Tank Talk: Ryan Warsofsky

Tank Talk: Ryan Warsofsky

Sharks head coach Ryan Warovski, I appreciate the time and first off, congratulations. You and Team USA won gold at the Worlds for the first time since 1933. And I know that you’re no stranger to winning things before, but where does this sit in terms of everything else? Yeah, I mean, it’s pretty high in the list, that’s for sure. And um you know, I think when you look back at the whole, you know, 1933 and it’s been 92 years, uh it makes it even more special. Um, so it was a great group. It was a a really fun uh tournament. Long, but it was well worth it. Um, so this would this would be up there on the list. Um, you know, I’m still chasing that one that’s I think the pinnacle of of what we do and and that’s a Stanley Cup. So hopefully that’s, you know, the next one. But, um, yeah, this was this was a lot of fun and uh, you know, again, like I said, it was a great group and to bring home gold was was very special. All right. To literally bring home the gold. Let’s see it. What does it look like? How does it feel, by the way? Yeah, it’s actually pretty heavy. Heavier than I thought. Here she is. So, um yeah, it was it was surreal feeling, you know, when you could put that around your neck and um you know, it’s just like I said, the the long long time since you would say hockey has won this thing. So, um a lot goes into it and uh something that you know, this will go in the on the mantle for a long time and you know, be a pass down for generations hopefully. You know, I mentioned before you’ve won some things previously. So has somebody like Will Smith, but the last couple years in San Jose for us with the Sharks, we know it’s been a project. We know there’s been a lot of grinding and struggling and it’s going in the right direction. We’ll get there. I know that. But it must be nice just to kind of reset things and be on a team and win something and kind of get that feeling because it it does kind of push you along I feel like uh for the next, you know, season or two or whatever. Yeah. Yeah, you know, I I I I truly believe, you know, winning is almost an addiction and you get addicted to that feeling. And um you know, I think like you said, the last three years have been has been difficult as far as the wins and losses. And you know, we’re starting to come out of the hole here a little bit, but it’s now it’s time to take the next step and starting to win some more games. And hopefully, you know, that these games are really important for Will and uh myself. I learned a lot. You know, I learned from some players, I learned from other staff members. Um it’s all about getting better. And um you know I thought both of us uh and the rest of the staff with you know Thomas Spear and Nick Jelini were obviously here in San Jose. Um you know we learned from other people. We learned from other organiz you know coaches in other organizations and um you hopefully keep learning getting better and and now we start um you know using these experiences and and helping us you know win some hockey games. I wanted to compliment you and the the team and the staff on incorporating Johnny Goodro into pretty much everything you did. How did you as a group go about that? what were the right things to do and the classy things to do? You know, you just want to you want to make sure it comes off the right way and I think you did it to perfection. Yeah. You know, there was a conversation that, you know, the GM Jeff Kelty and I had um probably backman in March. Um you know, we wanted to honor him in some way. Um we knew USA Hockey was going to have his jersey up in the in the room at all times. Um but we wanted to do something a little bit uh unique to Johnny and obviously he was very into his winter hats. So, um, you know, we had a winner hat made with his autograph on it, USA hockey logo. Um, so that was important piece of of this whole team. I think he’s I think he’s up there probably the most games played in the world championships for USA hockey. Um, he always he never said no to to going to play and that that means something. You know, that that’s the challenge of this tournament. You you got players that are going through the National Hockey League, the grind of it, the playoffs, the injuries. Um, and some guys, you know, you know, bodies can’t, you know, sustain another, you know, 10 games. So, um, he never said no. Uh, so we wanted to honor him. We we reached out to the family. Uh, and that’s something that they were, you know, very proud of, his wife, his his his um his parents. So, um, again, hopefully we’ll get that hat back to his family. I think he she she deserves it, especially his wife or his father and mother. And, um, again, very, uh, he’s a very special, you know, player. He’s a special human being, him and his brother. And, uh, we were honored to kind of, you know, have him be part of this. And, he definitely was. What did you learn about your group, Team USA, as the tournament went along? And I know there was some adversity. It wasn’t uh flawless. It wasn’t always smooth sailing. How did the group do obviously beyond just winning gold? Yeah, you know, I think when you look back at the tournament, we got better every single day. And that’s what we ask. You know, it’s the same thing we ask in San Jose. In this tournament, it’s a it’s a quick turnaround. You’re right back at it. Practice time is not a lot, but um our guys were very um they checked their eagles at the door. You know, there was guys sliding into roles. You know, Shane Pinto was on the power play in Ottawa. He wasn’t on our power play and he didn’t complain once and that’s what you need when you want to win. And but I think we went through some things. We had a three nothing lead against Norway. We end up winning in overtime. That was a good learning moment for us. We lose to Switzerland three to nothing. We didn’t play a very good hockey game. We thought it was going to be easy. Um and that was a good learning moment for us. So, you know, I think that’s important in this tournament. um two years ago