"But, you know, that's an experience I haven't even come close to living. We hired him because of the kind of person he is and the kind of mentor we think he's going to be for our players. "I think from my perspective, what Vinny had to go through all those years ago is an added bonus," Appert said. "If you know the language, if you understand, if you can laugh with the players, and if you can be part of that locker room, it makes the transition that much easier," Prospal said. His own experience will also be extremely valuable for those on the Amerks who may be going through similar circumstances like Russians Novikov and Viktor Neuchev, who both signed their entry-level contracts this year. In his youth, Prospal came to the United States to follow his hockey dream but had no understanding of the language. Sometimes we just have 30-minute phone calls that we don't even talk about hockey." …We've kind of built this relationship that's to hopefully help him, but it's a friendship, as well, and we lean on each other. "(With Ryan) we've developed a special relationship in the last two years. We had a monthly Zoom call, so Nikita and I have been able to build a relationship. "So, with Nikita, it's been mostly video and Zoom calls and text messages.
"I've had a relationship with both Nikita and Ryan, the last two years," Paetsch said. His connection with the players will be invaluable as the Amerks look to make another Calder Cup run. Appert believes the three of them will mesh well together which will help strengthen the bond between the players and the culture.Īlready very familiar with the organization and its players, Paetsch was an ideal candidate based on his strong relationships with the Sabres prospects, including Nikita Novikov and Ryan Johnson. The NHL experience between Paetsch and Prospal was very appealing to Appert throughout his search process however, he shared that the most important factors were each candidate's character and personality. Very, very excited."Īs the 71st-overall pick in the 1993 NHL Draft, the former winger played in 1,108 career games, tallying 255 goals and 765 points over 19 seasons with the Flyers, Senators, Panthers, Ducks, Lightning, Rangers and Blue Jackets. It's going to be a huge change of scenery for me and my family, but I'm very much looking forward to it and it's going to be great. "So, I'm very much looking forward to this. "Since the first phone call, I knew that I'll be working with great people and everybody in the organization - Rochester, Buffalo - they've been first class," Prospal said. In his final three seasons before retirement, the defenseman served in a mentorship role with the Amerks, playing limited minutes while helping guide young players. Prior to serving as a player development coach, Paetsch appeared in 167 NHL games with Buffalo and Columbus and was a member of the Sabres' Presidents' Trophy winning team in 2006-07. We're excited to have both of them on staff and I'm looking forward to working with them." "Just immense amounts of character, competitiveness, leadership, and experience that they're going to bring to me and our players.
Most importantly, family-oriented guys that have a mindset of lifelong learning and teaching. "Very excited to add Nathan and Vinny to our coaching staff," Appert said during Monday's media availability. Paetsch and Vinny Prospal will join Amerks coach Seth Appert on the bench for the 2023-24 season, replacing Michael Peca and Mike Weber, who left to pursue assistant coaching opportunities in the NHL. The former Sabre will now embark on a new journey with the organization as an assistant coach for the Rochester Americans. Nathan Paetsch has spent the last two seasons as a player development coach for the Sabres, providing support and resources for Buffalo's top defensive prospects. JOINING AMERKS COACHING STAFF AN 'OPPORTUNITY OF A LIFETIME' FOR PAETSCH Jul 11, 2023
0 kommentar(er)
