Rebels Bench Boss Credits Veteran Players, Assistant Coaches for Success to Date
Published on November 22, 2018 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Red Deer Rebels News Release
The Red Deer Rebels boarded their team bus early Thursday afternoon and headed south to Cranbrook with a share of the WHL Central Division lead.
With the season nearly one-third complete, the Rebels own a dazzling 15-5-1-0 slate. What a ride it's been, a seemingly thrill-a-minute-journey for a team many observers were convinced would struggle due to a lack of offence.
Well, the goals have come at a respectable rate, thanks in large part to the club's first line of 20-year-olds Brandon Hagel, Jeff de Wit and Reese Johnson.
Meanwhile, the supporting forwards have held up their end of the deal and at times, particularly of late, have gone above and beyond that, the blueline corps - led by NHL draft picks Alex Alexeyev and Dawson Barteaux - continues to perform at an exceptional level and the goaltending has been superb.
"A part of it, a big part of it, is our leadership group, and being a good team," said GM/head coach Brent Sutter. "They're playing a team game, they're playing like a team. They all get along with each other and our core group has done a really good job of just leading in that perspective."
Indeed, the veterans have paved the way for the rookies and second-year players in terms of work ethic and attitude.
"Those guys have helped the group as far as allowing these young players, and we have 11 to 12 of them, to find their way," said Sutter.
The path to the top of the division hasn't been littered with rose petals; on the contrary, the team has faced some difficult obstacles and far more often than not has emerged on the right side of the ledger.
"We've had some bumps along the way but we've fought through them," said Sutter. "We've had adversity in games and it's how we've responded to that."
Case in point: Saturday's 5-4 overtime conquest of the visiting Kootenay Ice, one night after ripping the Kelowna Rockets 7-0, also on home ice.
The Rebels struggled to beat the lowly Ice after rolling over a better Rockets squad, yet managed to fight off their frustration and find a way to prevail.
"It's a tough league, every game is a tough game, and that's where the other night was a good sign," said Sutter. "You don't see the true colour of a person's character when things are going good, you see that when things are going tough.
"Like I told the kids after the game, when midnight strikes the focus has to be on the reset button to get ready for the next game. You can't take the emotional level of a great night into the next night or frustration can set in, and that's what happened with our younger players.
"You have to reset, get refocused, prepare the right way and get ready to go again. That was a learning experience for our young kids, a great learning tool. It was as good an experience as we've had to this date in the season, just understanding the importance of preparing for every game, knowing it could be the toughest of the season.
"The mind is an amazing thing. Mentally you have to be solid, you can't have the peaks and valleys, you have to be even keel and grow. That's what's been really neat about the group so far - they're all students, they all want to learn and get better."
Aiding with the learning process in a major way are the club's assistant coaches Brad Flynn and Ryan Colville, both hired during the off-season, and Erik Lodge, first-year goaltender coach Kraymer Barnstable and fellow newcomer Arie Postmus, who helps out both on and off the ice.
"Credit goes to the young staff we have, they relate really well to the younger players, the 16- and 17-year-olds," said Sutter. "They spend time with them and having that group of staff around has been huge for me
"The head coach has to be the hard ass at times, there's tough love that comes with the head coach. The assistant coaches have to be great at being communicators and great at teaching, and that's important with a young team.
"Our older players have done a great job to allow our younger players to develop and our assistant coaches, right through the group, have done a great job of working with the kids in a lot of different ways."
The Rebels, ranked seventh in this week's CHL Top 10, take on the Ice Friday in Cranbrook, then return home to face the Medicine Hat Tigers Saturday at the Centrium.
Western Hockey League Stories from November 22, 2018
- Rockets Weekend Preview - Kelowna Rockets
- Rebels Bench Boss Credits Veteran Players, Assistant Coaches for Success to Date - Red Deer Rebels
- Mad Mondays Return November 26th - Victoria Royals
- Wheat Kings to Salute Agriculture Friday - Brandon Wheat Kings
- Wheat Kings Fall to Oil Kings - Brandon Wheat Kings
- Giants Double up the T-Birds Wednesday in Seattle - Vancouver Giants
- Hawks Lose Close One on Thanksgiving Eve - Portland Winterhawks
- Giants Topple T-Birds - Seattle Thunderbirds
- Rockets Embrace Comforts of Home in 3-2 Victory - Kelowna Rockets
- Stankowski, Hitmen Hold off Hawks - Calgary Hitmen
- Kelowna Edges Pats, 3-2 - Regina Pats
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
