I caught up with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton head coach Clark Donatelli one-on-one Wednesday to talk about his team at the midway point of the season.
Donatelli is in his second full season coaching the AHL Penguins, after being promoted to replace Mike Sullivan on Dec. 23, 2015. Donatelli was previously head coach of the Wheeling Nailers, a position he held since 2011.
We spoke about the different players who have stood out to him, what made the team so successful in the first half of the season, and more.
Q: Wilkes-Barre is in a good position at the midway point of the season, and they've been heating up even more lately. What are the team's strengths that made them so successful in the first half?
A: "Well, I think obviously we had a really good start, we started out 12-2. You know, we talk about the same things as Pittsburgh, playing the right way. In that little bit of a streak, there were four or five games that could have gone either way. Our big thing is whether we're winning a lot or losing, whatever streak we're on, we try to approach the next game the same way, whether we won or we lost the game before it. We can't go back, we can only control what we can control and that's going to be the next game ahead of us. We're going to go out there and execute our game plan. We're going to compete, and execute, and be consistent in our play. This is the standard of how our guys have to play, and usually if we play that way, we usually have success in the win column."
Q: What have you thought about the team's resiliency this season? They've had a good amount of comeback wins.
A: "I think you know, we have our leadership group, the guys are really good. They play a full 60, they never give up. We've had a lot of games where it's come down to the third period, and our guys are comfortable out there playing in tight situations. We won a lot of close games. Our division, and the league here overall, any team can beat anybody. So, you've got to be on your 'A' game, especially our divisional games. We have to play with detail. We have to play the right way, we have to compete, and be consistent in our game plan. We've got to be good with our decision-making, and execute at a high percentage. The big thing for us is to be consistent in our play, and the detail in our habits, and that all starts in practice, and we see that it correlates over to games. The games are fun, but our practices are really hard. Our guys really work hard there, on and off the ice, it's where they get better."
Q: Who has really impressed you or stood out to you this season?
A: "We got a lot of young guys down here. You know, (Jean-Sebastien) Dea has been around a little bit, he's been playing really well. (Zach) Aston-Reese. We got Kegger down here now, (Greg) McKegg's down. You know, (Garrett) Wilson, (Adam) Johnson, (Teddy) Blueger, all those guys, (Thomas) Di Pauli, all those guys are young prospects that if need be could find themselves in Pittsburgh. Those guys are all playing well. On the back end, we're really strong back there, our guys are working really hard. We've got (Andrey) Pedan and (Jarred) Tinordi. (Kevin) Czuczman, (Zach) Trotman, and (Frank) Corrado that just got back. (Chris) Summers. So we're pretty strong on the back end. But like I said, it could be a different player every night, or it could be a bunch of the guys. Our guys really go out there and compete. That's the big thing about us. We stress that to play in the NHL, your consistency, compete, and execution has to be there. We really stress that upon our players."
Q: Aston-Reese had a bit of a slow start to the season. How do you think he's progressed as the season's moved on?
A: "Yeah, we can say he had a slow start, coming out of training camp, but he's really playing well, I want to say over the last 20 games. He's really come on, he's really detailed, he's a very smart player out there. He hasn't got some puck luck, he gets a lot of scoring chances out there. He gets them because he's in the right spot, he's playing good defense first, which creates offense for him. He's real good on the forecheck, he's a big, strong forward. He's really come a long way in the last 60 days or so, it's really good to see."
Q: Do you feel like Blueger's skating or lower-body strength has really improved this season compared to last season?
A: "Absolutely. We saw it in camp, and it's continued down here. Teddy had a really good camp, he hasn't missed a beat down here. He plays a lot of minutes, he kills penalties, he plays against top lines down here, and he does create offense from playing really good defense. He's an overall solid player, and he's really improved a lot over the summer. He worked tremendously hard, he gained a half a step. Teddy's been playing very well for us."
Q: The team has carried something like seven or eight goalies this season, just an absurd number. What has it been like juggling that many guys?
A: "Eight goalies, right? [Laughs.] It's different. When you're in it, you just kind of think about the next one. But to be honest, we lost both our goalies, they were up there. (Casey) DeSmith and (Tristan) Jarry. Anthony Peters came in, and he's really given us a chance to win every game. He's here right now, he's backing up DeSmith. He's played well. It's crazy, with the goalie situation. We got the model here that we control what we can control, and we can't control that, so we just move on and we go and find someone that can come in and do the job. Petey's done a great job for us. But it has been a little crazy."
Q: Do you anticipate seeing Daniel Sprong again this season, with the way he's developed?
