Vancouver Canucks development coaches Mike Komisarek and Mikael Samuelsson sat down with Canucks Insider podcast host Chris Faber to discuss the week of development camp.
The group got down to nuts and bolts of the ups and downs of their hockey journeys, talking about adversity and challenges they’ve overcome, resilience, and legacy.
The week was about educating the prospects and building relationships with the objective of having the players get comfortable and learn.
“Sammy and I, what we've tried to do is create an environment that these kids are not worried about being judged, that they're not worried about making mistakes. It started with RJ from the opening meeting,” Komisarek said.
“You want to form bonds and then prioritize those relationships, not only with the players, but the players with the staff. There's a massive support system for these guys.”
The returning players are familiar with the framework and already have relationships to build on, whereas it can be a whirlwind for the new prospects. Komisarek and Samuelsson talked about the leadership they’ve seen throughout camp, with some of the returning prospects taking incoming prospects under their wing, and how they want to build on the character they’ve seen from the group.
“Talent only takes you so far, and that's like a head start, but character takes you a long way, and like every organization wants leaders, leaders are what we try to create here," Samuelsson said. "For them to get a feel for what the management wants, and we get a feel for the players too, so it's such a bonding experience, and we are in this together."
The players will take what they learned at development camp and head home or to their teams to train for the summer. Komisarek and Samuelsson usually reach out to the players after camp and touch base about summer programs and training and will see a few of them at training camp in September.
Listen to this and more as Komisarek and Samuelsson join Chris Faber on the latest episode of the Canucks Insider Podcast.
