April 9, 2009
Jeff Blashill (Robert J. Meyer/USHL Images)
USHL.com today begins a series of web and media features focusing on some of the special players, coaches, fans and management of America's fastest growing hockey league.
As USHL fans know, not only does the League provide great players to the NHL, but it has an extraordinary relationship with NCAA hockey as the top league in North America for players bound for college. As the Clark Cup playoffs begin in the Midwest, and the Frozen Four NCAA championship commences in Washington, D.C., USHL.com checks in with one of our own – who has more than a passing interest in both of them.
Jeff Blashill, USHL alumnus and the rookie Head Coach and General Manager of the playoff-bound Indiana Ice, has made it back to the USHL after spending the last six years as assistant coach at Miami University (Ohio). As the Ice prepare for a first-round Clark Cup series with the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders, and the Redhawks make their first appearance at the NCAA championship, we talk to someone who's been intimately involved in the success of both.
USHL.com: You had spent six years on the coaching staff at Miami prior to this season and helped build that program to what it is today. They just qualified for the first Frozen Four in school history, so is it a bittersweet feeling to be watching from a distance instead of being behind the bench?
Blashill: It's really not bittersweet at all. Would I have loved to been on that bench when they were celebrating the regional win? Yes. I wouldn't be human if I wouldn't have wanted to enjoy that moment with a staff that I had worked so closely with for six years and players that I have great relationships with. But, that is why it's not bittersweet. I love those guys and love the group of players they have over there. They are great kids. Head coach Enrico Blasi, assistant Chris Bergeron, and Nick Petraglia are all guys I have great relationships with and I care about them deeply. I was their biggest cheerleader and I was really excited for them to have that kind of success.
USHL.com: Miami currently has 16 players on their roster who played in the USHL, so from your experience what does this league mean to a collegiate program?
Blashill: We knew that kids who came out of this league were prepared to be great hockey players from day one at the next level. Our main recruiting pool was out of the USHL, and that is evident by the number of players they have on that roster.
Ultimately, the USHL has such a great collection of talent that if you can come in as a university and do a good job recruiting from this league, you are going to have a chance to be a Top Ten program like Miami has over the last four or five years. The USHL has had a huge impact on the success at Miami, which is evident not only by the number of players, but by the number of impact players that are playing for Miami right now.
Blashill is a rookie behind the bench, but he's no stranger to the USHL, having guarded the nets as goaltender for the Des Moines Buccaneers for three seasons (1991-94). He was a part of the Bucs' 1992 Clark Cup championship, and with an 18-7 won-loss record helped lead the team to the Anderson Cup during the 1993-94 season posting.
USHL.com: Can you take us back to your playing career in the USHL?
Blashill: I was fortunate because I spent three years in Des Moines, and all three years I got to be a part of some great teams. Every year we had a team that had a chance to win a championship and certainly you can't say that every year in sports. So it was a pretty exciting time for me.
USHL.com: What do you remember about the playoffs during those seasons?
Blashill: I have fond memories of my first year in Des Moines because we won the Clark Cup so that was awesome. We got to two other national championship series in Des Moines and really had some exciting times. Unfortunately, probably because I didn't execute in net in those two tournaments, we didn't do as well as we wanted.
USHL.com: What was your approach as a team on those great squads during the playoffs?
Blashill: I had the opportunity to play for Bob Ferguson and his record speaks for itself. He is an outstanding hockey coach and a really outstanding man. His approach during the year was similar to his approach during the playoffs. It was to some level, 'Let's do what we do very well, not over-analyze the other team, and let's be good at what we do.' As we moved to the playoffs, we didn't change a lot of things. We kept our same routine and kept playing our same (style of) hockey, knowing if we did that to the best of our ability, we knew we had a good chance to win.
USHL.com: What is your fondest memory of playing in the Clark Cup Playoffs? Is there a moment either on or off the ice that sticks with you from those times?
