Q&A with Head Coach Steve Martinson
Published: Friday, October 12, 2012
We caught up with Allen Americans Head Coach Steve Martinson as the hockey club begins pre-season play this weekend vs. Texas. Hockey season is here and no one is more excited than the Americans' new head man behind the bench.
Q: What are your opinions of the first few days of Training Camp? How does the team look?
Steve Martinson: “We came into camp and we knew were going to have skill and depth up front. Some of the young guys have looked really good and it will make some decisions really tough. The problem is that the proven, skilled guys and veteran guys have also looked good. It’s a good problem to have. The big thing is the addition of some defenseman. We came in with only four signed, on paper, and we knew we were going to get (Mike) Montgomery. We had five. We knew we needed to add some defenseman but I was confident that the guys we wanted would be available.”
Q: Who has caught your eye among the defensemen?
SM: “Well, getting a guy like (Brett) Skinner was big for us. We have guys we have confidence in to quarterback the power play but to get guy like Skinner, a Denver University star, and one of the best types of a player you will get at this level. He had 47 points in the American League. Skinner can carry the puck in and can quarterback the power play. There is also Derek Matheson. We were looking for a big-bodied defenseman who could play against the other teams’ physical lines and then we’ve got Drew Daniels who we just picked up. He was a seventh round pick by San Jose. He’s also played center and is versatile.”
Q: What can fans expect to see in this year’s Allen Americans team?
SM: “The difference between this year and last year is the style of play I like to implement. We will intimidate more with our forwards. Our defense has to be mobile and has to be able to move their feet. We will beat the trap and the one-man fore check a lot with our defense. They have to be able to play a certain way. When people look at our team, the style of play will look a lot different than what they’ve seen in the past. I think fans will like what they see. It certainly will be entertaining.”
Q: How physical do you want the forwards to be?
SM: “Consistently physical. Relentless. When they opened up the game, some people thought it was more of a skill game. But the flip side of that is that if you have guys that can fore check and hit, you can’t hold them up. So when you play these same teams over and over again often, they’re going to get a steady dose of our forwards. When you have guys like (Kip) Brennan and (Darryl) Bootland and (Ryley) Grantham and big wingers like (Adam) Pineault, (Bradley) Gallant, (Chapen) Leblond - big bodied guys - we’re going to have some guys that want to fore check and like to hit people. That adds up over time.”
Q: How excited are you to start the season?
SM: “I can’t wait to get playing. The veteran rule in this league and the quality of life here in Allen has given us the ability to attract some quality veterans. I’m really excited about the lineup that we have. Right now if you said, ‘What do we need?’ there really aren’t a lot of holes. With (Steve) Silverthorn, we have a veteran goalie that’s won a championship. We’ve got physical defensemen, and we’ve got skilled defensemen. And the biggest thing we have is mobile defense. We’ve got a ton of skill up front but we also have power. We are ready to go.”
Q: What will the lineups look like this weekend in the pre-season games?
SM: “Friday night we’re going to get some of the try-out guys in there and some of the young guys that are fighting for a spot. And Saturday night in Allen we’ll hone it in a little bit – Bootland will be back in and Kip will be in and we’ll be able to play an aggressive skilled game and it will be fun to watch. And a fun game to coach.”
Q: How has it been working with Richard Matvichuk, Craig Ludwig and Steve Duchesne on the ice during practices?
SM: “I’ve been coaching for 16 seasons now. This is going to be a fun team. I get to work with Matti and Craig and Steve have been on the ice with us, and it’s been great. I’ve been used to doing everything myself for 16 years. Right now they’re doing the first half of the skating drills and the practice and it’s been good for me to have the time to watch our team. For the first time in my career, I was able to sit in the stands for an hour and watch the scrimmage and that is very valuable for me. These things I’m not accustomed to. It’s an advantage and a luxury. It’s really nice to have NHL defensemen working with your players and talking about the wealth and experience that they have, and then of course we have the current NHL players who are practicing some with us, that brings another element. I think it’s kind of nice for our guys to skate with Ray Whitney. Can you imagine going to camp and getting a chance to skate on a line with Ray Whitney? The guys can learn a ton just by watching them. Everything has been first class – from the meals to the locker room areas – it’s all top shelf here with the Americans.”
Q: How did you become a coach?
SM: “I found I had a passion for it. After my playing days I went out and got a business degree and got into financial consulting. It always looked like I was going to get into business. I ended up coaching a pro roller hockey team. I did it to meet the owners and the team and the league because I wanted to make the contacts for the financial consulting. I liked it. And found that I liked it a lot. Then they were forming a new league and Don Waddell recommended me to Ron Hahn in San Diego and the rest is history. I love hockey and I have a passion for it. I could talk it all day long. When you’ve got guys like Richard and Craig around, there are two more guys who love the game and it’s made this a lot of fun.”
Q: Who or what has been the biggest influence for you as a coach?
SM: “As a player I was kind of a hired gun so I played for a lot of different coaches, and I saw what worked and what didn’t work. I think the one thing you cannot be a phony in this job. I pride myself in being able to measure what a guy can do and push him. I push guys in different ways to be at his ability level consistently. I want teams that work hard. The one thing that we have here this year, and it makes a big difference, is that our top guys on the payroll are leading by example. They’re working hard on both sides of the puck. Those are the easiest teams to coach. When your top forwards are playing a complete game, it trickles down among the entire group. I’ve had the most success with those types of guys – those complete guys – than a guy that led the league in scoring. We have some good players here and it should be a fun year.”
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