when I was, you know, under David Quinn and his and that staff, you know, we kind of rolled through the the pre prelim games and then you get in you get hit in the face with a really good team and you haven’t gone through those those, you know, adversity and and those games and the tight checking games and and we went through that. So, I thought that was really important when we look back. We kind of had said that as a staff like losing to Switzerland the first game was probably the best thing that could have happened to us. And um you know our guys our games kind of change into um we were a young perimeter team and then we we we learned how to we have to play with a tight checking game and we got into the inside of the ice and if you look at you know the last three or four games especially against the Germans and the checks you know we really our game adapted to that style of play and getting into the inside. Um so that’s when I thought okay this team’s kind of figured it out a little bit. Um, so all those things kind of you look back and those are the things that you you realize probably the the reasons why you probably won. Yeah. And for you, I’m thinking maybe one of the cool takeaways is that it’s a little bit of a networking opportunity. You know a lot of people in professional hockey, but maybe there were some people that you didn’t get to know or work with firsthand and now you did. I also think too, maybe for you, um, this could be the chance that the door opens for more international coaching opportunities. That said, I know what tournament you’d rather be coaching in, like the one that’s still going on in the NHL, but but how do you see just the the like the professional opportunity for you, what you just went through, and maybe hopefully what else could come your way? Yeah, you know, it’s it’s it’s a very um surreal feeling and moment and um you know, all those thoughts go into it. But yeah, I learned a lot from our staff. You know, I knew Mike Valucci was um you know, he’s got a lot of experience working on Mike Sullivan, you know, um Kevin Dean was in Chicago working with some really good young players. He’s was in the Boston organization. Um you know, Adam Nightingale who was at Michigan State has really turned that program around. And done a fantastic job. And Lawrence Fona, who’s a video coach in Nashville, who’s worked under Peter Lavette and Barry Chz and yeah, Andrew Bernett. So, there’s a lot of different uh views on things. and we would meet, you know, twice a day. We, you know, what the greatest thing, just a kind of side note, is we would, you know, before the families got there and the wives got there, we’re there just us as the coaches and and the and the team, you know, for two two and a half weeks. And um, you know, we you practice, you go home, you work out, you do your routine. Um, and then before dinner at 5:00, we’d meet every day. And we we would, you know, I would learn so much in that hour and a half before we go to dinner from reviewing our game to what we want to do for practice for new drills to different concepts in the offensive zone. So, you know, those looking back those two weeks of those 5:00 meetings, I I learned so much. I got so much value out of that from not just coaching that team in the US, but um going forward for helping the San Jose Sharks. And it was it was a great great staff. Um you know, and then we’ll see we’ll see what happens. Of course, everyone would love to, you know, coach in the Olympics and play in the Olympics. And that’s something that you dream of as a kid. And we’ll see what happens. Um, if they call me, they call me. If not, um, you know, we’ll take the for the Olympic break in stride and go from there. That happens to be next season, by the way. So, uh, we’ll have some time to figure it out. But, yeah, look forward to whatever happens for you either way. Um, couple more things. Will Smith’s success obviously the second half of this NHL season kind of seems like maybe there was some carryover into this tournament. I know he was good but almost a point per game production. So, how do you see his tournament going from from your firsthand perspective? Yeah, I thought he played really well. You know, I thought his last two games um you know against Sweden and against Swiss were the two best complete games that I’ve seen him play all year. Um, and I and you know, the average P fan probably doesn’t see the points and and they’re probably thinking, man, he didn’t score. He didn’t get, but the way he played, he was getting into the inside. He was playing with some uh competitive spirit. You know, everyone saw the clip of him finishing the guy almost into the bench. Um, those are the things, you know, that I saw translate and I think that was so important for his development to play in that type of, you know, meaningful hockey. um winning hockey, learning how to, you know, win a puck on the wall, get it deep. Um those are winning habits and those are the habits that we need to start building with not just Will, but the rest of our group. And you know, I think that’s what’s important to play in this tournament. And when we go back and win, you know, a guy like Ta Thompson, you know, um you know, he didn’t dump in many pucks in Buffalo. You know, they haven’t won a lot of hockey games. He learned how to win in a tight game. And you know, I think all of our players learned that what it takes to win is is a fine line. And I think that was the biggest thing for Will. And you know, I know he’s a winner. He’s won a lot of I think this was his fourth gold medal. Um but for him to play in the National Hockey League and help this San Jose Sharks team, you have to play, you know, a complete game in in all areas, in all three zones of the ice. And I thought those last two games were huge for his development. You know, in terms of Mac, um we saw obviously the games and the results, but those clips of him assisting Sydney Crosby on that fantastic goal or even their chitchatting on the bench. And I I think the best caption or quote I saw on social media, which