McPhee Sees Importance Of Team Bonding For Rookies

Prospects that grow together often become NHLers that win together.
It's not an exact formula with a perfect success rate, but it's solid logic which Vegas Golden Knights GM George McPhee has previously applied and executed upon. A major qualifier is they have to be solid prospects - good players and people. Draft poorly and there's no amount of cultural development that will provide cover.
Growing players isn't precise. A lot can go wrong and it's imperative to put players in the best situation possible.

McPhee's farm team went to four Calder Cup championships and won three during his time as GM of the Washington Capitals. And this success at the minor league level eventually bubbled over to the big club as the Hershey Bears fed player after player to the Caps, who were one of the NHL's most consistent winners during McPhee's time at the helm.
It's a simple formula. Draft good players, bring them along at the minor league level and then promote them to the NHL after they've become dominant in the AHL.
"Having players grow together as a group, to go through the ups and downs which form strong bonds and to have a chance to win and lose important games together, that pays dividends when they get to the NHL," said McPhee. "When players have been in those tough playoff spots in the minors, they're not foreign when they face them in the NHL. The AHL presents challenges which players go through together and then those players become like family. Riding the bus, living together, and cooking together and meeting spouses. It's all part of life at that level and guys that go through it together form strong friendships. That can only help down the road when they're in the NHL."
McPhee will get a chance to look at his prospects and how they match up against those of the Anaheim Ducks, San Jose Sharks, Los Angeles Kings, Arizona Coyotes and Colorado Avalanche.
"It's a different kind of look. A new stage for these players and a chance to see if they can develop chemistry," said McPhee. "It's also a chance for us to evaluate our players and to see if we are drafting the right people."
McPhee began assembling his prospects in 2017. First signing free agent Reid Duke and then giving the process a major boost at that summer's draft.
Duke, Lucas Elvenes, Cody Glass, Keegan Kolesar, Jake Leschyshyn, and Nick Suzuki will be among the VGK forwards at the prospect event. On the backend Xavier Bouchard, Erik Brannstrom, Dylan Coghlan, Nicolas Hague, and Zach Whitecloud will be featured while Dylan Ferguson, Jiri Patera and Maksim Zhukov will get minutes in goal.
The opportunity to evaluate his prospects while they are playing against those of other NHL clubs will be illuminating says McPhee.
"It's a real direct evaluation and you know where you stand after the weekend and how your prospects measure up against five other teams in this league. You get to that point in a hurry," he said.
Prospects get signed or drafted by NHL teams and often return to their college or junior teams where they match up against players selected by their organization. Hague for example played against Suzuki in the OHL last season. The opportunity to play together in a Golden Knights uniform is welcome.
"It's going to be a pretty great week. I know for all of us we are itching to get back into action and play a competitive game. It's going to be a lot of fun," said Hague.
Whitecloud signed as a college free agent with Vegas last season and has already played in one NHL game with the Golden Knights. But he's just getting to know his peer group within the organization and that's another big step in his development.
"There is definitely some familiarity there. Those guys [Nic Hague, Nick Suzuki, Erik Brannstrom and Cody Glass] all have some similarity on getting drafted together and I had the chance to be with them at development camp," said Whitecloud. "At the end of the season throughout the playoffs with the practice group, I got to know each one of them pretty well. To be able to get on the ice, skate together, play on the same team together, and go through camp together will be extremely fun and bring opportunities."