SIEGEL: What can you do outside of that arena just in terms of player development?
POULIN: It’s a little bit of a fine line because they’re playing on a current team right now and in no way do you want to coach a player. So the communication probably starts with their current coach or their current general manager.
So for instance, if they’re playing in the [Ontario Hockey League], take a Nazem Kadri. Have we been into London several times? Yes. We communicate closely with both Mark and Dale Hunter, the general manager and the coach. We all want the same thing. We all want maximum performance, but in no way are we coaching a player to do what we want him to do. We’re trying to support the position he’s in right now and make him a better overall player and it’s through communicating, through encouraging however it may be but we don’t coach a player where he’s at.
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AM640's Jonas Siegel posts a good interview with VP of Hockey Operations Dave Poulin. Worth a read as he outlines the development process and the team's approach to players from scouting through to when they sign with the team.