Blashill: I don't know if there is that one moment. I think it was more the collection of the experiences you go through in those playoff situations, and doing so with some great teammates who are still good friends. Some of them are still in the game, like Eric Rud – he was a teammate of mine, and now works at St. Cloud State as an assistant coach. And one of our dear friends, Nick Krueger, who was on those Des Moines teams for three straight years, was subsequently an assistant coach in Des Moines for a few years. Those are just a couple of the many guys from those years. Going through that experience with them was just awesome and really enjoyable.
USHL.com: What do you take away from those days as a player and utilize in your life now as a coach leading a team into the playoffs?
Blashill: I certainly have applied a lot of lessons I learned from Bob (Ferguson) to our team this year. Whether it is playing style, or the discipline with which he ran our teams - we try to run our organization with that same discipline. I will apply some of those lessons heading into the playoffs. Our focus is to execute and to enjoy the moment. This is the time of year you play for, so we want to enjoy the moment but keep the focus on playing our game. Hopefully if we do that to the best of our abilities, we give ourselves success.
USHL.com: All aspects of the game are important during the playoffs, but goaltending always receives greater attention and scrutiny at this time of year. Brett Bennett has been a workhorse for your squad this season winning 35 games. As a former goaltender yourself, what are your thoughts on his play for your team heading into the playoffs?
Blashill: Brett has done an outstanding job for us all season. No disrespect to anyone else in the league, but in my opinion, he is the best goalie in the USHL. He has been very consistent and for us to have success in the playoffs, he is going to have to execute to the same level he has throughout the season. As long as he can play to that same level, he gives us a chance and I expect him to continue doing what he has been doing. His focus from the first day he got here all the way to this point in the season has been outstanding. I think that increased focus has led to great consistency throughout the season.
USHL.com: Beyond goaltending, what other players are key to a successful playoff run?
Blashill: One player who has been a leader from 'Day One' is Brent Gwidt. He is a three-year player in Indiana, so he has experience. He went through a tough series last year when the Ice were a number one seed and lost to a number four seed. But I think those types of experiences can really help you as you move along in life and hopefully this helps him to prepare our team properly for this upcoming series. He has been our leader all year long, he is a great captain, he has done everything I have asked him to do, and he has done a really great job of leading our team.
USHL.com: Acquiring a player the caliber of Mike Cichy during the season had to be a big boost for your club. What does he bring to your team?
Blashill: We have a lot of talented hockey players, as do all the other teams. Included in that top group is Mike Cichy, who we were able to get near the trade deadline. He is talented, but more importantly, he has come here and really worked hard at both ends of the ice. Anybody who watched the Red Wings win the Stanley Cup last year knows that talent alone is not enough because you need those talented players to truly be committed to defense. Mike Cichy has done a great job because he is a talented hockey player who has also been committed to defense. Hopefully those two examples, Cichy and Gwidt, will help lead our team.
USHL.com: How do you feel after now completing your first regular season in the USHL?
Blashill: It has been an extremely enjoyable year. The competition within this league is outstanding, the level of players is outstanding, and the level of coaching is absolutely at the top of any league in any country anywhere.
USHL.com: Have you met the expectations you set for yourself and the team?
Blashill: I believe at the time of the draft last year, we had only five returning players on our roster, so from an organization standpoint, we weren't sure what to expect because it is truly a whole new team from last year. We all had our expectations, but we just weren't sure. These guys have come in, done a good job of adapting, and they really have been a pleasure to work with.
Jim Paliafito, the VP of Player Personnel, has handled a number of drafts, including the one this past year, since I was hired just before the draft. He has done a great job. Our organization has been very fortunate to have him over the last few years. He really helped reload, from what was a great team last year, and gave us a chance to win this year as well.
The USHL is celebrating its 30th season of junior hockey in 2008-09. With over 160 players already committed to NCAA Division I schools and 16 NHL Draft picks playing in the league, the USHL is the nation's foremost producer of junior hockey talent. For more information, visit us on the web at www.ushl.com.