isn’t always the my my definition of a go-to place, but somebody said it was like Mlin’s apprenticeship with Sydney Crosby. U what could you imagine happened for Mack to be around somebody like Sid? And look, somebody he’s idolized growing up watching and now getting to learn from the best of the best. Yeah, I think it was, you know, super important. They had an older team. um not just Sid, but there’s McKinnon, there’s Ryan O’Reilly, uh Travis Sanheim. There’s a lot of players in that team um that he probably learned a lot from, you know, and that’s it could be off the ice, it could be on the ice, it could be like you saw him and Sid working on faceoffs. I think that’s that’s what Max’s that’s who Mac is. He wants to learn, he wants to get better. Um, you know, I think he took the this time in the tournament to to do those things and, you know, I think he’s probably formed a relationship with Sid going forward where he can always reach out and ask him something if something comes up throughout the season. So, um, you know, I think it was really important for the Mack to play in the tournament, uh, play for that type of team. You know, I talked to their coach after the tournament, said he was outstanding. Um, you know, you know, him and Sitter are not far off his type of the identity that they play with, right? They’re ultra competitive. They can score, they can make assists, they can play defense. Um, they can do it all. So, uh, big growth, you know, for for Mac. I ran into him in Sweden, you know, actually at a coffee shop randomly. So, um, he he was hurting after that loss to Denmark, but we’ll pick him back up. You know, thinking about the next couple weeks and months, back to the Sharks here. Um, you know, we haven’t talked since it was um, revealed or announced that the Sharks will get the second overall draft pick. That must be exciting for you to know that something else is coming down the line, but maybe free agency from the coaching perspective and getting your team better this upcoming season. Maybe free agency is still more of the headline for you instantly than the draft. Yeah, I would say that. I mean, uh, especially this draft, we, you know, we’re not, you know, sure of who’s coming out right away. You know, obviously last year we knew M had a pretty good chance he was, um, going to leave Boston University. So, we’ll see. I I know Mike has a really good plan and um he’s done a lot of homework on these draft picks and um you know we’ll get into free agency and there’ll be some trades and like there is every summer. So um you know I know Mike and his staff have a really good plan and how we want to attack it. We obviously know we need to get better. Um you know there’s areas of our team that need to improve and um you know as as far as me I’m the coach. You know I’m going to um you know whatever players we have on our roster we got to improve them. We got to bring them together and uh take the next step as an organization. And last thing here, if I’m looking at the the the one thing to be excited about next year, I mean, this past season, we saw a lot of Will, we saw a lot of Mack, and that’s great, but I feel like next year, I want to see that same exposure of more players, more of Yaroslav, Ascarov, maybe Colin Graph for a full season, Cam London, there’s so many players who just want to see more of. Is that kind of already what you’re looking forward to is that next wave of of what’s coming? Yeah, I think so. And I and I think we got to see who’s going to take the next step, you know, William Mecklan take another step, you know, and obviously Wet Mack and Will there’s it’s going to be some challenges again there in their second year, but can Colin Graph really establish himself as a full-time N National Hockey League player. Uh can Shakir really take off from where he was playing uh and giving us some really good minutes and and seeing the potential. Uh Cam Lung came into the end of the year, you know, similar to Colin Graph the year before, we’re not really sure, can he surprise us in training camp. So, um, there’s going to be a lot of competitiveness in camp. Um, and like I say to all these guys that come in, uh, every year there’s a new draft class that comes. So, uh, if you don’t put the work in in the summer, if you’re not skating, if you’re not lifting, if you’re not getting your body prepared for it, you’re going to get passed. And that’s what we’re trying to build here in San Jose is um competitiveness, you know, and that’s not just on, you know, when we play the LA Kings or the Edmonton Orioles, that’s, you know, when training camp in day one of training camp and we drop a puck and it’s mono mono mono, like who’s going to come up with the puck? Um, you know, who wants that job as the, you know, third line center or the fourth line winger? Who wants that job as being the fifth defenseman that can kill penalties and really establish himself in the National Hockey League? So, um, that’s the bar that needs to continue to r, you know, kind of be risen to the top and see who who kind of can take a job and run with it. So, um, like I said, there’s a lot of lot of players coming. There’s a lot of excitement. Um, but who’s going to be the guy now that kind of jumps on it and says, “Hey, I’m going to I’m going to help this team and I’m going to establish myself as a National Hockey League player.” Well, coach, you know what? I really appreciate the time. And by the way, if you didn’t want to do this chat with me, this is your fault. This is what you get for going out and winning gold. So, you walked walked right into this one. But, uh, have a great couple weeks. I’m sure we’ll talk after the draft. And, uh, thanks again. Thanks for having me, Brody. It was, uh, obviously a special experience. And hopefully, you know, we can start building this thing in San Jose because we’re all excited. And um you know next year is going to be even more exciting than this

Brodie Brazil sits down with head coach Ryan Warsofsky fresh off his gold medal run with USA at the IIHF Men’s World Championship.