LIFE IN THE FAST MACLEAN

First thoughts on joining the Thunder

I’m ecstatic about the opportunity. I’ve heard so many great things about the organization and the community from colleagues including outgoing staff of the Flames. I’m really excited to get to Glens Falls and get underway.

Thoughts on returning to the Calgary Flames organization

I’m really happy about it. In my first stint, I worked with good people and I was treated very well. [Calgary] is a first class organization and now to have the opportunity to come back into a setting where I can be in a head coaching role and build on the experience I gained in Abbotsford is a great opportunity.

Adirondack is a trip back to the ECHL, what was your previous time in the ECHL like?

I began my coaching career in the ECHL, so the development and relationships I formed during those years are invaluable. I feel strongly about the league and its mission and I am excited to be able to return. To return and work for an NHL-owned team, to me that really fulfills what the ECHL is all about. The goal is to create a winning environment and use that environment to teach young players what it takes to reach their potential as professionals.

You won the Kelly Cup in 2009 with South Carolina, how was that experience?

It was a great experience, I was fortunate to be in a position where we had a great organization with so many good people involved. It’s a tough thing to win. You get to realize how the delicate mix of talent, dedication and a little bit of luck needs to come together. I felt very fortunate to win and happy that I could take that experience forward with me as a coach.

Describe your coaching style for someone who’s never seen your teams play before

Having a strong defensive structure is something that I feel is critical, but I want that to be an aggressive type of defense that denies time and space all over the ice. I also want to instill an exciting brand in terms of the pace and quickness of our play, the amount of damage that we can do in transition and our support on both sides of the puck. I’m a stickler for defensive detail and fundamentals, but we will work just as hard at developing our offensive game through good support and puck possession.

What have you heard about the City of Glens Falls

On the hockey side, our team gets to join a storied hockey community. We’re talking about thirty plus years of professional hockey and everything I hear is that this is the kind of place where the community will get behind your team. Glens Falls is the kind of place where we can really build a great ECHL identity on top of the foundation that is already there.

What are you most looking forward to for next season?

I’m looking forward to Day One of training camp. I’m eager to be in a head coaching position again and I can’t wait to get in front of a group of professionals so we can start working on our team and our players' development. The development aspect is something that I really enjoy and I get to really start working and teaching on Day One.