Great Opportunity, High Expectations: General Manager Tim Speltz on the 2024-25 Season

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AHL Henderson Silver Knights

Great Opportunity, High Expectations: General Manager Tim Speltz on the 2024-25 Season

October 3, 2024 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Henderson Silver Knights News Release


Silver Knights training camp has only been underway for three days, but players have already made their expectations for the season clear throughout this first week of practice.

"I like our compete level a lot," said Captain Jake Bischoff on Monday. "I think we work hard, we play the right way...the guys that we brought in, they play both sides of the puck and work really hard."

Defenseman Dysin Mayo echoed those sentiments after the team's second on-ice session of the week. "It's important that we're just always playing hard," he added. "I think that's what [Ryan Craig] expects from everybody."

Those values are a clear priority for Silver Knights General Manager Tim Speltz. But they also serve as a way of connecting each component of a successful AHL team. In constructing Henderson's roster for the 2024-25 season, Speltz has to balance rookies adjusting to the demands of a first professional season, young players taking the next step forward in their development, and veterans both strengthening the competitiveness of the team and serving as leaders.

This buy-in to the work ethic expected of them by the organization helps keep everyone on the same page.

"That work ethic, that compete level is very important, and it starts right at the top," Speltz said. "The guys you mentioned - Bischoff, Mayo - they've been at VGK camp. They understand the culture, they understand what the big team is doing, and we want to carry that with us as well. We want our guys to understand what it takes to be a Golden Knight, a Silver Knight. That helps our players with their development. The expectation here is high, and that's what we want."

In addition to returning leaders like Bischoff and Mayo, the organization also made a number of strong veteran acquisitions this summer. Forwards Callahan Burke and Mitch McLain are foremost among them.

"Burke has been very very good for us, and so has McLain," Speltz said. "Those guys are as advertised. They're good people, good leaders, and they're really good players. That's what we look at in the offseason. We obviously want good players, but when we have our criteria for guys we want to bring in, we want good people and good leaders that can help our young guys."

Although new to the Knights organization, Burke and McLain may already be a little familiar to Henderson fans. Both have visited The Stronghold as Pacific Division opponents over the past two seasons. Burke tallied 39 points (16G, 23A) in his most recent season with the Colorado Eagles and additionally appeared in one NHL game with the Carolina Hurricanes. McLain notched 23 points (16G, 7A) and 112 penalty minutes as a member of the Calgary Wranglers.

"We wanted to get faster this offseason, and I think we addressed our speed with the players we brought in. We also wanted to get a little harder to play against," Speltz added. "We thought that last year there were times when some of our younger skill guys didn't get to play the way we needed them to because other teams took some liberties with them and were a little more physical. He'll make sure that they get the space that they need. But I also know that McLain is an honest, two-way player who can bring that element of grit and compete, and he'll teach our young guys how to do that."

Making sure that younger players in the Knights system have as much exposure as possible to 200-foot hockey isn't just about building a good foundation for their career development. It's also a crucial part of the organization's approach to delivering a winning on-ice product.

"When you look at the whole org, I don't think it's any secret how much we value guys being a two-way player," he added. "This is a team that's won a championship, and it's done that because of the attention to detail and defense. That's winning hockey. That's what the Vegas Golden Knights are all about."

"That's what we want to be about, and I think our players understand that for them to get opportunities at the next level, they have to be complete hockey players. They have to look after their own end. They have to be good in all three zones. That's what we're building. That's the culture, and we want our guys to understand that, get good at it, and be prepared when they get called up."

Last season, Knights fans saw that two-way preparation and work ethic pay off throughout the regular season. A breadth of Henderson players - ranging from sophomore players Brendan Brisson and Lukas Cormier to six-year AHL veteran Mason Morelli - stepped into roles for the Golden Knights.

"Resiliency is really important. We were very satisfied that the players that did go up did a good job in their roles," Speltz said. "They helped VGK keep their place in the standings and their head above water, so to speak, when they were hurt. Last year, and I said it right from the outset, I really liked our team when we were together. Circumstances were not able to dictate that we were together very much, whether it was injuries with us, injuries at the VGK level. And it did affect our team. But I think this year we've added players that will bring more depth to help prevent that."

Some of the organization's young players, like Braeden Bowman, Ben Hemmerling, or Kai Uchacz, will be taking their first steps towards that NHL readiness this season. Others, like Jakub Brabenec, already have that foundation under their belt.

"We've got some young additions, and that's always exciting for us," he pointed out. "These players have had great offseasons, and they're coming into camp ready to be a pro. It's not going to be easy. It's going to be difficult, and I think there's times where we understand that. It's going to take patience on the organization's part, it's going to take patience on the player's part. They're going to want to come in and fit in right away. They're going to want to find their place right away and contribute a lot. And it might take a little longer, and that's fine if it does."

"Sometimes, in some ways, the second year is tougher than the first year. Now there's an expectation both from the organization and our coaching, and also from the player himself. He expects to be better. When you look at a guy like Brabenec, he's done a really good job in the offseason. He's taken a clear step with his strength and his skating. When you've put in the work and things are starting to come together, that step forwards becomes a little more natural. But at the same time, there's going to be a lot more attention from other teams on those type of players in year two. And that's a challenge that they're going to have to accept and something that they're going to have to work through. But when you talk about a player getting more opportunity, it sure looks like he's earned the opportunity to have more, and he'll get that. So we'll see what he's ready for."

Helping young players in this progression of their development while supporting their ability to contribute to the Silver Knights is a difficult balance to strike. Here, again, is where Speltz reiterates the importance of those collective high expectations.

"Development doesn't have to be quick. It can be one step at a time, but it has to be every day. So I think what we're seeing, and what we have seen so far with those players - it doesn't matter who it is - these guys have been good in that they've given themselves the opportunity to get better. We've seen that they're good people and good players. They're committed and they're not going to get in their own way."

"I like that our players are willing to accept the expectations that have been laid out here. We're very proud of what we have here in Henderson. When we look at it, there's a great opportunity because we have great expectations about what we have."

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