PHILADELPHIA – It’s not clear if it was his coaching of GM Ron Hextalls’ son Brett at North Dakota or his winning records every season or his ability to mold young talent into NHL ready prospects. It might well be there’s something in the water here in Philadelphia that makes everyone want to hire college coaches. Regardless of reasoning, Dave Hakstol is the new Flyers head coach. Many think this is a poor choice. Fans in Philly we’re practically drooling over the thought of Mike Babcock behind the controls of the ever changing rollercoaster we know as our beloved hockey team. But it was not to be, and Hextall may have just brought us the Chip Kelly of the NHL.
At first, you may wonder, who exactly is Dave Hakstol? He attended the University of North Dakota and played hockey there from 1989 to 1992. He moved on to play minor league hockey with the Indianapolis Ice and the Minnesota Moose, before retiring from play to become an assistant coach for the Moose in 1997. In 2000, he started coaching as an assistant at his alma mater at UND, and four years later became head coach. Since, he’s lead the Sioux to the NCAA Frozen Four 7 times, making the final once. He was never able to win the National Championship. He was honored with being named the conference coach of the year twice, once in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association Conference in 2009, and in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference this past season (2015). He has an overall record of 289-141-43 at North Dakota, which is very impressive by college standards. But how would that translate over to the NHL level? After all, Hakstol is the first coach to make the jump from college directly to the NHL since Bob Johnson did it in 1982 (he won a Stanley Cup 9 years later with Pittsburgh).
Most notably, Coach Hakstols program has produced stars such as Jonathan Toews (won two Stanley Cups with Chicago in 2010 and 2013 and in the Final this year), Travis Zajac (Stanley Cup Finalist in 2012 with New Jersey), TJ Oshie (Olympic hero for the USA and perennial All-Star with St. Louis), Zach Parise (Olympic team captain for USA, Cup finalist captain for New Jersey in 2012, All-Star with Minnesota), and Matt Greene (2 time cup champion defenseman with LA). He has also produced wingers Drew Stafford, Brock Neilson, Matt Frattin, and current Flyer Chris VandeVelde. Having Hakstol in the locker room may be just what VandeVelde needs to get back to scoring more. He averaged 32 points a season at North Dakota, and the Flyers could use all the secondary scoring they can get this coming season. Coach Hakstol likes to play a strong two way game, and be especially strong in the defensive end of the ice, something the Flyers drastically need work on. A perfect example of this concept of his coaching carrying over to the NHL is Chicago captain Jonathan Toews. Toews is a +171 in his 8 seasons in the NHL, and is most comparable in my book to Bobby Clarke. He’s very strong on the puck offensively, but is perfectly capable to come back on defense to make a strong play, block a shot, or start a break out for the Hawks. Something the Flyers need to be able to compare to a player currently on the team, not a captain they had 30+ years ago.
Hakstol is coming to Philly knowing the need to win is high, and that Ed Snider’s patience is very, very low. Snider wants this team to win now, but Hextall, the teams GM, says he’s not willing to risk the team’s future by trading away young talent to be better in the short term. He wants to craft the young talent they have, build through the draft, and make future stars out of kids just coming out of college (or in some cases, juniors in Canada).
Either way, the Flyers needed a coach ready for that task. Someone who knows how to teach younger players the way, be able to get them all on board and working toward one goal, the ultimate goal. The Stanley Cup.
Am I saying Mike Babcock could not have done that? No, heavens no. Babcock helped Detroit be a consistent playoff contender during his time there. He developed talent and took it to new heights every year. But, in my honest opinion, he’s not right for this job.
Dave Hakstol is the perfect man for the job. A college coach who’s had all the success you can without winning a championship, knows what needs to be said to the younger players to get the message across. What about the veterans you ask? He’ll use them and the assistant coaches to help get it across. If Giroux, Streit, Simmonds, and Lecavalier follow his lead, guys like Voracek and Brayden Schenn and Matt Read will follow. This team and this city have waited too long for another parade down Broad Street, and they may have to wait just a little longer.
Hakstol and Hextall may have the winning formula Philadelphia has waited over 40 years for. Hey, the gamble with Chip Kelly is working with the Eagles isn’t it? The Flyers may have found their coach of the future, and the future is now.
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