Coaching Connections

Talk to any coach and they will tell you that one of the most important aspects of the job is connecting with and learning from one another. That’s one of the big reasons the NHL Coaches’ Association (NHLCA) programming creates opportunities for younger coaches to participate in NHL development camps. It’s also one of the reasons that the Kraken are providing those exact opportunities for the fourth straight summer welcoming Seattle Torrent head coach, Christine Bumstead and Jr. Kraken AAA 16U head coach and player development coach, David Min to this year’s camp.

“As coaches, we're always looking to grow and learn, too,” Kraken director of player development Cory Murphy said. “When you bring new voices in with that kind of experience in to add to the camp and provide their feedback and their voice, I think it makes us all better.”

Bumstead’s connection to the Kraken officially began in early June when she was named head coach of the Torrent after serving as an assistant bench boss in the team’s inaugural season. Kraken assistant general manager, Alex Mandrycky called Bumstead with the invite to join the development camp staff – an opportunity Bumstead describes as “cream of the crop.”

But that wasn’t Bumstead’s introduction to the team of people she’d be working with. Among coaches the Winnipeg, MB native credits with getting her behind the bench aren’t just names like Stanley Cup winner, Paul Maurice but also Coachella Valley Firebirds assistant coach, Brennan Sonne.

Before joining the Kraken’s AHL affiliate, Sonne served as the head coach of the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades. It was there that he first heard about Bumstead and invited her to join his staff. She was already working two jobs: as a teacher and as an assistant coach at the University of Saskatchewan, but Sonne saw the value she could bring.

“I said, ‘We don't have room on the staff or budget, but if you want to volunteer whenever you get a chance, please do. We would love to have you,’” Sonne said. “Watching her work ethic and the level of detail she still put into her coaching even though she was already working two jobs, I was blown away. I knew she was going to be a coach.”

The two worked together for two seasons and remained in contact since, as coaches do. Their connection continued to feed each other as their careers evolved. Sonne celebrated when his former colleague was hired into the PWHL. And last season, both were responsible for the power play with their respective teams, so touching base was common (Bumstead has even used Firebirds clips to inform her players).

Another friendly face welcomed Bumstead to the camp. She reconnected with Kraken goaltending coach Colin Zulianello, who, like Bumstead, coached Team Canada at the World Deaf Ice Hockey Championship. The two were not in the program at the same time, but identified with how their communication skills strengthened through that experience as it challenged them to be bilingual and focus on communicating with clarity, a skill Sonne specifically praised in Bumstead’s coaching style.

“That was a moment for me to see hockey beyond like the competitive sport, or the job that it is,” Bumstead said. “My time in Saskatoon with the Blades was a big turning point (as well). My time with Paul Maurice, my time here and with the Torrent. There's everything along the way, and you just have a running log (of all you’re absorbing). I have a box of journals that I'm always writing things out when I hear them from coaches and sharing those things, and then those are ones you flip back to all the time to make sure whenever you need something, or remember, ‘So and so said that,’ you can always look back on those.”

You can bet that Bumstead’s journals had a lot of hefty entries from her time at Development Camp. She came to the experience open to whatever she could learn but found opportunities to understand more about what the Kraken do in strength and conditioning; medical support; and other work behind the scenes. Seeing the steps an NHL organization takes to prepare young talent was also vital as the PWHL’s drafting cycle often has players selected in June taking to pro ice in November.

“The PWHL game is different than the NHL game,” Bumstead said. “That's also something  that we can share and provide – the different little nuances within our game or the little nuances within our athletes and how we develop them. You have to work with those players …they're very successful and elite where they're playing, but you want to craft them and develop them to be elite and successful here as a Seattle Kraken or as a Coachella Firebird, right? So that's something that's important, and we are able to have those conversations between the dev staff and myself.”

Another connection built this week was the one forged between Bumstead and Min. While both work on the ice at the Kraken Community Iceplex (KCI), their paths hadn’t formally crossed. But the Torrent coach had seen Min around – as have so many, and that extensive connection with the community is part of Min’s purpose.

A Seattle area native, Min was joining the development camp staff a second time through the NHLCA program. Since 2024 when Min first participated, he’s added coaching the AAA U16 Jr. Kraken squad to his list of responsibilities that includes leading multiple programs at KCI, working with Kraken players returning from injury, and building up a summer skate program to support the growing base of elite players that call Seattle home.

“I'm a local here,” Min said. “I grew up playing minor hockey here. I played AAA hockey here. I just love being part of the organization. Whether it’s working with youth, our rec league, adult, NHL, I just love building the game of hockey, especially for the city. I try to be ready for whatever that gets thrown at me day to day, and I try to be a better teacher.”

Being part of the development camp staff has definitely helped with that. Min says the knowledge gained in terms of preparation for practices and drill planning has been essential. Understanding how to recreate specific in-game scenarios and adapt practices to the skill level and size of group he’s working have been big areas of growth.

“You need to be like a private chef sometimes,” Min says. “How do we make any repetition feel real, whether it's the speed, the pressure, or the type of read that's available? You want to always try to recreate a certain scenario that happens during the game, and you want to replicate that in a controlled setting, so you're always asking yourself, as a coach, when I'm creating a drill or running through something, how is this connected to the game?

“(Here at camp), just hearing different thought processes and ideas on execution has been tremendously helpful.”

And while skills work is Min’s passion, and on ice is where the application happens, working with the Kraken staff has also helped him become more well versed in the off-ice work that leads to building successful players. A presentation that team consultant Frans Nielsen gave on faceoffs this week was particularly illuminating.

“Seeing their process behind the scenes, seeing the way that they execute during a presentation, just the prep work behind the scenes is incredible, all the detail that goes into it,” Min said. “And then when you execute it, you have to do it in a timely way with precision to minimize information overload. The staff simply does an incredible job providing world class development for these players.”

And Min delights in what comes after these learning moments. He talks about “connecting the dots” for his younger players. They can see him on the ice working with players drafted into, or playing, in the NHL. And then they see him coaching them as younger players, too. That opens a door to see people from Seattle getting the opportunity to work with – or become! - some of the best hockey players in the world.

“It's a little bit easier to let them know this is what’s required at the top of the top,” Min said. “Whether they're doing something fundamental, or they're doing something more complex, or just their lifestyle habits, or consistency and focus that needs to exist in order for you to be a successful hockey player, that messaging is obviously easier as is inspiring those kids to keep going, keep pushing, and do the right things constantly.”

While camp officially concluded on Thursday with the annual Stucky Cup game, (where Min and Bumstead faced off behind opposite benches – Min’s Team Blue took home the trophy in a 4-1 win), both are excited by the knowledge that the connections sustained and formed over development camp will only strengthen.

“We coaches love to talk. We could sit around and talk about hockey,” Murphy said. “Just getting a different perspective, you can see the passion comes out right away (from both Bumstead and Min).

“We had (Bumstead) running the bench and you could see her getting prepared and the competitive fire. It was great to have her on the ice. I’ll be following the Torrent for sure.

“And we’re super happy to have (Min) here. I walk in the building (KCI) at six o'clock in the morning, and ‘Minner's’ out there on the ice doing his thing, so I think I think the work ethic of both of them is very evident, and I think that's something that you notice right away.

“It's really great to meet them. I have a coaching background, and once you come into contact with someone, it's just another resource. It's another person to run something by because everyone has different lived experiences that maybe can help you in your path. For sure I'll be staying in touch with both of them.”