LAS VEGAS — If the Toronto Maple Leafs go with someone like Joe Pavelski to be their next head coach, Logan Stankoven could see it working.
One day before the Carolina Hurricanes face the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final, Logan Stankoven sat down for a one-on-one with The Hockey News after the team’s practice at T-Mobile Arena.
“I mean, if that’s the way he wants to go, I see him being very successful,” Stankoven said, citing the veteran’s personality, recent experience and proven ability to connect with younger players.
“It was nice just being able to live there and learn from him and you could see why he played so long, just the way he takes care of his body and whatnot, and, yeah, that was a blast for me. It was a good learning experience,” Stankoven said.
Those months reinforced to Stankoven why Pavelski earned such widespread respect around the league, even from players who never shared a locker room with him. Stankoven pointed to his leadership, hockey sense and willingness to mentor as standout traits.
“I think just his leadership. He’s not a flashy guy, the way he plays, like, he’s so good with his stick. He’s not the fastest guy. He’s not the biggest guy. But he reads the game so well, and he’s really smart, Stankoven said about Pavelski. “For me being a smaller guy, it was cool to learn from him. Like, even before or after practices, he’d kind of pull me aside and we’d work on tips and stuff. And he was, like, he’s the best in the game at that. So it was just cool to learn from him and see what made him successful.”
“I think just his personality and his demeanor, it’s easy to see why he could get a coaching job. Yeah, I mean, just shortly removed from the NHL.
Stankoven, 23, sees a clear advantage for coaches who have only recently left the playing ranks, especially in an era when the game continues to speed up and systems evolve.
“Teams do play a different way. Each team has their own system, but just the way the new era is, I mean, younger guys coming up and the way the game’s gotten a little bit faster and systems have kind of changed from back in the day a bit. So I think, if younger guys that are shortly removed from the league, I think they’d have a better understanding of what they need.”
He added that recent players often relate more naturally to today’s roster because they have lived through the same modern demands.
“I think from just personal experience, coaches that have played in the league, like, recently they relate to, they understand you, being through it all.”
Stankoven’s own rapid rise from that Dallas living-room mentorship to contributing in the Stanley Cup Final shows the lasting impact of learning from someone still fresh off the ice.
