With the Thunderbirds’ season just 51 days away, “Voice of the T-Birds” Ryan Smith caught up with second-year head coach Steve Konowalchuk to discuss the team’s outlook heading into the new year, from returning veterans to promising prospects rising through the St. Louis Blues’ organization.

*Some answers have been lightly edited for length & clarity*

RS: Coming into your second year as a head coach, and with lots of familiar faces returning, you have a chance to pick up right where you left off. How much comfort does that provide you and the team, and what will be the overarching message heading into the new season?

SK: Building on the year-end meetings, all of the players seemed excited about the year and the chance to build. Obviously, it was a tough finish, but we were right there and real close to beating a really good team. We’ve got a really good core coming back, and the young guys have another year under their belt, so that should really help. They know how I operate, and I know their personalities, so the expectations of the day-to-day operation should help going into training camp and the start of the season. As a coach last year, you were getting to know your guys and the guys were getting to know you and your expectations, but now they know what I expect of them, and they have pride amongst themselves that they’re a good hockey team, so the expectations are set. At the start of last year, we had to build and put that foundation in place. To me, I believe the foundation is set, and now it’s just a matter of building on it. 

RS: For so many players, the leap from year 1 to year 2 and year 2 to year 3 is so pivotal. There are a lot of players who will be challenging for spots in St. Louis. Outside of production and advanced metrics, what do you hope to see from the young players as they build on the previous season?

SK: It’s a little bit different for each player. They are such young guys (19, 20, 21) that you personally want to see physical growth, where they’re a little bit bigger, stronger, faster. That will enhance their skillset. Once you get bigger, stronger, faster, the game slows down a little bit, and the game gets just a little bit easier for you. That’s the next step for a young player. From there, when you get into training camp and start getting games going, it’s a matter of having that 200-foot game. At the end of the day, that’s a big separator for a lot of players whether they’re in the NHL or the AHL. It’s the 200-foot game, and it’s the little things they do – blocking shots, taking hits to make plays, finishing checks, going to the dirty areas consistently. I think our guys did a good job building into that, but we still want to build on that so they’re ready for the NHL. For me, I want to see who’s got that ability to jump right in where they left off last year and take another step.

RS: With training camp and the onset of a season, you never know what injuries and roster movement can do, but on paper, the forward depth in St. Louis and Springfield is noticeably strong. You may have a wide array of pieces to play with up front. Have you given any thought into what type of game and what kind of group you may have to work with?

SK: It’s exciting and it makes a coach’s job easier because you have competition from within. For about a month last year where we had everybody healthy, we had a sense of what our forward group can be and we put up some really good offensive numbers just rolling the lines. At one point I came in (the locker room) and I told the guys they’ll dictate who will be the first line and the fourth line because we have four balanced lines. That’s something I’m excited about because, on paper, we have that kind of depth where we have four lines that opponents are going to have a hard time identifying what is necessarily the top line. Line combinations will shake themselves out because training camp will dictate some of that. Obviously, everybody on our team has a chance to make the Blues out of camp, so I don’t get ahead of myself because I believe in our guys and they should go in with the mindset that they’re going to make the Blues. 

RS: You had a chance to coach Chris Wagner in Colorado, a player that fans in this area are familiar with from his days with the Bruins. What do you get from Wagner day-in and day-out that statistics don’t show you?

SK: I was fortunate to coach him both in Colorado and Anaheim. First thing is the character – he’s a good leader, leading by example and working hard in practice and games. To me, he’s the 200-foot, well-rounded player. He brings grit, tenacity, is a good faceoff man, can play power play or penalty kill, is versatile, can be a wing or a center. He’s the type of guy other teams don’t want to play against because he’s going to keep going at you. That’s such an important thing on any team, especially at the American League level where you have young players to be able to watch (him). They see there’s a guy who played a long time at the NHL level; how did he do it? He did it because of his compete, his willingness to block shots, and the things that you’re trying to teach everybody. That’s what he’s going to bring, that hard-nosed hockey as well as the ability to score and put up points.

RS: With Wagner, in addition to Matthew Peca, Matt Luff, and Corey Schueneman, you have a strong veteran group. The AHL is often coined a league of development, and I think the average fan may not realize how important it is to have the veterans who’ve been in the fight at the NHL and AHL level before. When you have a core group like this, how tangible is the impact they have on young players?

