On Wednesday, the Montreal Canadiens’ social media posted an exclusive interview with the director of hockey development, Adam Nicholas. While it’s a short read, it’s an interesting one not only for how he assesses some of the players he has had the opportunity to work with since joining the organization, but also for how he fits into the Canadiens’ organigram.
Throughout the season and the offseason, players like Lane Hutson and Ivan Demidov receive high praise for their work ethic and for showing up to the rink early, but Nicholas should definitely also be mentioned in that conversation. The former Toronto Maple Leafs skills development consultant is never far behind when they get on the ice; often, he’s even ahead of them. While he’s there to teach first and foremost, he brings in an energy that is highly motivating for the players, and he’s had quite an impact on the team since he was hired
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Nicholas doesn’t work in a vacuum, though; he explains that he has tentacles with both the coaching staff and the analytics and sports science departments. Essentially, he uses all the information at his disposal to make sure the players are as suited as can be to the Canadiens’ brand of hockey, which has dramatically changed since the arrival of Jeff Gorton, Kent Hughes and Martin St-Louis. He uses the information he gets from the sports science department to help players improve off the ice as well.
Speaking about the coach, Nicholas praises his emotional intelligence, which he describes as just right; he knows how to deliver his message clearly and concisely and isn’t solely focused on the Xs and Os. That’s a definite plus considering how much of the Canadiens’ system relies on reads and decision-making on the spot rather than implementing a precise schema on the ice. The director of hockey development also likes the way he empowers people and asks for their opinion, but he’s his own man and won’t necessarily take all suggestions.
Over the coming months, it will be interesting to see how much of a role new associate coach Derek Lalonde will have, and how much of an influence he’ll have on the bench boss. His experience may just come in very empty when it’s time to change things up in the playoffs. In the Eastern Conference Final against the Carolina Hurricanes, at times, it looked like St-Louis was out of answers or ideas to turn the tide on the series.
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Nicholas also commented on Cole Caufield saying that what makes him such an elite goalscorer is his short-term memory, he doesn’t get stuck in the past, in bad games and mistakes. That should come in handy this season since the snipper didn’t perform as well as he would have like in the postseason.
As for captain Nick Suzuki, he recalls labelling him “The Cognition King” a couple of years ago because of how well he processes information, recalls patterns and executes at a high level while still being predictable- not for the opponents, but for his teammates- making their job that much easier. He also adds that Suzuki knows what’s coming when he’s on the ice; that’s a quality that has always made great players.
Finally, he says that what separates Lane Hutson is his work ethic. He explains that many players have his kind of skills, but he is relentless in honing his craft, which gives him such an important edge. That quality, combined with a high-level hockey IQ, makes him a winner. Thankfully for the young defenseman, in the Habs’ organization, he’s found a skills coach as relentless as he is, a match made in heaven.
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