CEDAR PARK, Texas – In just a few days, the Texas Stars will embark on their third AHL season. They were so successful in their first two seasons that their Head Coach, Glen Gulutzan, and Assistant Coach, Paul Jerrard were hired to lead the Dallas Stars NHL team.
Jeff Pyle (Photo courtesy of Texas Stars)
“It was a thorough process for us and in the end our management in Dallas felt Jeff was the perfect fit for the job,” White said. “He brings a lot of experience to the rink on a daily basis and has a strong track record of developing players for the next level.”
Coach Pyle wasn’t necessarily looking for a new job, but his timing couldn’t have been better.
“Dallas was talking to me about (forward Ryan) Garbutt (who is now on the Texas Stars roster),” Pyle said. “I knew (Gulutzan) was probably up for the job in Dallas, so I just sent my resume to Scott and asked him to look at it and see what it needed. After a couple of weeks they contacted me and (eventually) offered me the job.”
After a successful ECHL coaching career, he aspired to move up in the Atlanta organization, a move that didn’t happen.
“It wasn’t so much a surprise that I got the job (in Texas) as it is a reward for all the time and effort working for 12 years in the ECHL where I had a lot of success,” Pyle said. “I just wanted to get to the highest level I can and maybe once I’m there I can get to the next level. I was always hoping I could find a place working my way up in the (now defunct) Atlanta (Thrashers) organization through the Chicago Wolves, but I never really got that opportunity. I never expected it to take this long, but in the end it feels really fortunate.”
Despite having to make adjustments to meet the demands of a new job, Pyle really seems to be settling in and enjoying his duties as an AHL coach.
“On the administrative side, the biggest difference is time management,” Pyle said. (In the ECHL), you have to do payroll, immigration, travel, housing and lots of paperwork with minimal assistance. Here, you’re focusing on practice and you can do a lot more video and more (on ice) preparation. You have a lot of players that are very skilled and talented and it’s very exciting to be able to work with them.”
Having the help of an assistant coach doesn’t hurt either. Less than a week after hiring Pyle, the team announced that former San Antonio Rampage Assistant Coach Jeff Truitt would be behind the Texas bench this season. Truitt’s experience in the AHL should play a key role in developing future Dallas Stars.
“Truitt has been phenomenal,” Pyle said. “He knows the league, the guys and the teams. I trust where he’s been and I need for him to have my back and I know he does.”
White agreed.
“Jeff Truitt is a good compliment to Coach Pyle,” White said. “He’s a little more reserved. I like what I see. They’re good people and our culture here is all about that.”
Pyle’s philosophy is that everyone has a role and everyone is afforded input into the way the system evolves. While the overall system is driven by the needs of the total organization, Coach Pyle has implemented some changes that he believes will make the game more fun and exciting for both the players and fans.
“It doesn’t have to be my way in order for it to work,” Pyle said. “I have my little tweaks that I like to do with the power play and penalty kill. I’m kind of an aggressive coach, not a sit-back type coach. I like us to go when we can go and be patient when we need to be patient. Guys need to learn to ‘think the game’ the right way. The players are all talented; they can all skate and shoot, but thinking the game is really important. You try to teach a young kid to be a vet right away because if they can think the game, they’ll play better.”
Scott White’s impression of what he has seen thus far is favorable.
“Jeff is an energetic, vocal coach who gets his opinion across well and communicates well with players,” White said. “He is open to ideas. He’s not one to say we’re going to do it this way. He’s going to listen.”
Pyle wants his players to approach the game in an energetic and aggressive style.
“When we have five on four, why can’t we take a chance?” Pyle said. “You don’t fail when you make mistakes; you fail when you’re afraid to make mistakes. I don’t want (the players) to be that way. I believe in them. I don’t want them to be white-knuckled. When we can go, we’re going and when we can’t we’ll commit to playing defense. You can’t sit back and wait for (the other team to make) mistakes. You have to create (their) mistakes.”
Change is always difficult to implement. Whether or not the players embrace and succeed in the new system remains to be seen.
“The players are a little leery of the change right now,” Pyle said. “I do some weird things. They have to understand there is some structure and commitment that has to be done. After that, it’s up to them to think on their feet. Teams that can do that are the teams that will be the best.”
Although it’s been a long trip to the AHL for Coach Pyle, he didn’t make it alone. Coach Pyle arrived in Austin/Cedar Park with his wife, Cathy and his children, Lauren (11) and Ryan (17) and their dog (age unknown).
“It was hectic when we first moved and really stressful for everyone including the dog,” Pyle said. “We like it here. We’re smaller city people and Atlanta was a little big for us.”
Pyle spent 32 years as a player and coach and credits his late mother, Margaret for giving him the foundation to work hard and be patient, skills he’s passed on to his kids.
“My mother brought up four kids by herself (in Minnesota) after my dad left,” Pyle said. “We weren’t rich and we weren’t poor. I played hockey and she supported us every step of the way. She was my hero. My mother was the best dad I ever had.”
Contact the writer at: mitch.cooper@prohockeynews.com
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