Boston Bruins: Player Development Is Crucial To Success Moving Forward For The Organization
As evidenced by the latest coaching changes made within the Boston Bruins organization, the new direction for the franchise is dependent on a concentrated effort to player development.
Both Bruce Cassidy and Jay Pandolfo have served roles within the Bruins’ organization that has centered around player development along with general manager Don Sweeney who was promoted from his role that primarily dealt with player development and progress of drafted players in the AHL, college and junior levels.
Bruce Cassidy spent the last five seasons running the ship down in the AHL as the head coach of the Providence Bruins. He was also an assistant coach with the team from 2008 until 2011, which points to a “hire-from-within” culture being important to the Bruins’ organization.
Mark Divver of the The Providence Journal tweeted out this quote from Cassidy following his promotion to the Boston Bruins.
Bruce Cassidy: “I’m looking forward to it. I think it’s time. It’s been eight years in Providence.'
— Mark Divver (@MarkDivver) May 24, 2016
Cassidy’s track record as a head coach with the Providence Bruins speaks for itself as the P-Bruins went 207-128-21-24 with him at the helm. Qualifying for the playoffs in four of his five seasons as the head coach also bodes well for his resume, even though Providence never got out of the second round of the Calder Cup playoffs.
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Jay Pandolfo and Bruce Cassidy worked closely together in Providence with Pandolfo’s title being director of player development. The emphasis on developing prospects within the system in today’s NHL — especially in a salary cap era — is at an all-time high, and the Bruins are taking measures to keep developing their players once they reach the NHL level.
Teams are always looking for young players on entry-level contracts or equivalents who can step-up and be plugged into the roster. The Boston Bruins have been able to do so recently with players such as Noel Acciari, Ryan Spooner, Zach Trotman, Joe Morrow, Landon Ferraro, and others. It’s important to find effective players who can perform at the NHL level without many hiccups, and making a conscious effort to support those players at the NHL level with people like Cassidy and Pandolfo and even Don Sweeney who spent so much time working with them in the AHL is important.
Next: Coaching Changes Made In Boston
Per the Bruins’ official website, some of the players that are currently in the Bruins’ organization that played under Cassidy in Providence include: Torey Krug, Kevan Miller, David Pastrnak, Zach Trotman, Ryan Spooner, Colin Miller, Seth Griffith, Joe Morrow, Malcolm Subban, Tyler Randell, Frank Vatrano, Brian Ferlin, and Noel Acciari, among others. Promoting Bruce Cassidy and Jay Pandolfo to the Boston Bruins coaching staff will provide a familiar face to some of the newly-promoted players and could spark some confidence in the younger players moving forward.