Training Camp 2025 | Jon Cooper

Training Camp 2025 | Jon Cooper

John, what’s the focus on the first day? Oh, the first day of training camp. Make sure everybody comes out of it healthy. Uh, it’s usually it’s kind of the, you know, it’s like the first day of school. It’s exciting day for everybody. And, um, you just love their energy. I think, you know, guys are looking for a little bit of structure, you know, because they’ve been doing their own skates for two months. And so, um, it’s, uh, it’s a fun day. except for I’m not in I’m not in coaching shape right now. This is day one for me too. But uh it was it was great. It’s it’s uh it’s just it’s a cool day. Everybody’s excited and uh um you know it’s you know we’re not day 14 or whatever it is. Uh so everybody’s still pumped. Obviously it’s early, but Tony talked about how you guys are coming back with the same group. Obviously the way things ended last season they weren’t happy with. Um you said there’s some motivation coming back with the same group to kind of go further this year. Just wondering if you’re picking up on that too. Oh, there’s no question. And um you know it’s unfortunate because you know you’re going to look in the history book and say we won one playoff game and got bounced in five. Uh we didn’t feel that we were that team. We didn’t feel like we deserved that. Um but playoffs are different animal and I’ve been on both sides of it and um it just you know we ran into it one heck of a team that eventually won the Stanley Cup and and uh you only one team wins and you you know you’d love to get there in the end. Um, like I said, I I thought we had a we we’re a better team than what we showed in the playoffs. Uh, and I think our guys know that as well. And so, you know, there’s definitely a ton of motivation coming back to make sure, uh, we improve, you know, from the result of last year. John, what is the difference between when you come back for that first day where you have basically the same group back compared to maybe other years like last year where you had a big came out some big names in where you kind of had to integrate them and get used to them, you know, in terms of getting everybody together. Well, I I think you know, you look at this group, we’ve got a pretty deep group here and and, you know, whoever isn’t on our, you know, roster come opening night, there’s, you know, we’re going to have some guys that are legitimate call-ups coming up. So, it’s good to see that with this group bringing everybody back. Um there’s familiarity. So you’re motivation and pushing these guys outside of their comfort zone a bit. Even they know you know what’s coming at them and systems. We’re not reinventing the wheel. We really liked everything, you know, a lot of things we did last year. And you can look at stat statistically speaking. Uh our numbers were pretty darn good across the board. um the one number being the playoff number and so uh that’s what we’re working to fix. Uh we just can’t forget where we came from and understand we’ve got 82 games to play especially in a division that’s looks to be solid top to bottom. Homeberg’s a player you’re not as we went from that was a nice addition uh Dan But we have a train sponsor. So, uh, Homeberg, first impressions from first practice. Oh, hard to say, but he works hard, I’ll tell you that. And, uh, there was, you know, a little chatter in the coach’s room. This, you know, this guy’s going to help us. And so, uh, awesome attitude and, you know, all those kids from Sweden are, you know, great kids. and he uh he he was he’s energy like he he he works. So um you know we’ll see as this gets going on here, you know, putting him in situations where he can succeed and and you know what his strengths are, but on the energy side and skating and tenacity part, he passed all those tests. John, you talk about the depth. You know, what do you think specifically of the defenseman depth that maybe you come into the year with? I mean, obviously you lose Pervy, but then you’ve got a couple guys there in Croer and Carile that have had experience here, you know, door and so, um, you know, they’ve had NHL looks and they’ve had success. I mean, guys have played in playoff games and so, uh, they’ve seen it all. It’s just, you know, you get a you’re wiser and you’re stronger and you’re more experienced and and so, you know, you hope this is going to pay off for them and, you know, they make a push and if they don’t, they’re, you know, definitely right on the cusp. John, when when Oliver got hurt last year, it looked like he was really starting to find his comfort zone. He’s not available for the playoffs, but now he gets a full camp. Like, how does that finding that comfort at the end of last year, maybe help? Oh, I don’t know. I’ll tell you. We I told him all practice long he should just grab that stick and save it for game one because everything was going in the net he was shooting. It was impressive and you you kind of forget how you know he’s a gifted scorer and uh so you give him a chance he can put it in and it was evident today in practice but he uh you know with anything you know now it’s you know all the guys semifamiliar with the system and even though he you know missed our playoffs um it was you know to have him be a part of us um is just makes him that much more ahead than you Coming in now.

Jon Cooper chats with media after day one of training camp.