Catching up with a coach and prospects at Sharks development camp
Posted by David Pollak on July 18th, 2008

Some NHL teams invite the public to check out their prospects each summer at their development camps. Not the Sharks. In fact, San Jose keeps the daily sessions on the ice as private as possible. The teamâ€^TMs explanation? No fans plus no media equals no distractions.

And though each day starts with a 6:30 a.m. shuttle from the hotel and can continue until 5 p.m. or so, the PR staff will make players available to the press afterward. Between that and an opportunity to spend a little more time with Coach Todd McLellan, I figured it was worth sacrificing a day of my free time and convinced the boss to put me on the payroll.

The interview with McLellan shows up in Saturdayâ€^TMs print edition, so letâ€^TMs just focus on the players here.

I wanted to talk with the Sharks initial picks each of the past two drafts, centers Justin Daniels (as well as twin brother and left wing, Drew) and Logan Couture.

Normally, phone interviews are set up on draft day with the Sharks top selections. But this year, San Jose didnâ€^TMt choose anyone until the third round, and Daniels wasnâ€^TMt on the premises in Ottawa.

â€oeWe were actually playing golf to get our minds off it and not sit through all the picks,” Justin said. While he and his brother were on a course in New Jersey, dad was monitoring things at the draft and relaying information.

The Sharks made Justin the 62nd overall pick, and then, in the seventh round, took Drew with the 194th. The brothers grew up in Rockland County north of New York City, then played prep hockey at the Kent School in Connecticut. Next year theyâ€^TMll play for Sioux City of the USHL before attending Northeastern in September 2009.

Drew said at this point, who was drafted when is irrelevant.

â€oeIt doesnâ€^TMt matter,” he said. â€oeThe draftâ€^TMs one thing, but weâ€^TMre all part of the same organization and it doesnâ€^TMt really matter where you go.”

Neither said they spent much time wondering what it would be like to be drafted by the same team.

â€oeWe really didnâ€^TMt even discuss it,” Justin said. â€oeWe thought it was a pretty slim chance.”

Couture carries a higher pedigree as a first-round pick, having been taken ninth overall in the 2007 draft, with the Sharks orchestrating two trades to move to a spot where he was still available. But he suffered two concussions this past season with the Ottawa 67s, and I wanted to ask him how he was feeling.

â€oeIâ€^TMm healthy,” he said. â€oeI took a couple weeks off after the season just to make sure, and I havenâ€^TMt had any symptoms for a long time so I think itâ€^TMs passed now.”

Couture said the first concussion resulted from an open ice hit after he took â€oekind of a suicide pass from a defenseman and I didnâ€^TMt see the guy coming.”

The defenseman who fed him that pass? Turns out it was Julien Demers â€" the Sharksâ€^TM fifth-round draft pick this year.

Couture said there were no hard feelings. â€oeI didnâ€^TMt really say anything,” he said. â€oeWhen he saw it, he knew he made a mistake.”

The second concussion came as he was leaving the ice, then was pushed toward the bench where he collided with a pad placed on the vertical edge of the Plexiglas.

The Sharks have two forward spots open in San Jose with the departure of Curtis Brown and Patrick Rissmiller. (In case you missed it, Brown signed a two-year contract to play in Switzerland and Rissmiller was picked up by the New York Rangers). San Jose hesitates to identify which prospects could make the jump to the NHL, but Couture has to be considered a candidate if he performs well in training camp and heâ€^TMs aware of that.

â€oeIâ€^TMll come into training camp hoping to make the team,” he said. â€oeYou always want to set your goals high. But if I donâ€^TMt make it, Iâ€^TMll go back to Ottawa and take another year there as a leader and one of the older guys, trying to improve my game and see what we can do in that league.”

********** The story in Saturdayâ€^TMs paper on McLellan concentrates on the transition into his new role â€" from the family front to what contact heâ€^TMs had with players.

But we also talked a little about coaching philosophy, and though most of that will end up in a future story, Iâ€^TMll throw a nugget into the mix now.

Comparisons to his predecessor are inevitable, if maybe a little awkward. I mentioned that Ron Wilson liked to emphasize the need for all five skaters, not just the defensemen, to be responsible in their own end of the ice. McLellan picked things up from there.

â€oeYou know what? I think thatâ€^TMs a real valid point.” he said. â€oeI would like us to do those things, but I would like us offensively to be more conscious about some things like five-man units and have some principles on offense. I believe you can teach offense. I believe that players can learn how to score more efficiently. For as much as I want us to be as good on defense as any team in this league, you still have to score goals to win.”

********I also ran into the Sharks G.M. and asked again about the Ryane Clowe situation. Doug Wilson said there were no new developments. If he was particularly frustrated by the fact what he considered a handshake agreement last spring hasnâ€^TMt yet led to a signature on a contract, he didnâ€^TMt let it show.

• http://blogs.mercurynews.com/sharks/2008/07/18/catching-up-with-prospects-and-a-coach-at-sharks-development-camp/

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