates yeah okay well we we we’ll let you go uh best wishes everyone who’s listening we’re recording this by the way on May the 9th so before the world uh World Championships but uh best of luck Nico just finally just you know what is how does your summer look after the worlds um you know when do you come back here to San Jose uh yeah so after worlds uh you know I guess the good thing about worlds is it keeps in in skating and in on ice and competitive shape for you know another five weeks after season ends so that’s really good it’s not always fun on to train off ice and in the weight room from the middle of April till middle of September that’s a long long time so that’s why I always like uh you know the the concept of Planet worlds and then certainly I will take uh you know 10 days off after and let the body body recoup I also had obviously a surgery this year and and uh and some problems healthwise so uh let the body recover a little bit and also I think the mental aspect of the game is is is Big you want to you want to reack you want to uh come in with a fresh mind and and and uh uh be excited about the season starting again and and and and and trying once more so uh let the body rest for a little bit and then um I’m actually going to be in Minnesota for about uh you know a month or so attending attending a a wedding skating with my skating coach there starting you know my summer workouts uh the first couple of weeks be skating there and then head back to Germany uh stay with my family uh probably middle of August then head back to Minnesota one one more time finish up the summer skating there for a couple weeks and probably be back out in San Jose I’d wag your first week of September at some point depending on how the schedule looks uh when it comes out last year I think I was back in San Jose first week of September so probably be around that time so a little bit of Minnesota a little bit of uh Germany and then back to Minnesota again and then we’ll see you in San Jose in early September all right sounds good well Nico best wishes on World Championships you want to get excited refresh your mind keep reading about your uh potential future teammate mlin CBR yeah just read the hype so that that that’ll get you excited and yeah thank you again for coming uh coming on Nico yeah best of luck ni by see you soon [Music]
This week on the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast, we welcome back Nico Sturm! (57:15)
We ask Nico all about the David Quinn tenure and his recent firing by GM Mike Grier, what Nico thinks about Quinn’s coaching style and the 2023-2024 season in general. We also ask him about his likely future San Jose Sharks teammate Macklin Celebrini!
But before that, we cover just a few topics in what was a light few weeks for the Sharks. (01:33)
Who has been interviewed, or who has been rumored to be considered for the San Jose Sharks head coaching job so far? (03:20)
What do the coaching candidates so far seem to have in common?
We enter yet another week of Will Smith Watch! What did Will Smith say about his upcoming decision, stay in Boston College or sign with the San Jose Sharks for next year, at the World Championships? (12:17)
What can Will Smith learn by leaving the NCAA and breaking away from his long-time linemates? (18:45)
Sheng talks about an interesting dynamic that could form if both Celebrini and Smith leave college at the same time. (22:30)
We transition to the playoffs of Kasper Halttunen and Luca Cagnoni. Halttunen had 17 goals in 18 playoff games, leading the London Knights in goals in the postseason. (30:35)
The ultimate speculation: Leon Draisaitl to the San Jose Sharks in 2025? (35:00)
What do Sheng and Keegan think about moving up from the No. 14 pick to take a defenseman in the 2024 NHL Draft? (42:20)
Sheng dug deep and contacted local media members from each of the teams at No. 5-12 to get their thoughts on trading down to the Sharks, check out the article here! (43:20)
If Sharks Move Up From No. 14, Who’s Most Open To Make a Trade? (+)
Finally, we talk about Brodie Brazil’s interview with Jason Demers, who also shared his thoughts about firing David Quinn. (53:00)
Nico Sturm joins our show for the second time, this time from Czechia and the World Championships! (57:15)
Sturm talks about the San Jose Sharks winning the Draft Lottery. (58:20)
Sturm discusses Macklin Celebrini as a responsible two-way player and just how rare that is for a 17-year-old. (59:05)
Sturm on David Quinn’s firing, was it a surprise? (1:02:25)
What did Nico think of Quinn as a coach? (1:04:15)
Why does Sturm think Quinn was fired? (1:06:00)
Does Nico think that Quinn lost the locker room? (1:08:00)
Does Sturm think there could have been more structure in the San Jose Sharks’ game last year? (1:09:40)
Was there a way that this 2023-24 San Jose Sharks team could’ve realistically been better last year? How much better? (1:12:40)
Sturm has also played for former Minnesota Wild coach Dean Evason. He’s a potential coaching hire for the Sharks, what does Nico remember from his time with him? (1:15:15)
Nico Sturm hasn’t played for Marco Sturm, but Marco’s name is making the rounds as a coaching candidate for the San Jose Sharks, what does Nico think about his fellow German countryman? (1:19:00)
How’s Sturm’s summer look after the World Championships? (1:21:10)