SK: It’s really important to have the vets, not just for their ability but their character. There will sometimes be growing pains with young players at times, and the veterans that have good character earn the respect of the young player, and the young player will follow them. They can push them a bit. If the veterans don’t have the good character, the young guys may not follow them. With all of our veteran players, the younger guys can follow what they do on and off the ice. On top of the character, you want your veterans to be able to play; chemistry is so important, and when you have a young guy that you’re trying to build confidence with, if you can pair them with a top veteran, it helps them get success and keep that confidence while limiting growing pains. I’m very excited with the veteran group we have; we’re very fortunate to have the right character with good skill mixed to bring in a group of young guys who have more experience under their belt. You want to have the right age with veterans, but you want young, hungry enthusiasm of a young player too. It’s an exciting mix we have.

RS: Transitioning into the incoming rookies, last year at development camp, you had a chance to see a lot of these players. Starting with Juraj Pekarcik, being someone who has grown up with Dalibor Dvorsky in Slovakia, what are your expectations for him, and how big of a comfort is it for the player to have someone like Dalibor that he can look to and see the road map to what his future could be?

SK: It’s always a benefit to see a young guy and a friend go through and have success. It’s funny, they’re both young guys, but one guy (Dvorsky) has put a year behind him and has that experience to help out. With Pekarcik, he has such good 1-on-1 ability and talent that he’ll be fun to work with. Again, it’s about broadening the game. We talked about it with Dvo a lot last year, and hopefully he can now help translate some of that for Pekarcik and make it a little bit quicker for him. Now, that being said, I want to emphasize, like all of our guys in camp, Dvorsky is a St. Louis Blue, so he has a mission to try to make the Blues. 

RS: Quinton Burns is an interesting and intriguing prospect on the blue line for the rugged game he plays. When you hear that description, it almost screams Tyler Tucker, and we’ve seen how much his game has grown in St. Louis. What makes him such an intriguing prospect to work with?

SK: He stuck out last year in the rookie camp for his natural compete level and the willingness to be hard and gritty. From what I understand, that’s his game. That natural level and the size to go with it is a hard combination to find. It’s a special quality he has, and he’s a good leader and very coachable from the times I’ve had to work with him. In today’s game, it’s still so important to have the big, gritty, hard-nosed players. When the other team is looking at the lineup and who they’re playing that night, it’s like ‘we got to keep our head up for this guy.’ To me, Burns can be that kind of player as he grows and develops.

RS: Theo Lindstein is the player garnering a lot of excitement in St. Louis heading into his first North American season. He’s had a lot of success internationally and played in a man’s league in Sweden at age 19-20. The word we hear about him is his offensive poise and instincts. Understanding the North American game is a different animal, what should T-Birds fans be most excited about for what he offers?

SK: His skill level is above average, his poise with the puck, and his ability to make that first pass is a really good combination, plus he’s a great skater. Like most top players, it’s going to be about how fast he can adjust to the North American game in the smaller rink, where they’re coming at you faster on the back end. It’ll be a good learning experience for him, but he certainly has the ability to be a difference maker and a real good solid puck mover and power play defenseman.

RS: If depth is the #1 thing that makes a coach’s job easier, then having a great goaltender may be #1A. You had a chance to have that with Colten Ellis last year. A lot of folks took notice of what kind of big-game player he is. How high do you view his potential ceiling?

SK: Goalies, unlike any other position, take so long to develop. I think many people say it’s usually a five-year road map. He’s on a really good path. I can’t say enough about how well he played for us last year, especially during the times when we were depleted with injuries and going through some growing pains. He was an anchor for us and helped us win games and keep us in it. Goalies are always hard to predict as to who can take the ball and run with it. I see intangibles with (Ellis). He’s competitive, has a bright personality, doesn’t get too high or too low, works hard daily, and became a top goalie in our league. To me, he should be going into St. Louis showing them they have another NHL-ready goalie and make it a problem. For a coach, it’s a luxury when you have goaltending like that. But I’m excited to see Vadim Zherenko as well. He played some games where he was a difference maker. We talk about the time it takes for a goalie to get polished, and it takes a while, but his top games, in situations that might not have been favorable, he went in and got us some wins with big saves. I’m excited for him to take that game and see it more often. With both our goalies, I feel confident in the net.