A: "Hey, he's up there, he's off to a great start. You never know how the progression goes, he has all the talent in the world. I just wish him the best. I know he's prepared now, just keep it going, right now I'm not too sure. He's there now, hopefully he scores some more goals."
Q: I saw that Tom Kostopoulos started skating again, is there any timetable on him yet?
A: "He did. TK's been on the ice, he's been skating with us the last few days here and progressing well. He's still week-to-week."
Q: Has it been a challenge not having his leadership and experience in the lineup the past few months?
A: "TK, obviously, he's the captain of our team. It's not like he's been completely missing it, he's not on the road, he's not in the locker room at the games, but he's around, and we have strong enough leadership with the guys around him that have stepped up. Our 'leadership group', we call it, is pretty strong and helping out our young guys. I think we have a tremendous leadership group. They pave the way in practice, and really show the young guys, the rookies, on and off the ice how to be a pro. And that's the biggest thing."
Q: Is there an update on Lukas Bengtsson, is he still week-to-week?
A: "Yeah, Bengtsson's still week-to-week, yes."
Q: Has he been working out off the ice, what sort of things has he been doing?
A: "Yeah, he's been working off the ice, he's been working on the ice, too. He didn't skate today, but he's been skating."
MORE FROM WILKES-BARRE
• Jan. 12: at. Belleville, 6-2 win
• Jan. 13: at Laval, 4-3 win
• Ryan Haggerty scored a hat trick on Friday, and had an overall monster two games. His hat trick was part of a 6-point weekend. His 16 goals are a new career high, and his 27 points only trail Daniel Sprong's 28 for the team lead. I spoke with Donatelli about Haggerty's chances for earning a two-way deal at the end of the season, and more. That'll be in next week's Wilkes-Barre Watch. Stay tuned.
• Haggerty wasn't the only one with a hat trick. Defenseman Andrey Pedan of all people recorded a hat trick in Saturday's game, the first of his career, and he did it in only 36 minutes. It was his first multi-goal game since 2014. The last goal set a new career-high for points in a single month with six, only halfway through January.
• Friday's win was the team's sixth straight, tying their season-high win streak. Saturday's win extended the streak to seven games.
• Forward Christian Thomas was named to Team Canada's roster for the 2018 Olympics after impressing in the Karjala Cup and Spengler Cup tournaments. Thomas is signed to an AHL-only contract, making him eligible for the Olympics. You can read more about that, with thoughts from Donatelli, here.
• Cody Wydo was reassigned to Wheeling on Sunday to play in Monday's ECHL All-Star Classic.
• Lines and defense pairings from Saturday:
Zach Aston-Reese - Jean-Sebastien Dea - Ryan Haggerty
Garrett Wilson - Greg McKegg - Christian Thomas
Adam Johnson - Teddy Blueger - Thomas Di Pauli
Freddie Tiffels - Jarrett Burton - Pat McGrath
Andrey Pedan - Kevin Czuczman
Jarred Tinordi - Ethan Prow
Chris Summers - Kevin Spinozzi
• After this week, the Penguins' record of 23-10-2-1 leads the Atlantic Division, and they're second in the Eastern Conference.
• The Penguins have three crucial games this week against divisional opponents. They'll host Lehigh Valley (23-12-2-3) on Wednesday, and visit the Providence Bruins (22-12-3-1) and Hartford Wolf Pack (15-19-3-3) Friday and Sunday.
GOALS OF THE WEEK
Pedan gets the nod for his hat trick on Saturday:
TOP PICK TRACKER
• Defenseman Zachary Lauzon (second round, 2017) is still dealing with a neck injury. He has not played for Rouyn-Noranda since Nov. 26.
• Forward Kasper Bjorkqvist (second round, 2016) had a goal and an assist in two games with Providence College this week.
• Goaltender Filip Gustavsson (second round, 2016) returned to Sweden after earning silver in the World Junior Championship. He led Luleå to a 2-1 win, stopping 21 of 22 shots, in his first game back.
• Defenseman Connor Hall (third round, 2016) was scoreless and an overall plus-1 in two games with the Kitchener Rangers this week.
WHEELING WATCH
Tomorrow's Wheeling Watch will feature a Q&A with assistant coach Riley Armstrong.
PROSPECT FUN THING
The team hosted its first ever Fathers Trip this week!
The dads are here! The #WBSPens are getting ready for their first Fathers Trip. pic.twitter.com/x2JXOoqt5A
— WBS Penguins (@WBSPenguins) January 11, 2018
