Bickel Working Firebirds ‘D’ to Fourth Power 

Coachella Valley Firebirds head coach Derek Laxdal was smiling ear to ear, eyes widened with delight, as Kraken Training Camp opened last September for minor league prospects a week ahead of NHL regulars reporting.

“Oh, Stu is going to be busy this season,” said Laxdal about assistant coach Stu Bickel working with not one nascent American Hockey League defenseman, nor two or three, but four Firebirds blue line rookies.

The referenced long days are a credit to Bickel’s dedication. He makes a point of frequent 1-on-1 meetings with all defensemen on the CVF roster. His go-to currency is video clips, reviewing what each D-man did well in recent games and where the player’s game can improve. Bickel, who appeared in 76 NHL games as a defenseman with the New York Rangers and Minnesota over a 10-year pro career, pays close attention to rookie D-men. He took on Ville Ottavainen in the 2023-24 season and Ty Nelson last year. Both are now helping mentor the four new teammates.

The AHL rookie quartet includes Tyson Jugnauth, selected in the fourth round of the 2022 NHL Draft and coming off a juniors season in which he was named Western Hockey League defenseman of the year. Three defensemen from the 2023 draft class are part of Bickel’s rookie brigade: second rounder Lukas Dragicevic, third rounder Caden Price and fifth rounder Kaden Hammell. All four defenders have played significant games and minutes, in part because veteran defenseman Gustav Olofsson was on the long-term injured list for two months from late October to late December.

“Goose being out of the lineup really sped up the maturation process of our young D,” said Laxdal. “Some of these D might not have been in the lineup every night, but they were in because of that injury. Expectations [regarding the four rookies] were met, from my standpoint and our coaching standpoint. But there are still a lot of areas, nuances of the game to learn, such as breaking pucks out under pressure, not forcing pucks through the middle of the ice. We started to see these guys round out into young professional defensemen [by early December].”

Like many AHL assistant coaches, Bickel is a skilled video editor, typically sending players customized video files ahead of in-person meetings.

“I think a big part of the individual video is finding areas of the game where we can use our strengths,” said Bickel. “Identifying those situations allows players to see that we can make certain plays in those situations. It's important for the newer players to build confidence.”

Connecting Player Development to AHL Experience

Bickel’s approach aligns with the Kraken player development group, especially the concept that each prospect has a suggested pathway to make the NHL roster. Some of the young defensemen might be encouraged to be more active on the offensive end or get reps as a power play quarterback, while others are molded to be shutdown defenders and penalty killers.

“I've had a lot of different conversations about what roles we see guys ultimately playing in the NHL,” said Bickel. “And what we should be working towards as far as the style of play [for each defenseman prospect]. That’s where I think it's important to emphasize individually the sort of path for each player's development.”

Jugnauth is delivering on his potential for contributing as an offensive playmaker and goal-scoring threat. He has notched four goals and 20 assists for 24 points in 31 games. He leads all AHL rookie defensemen in scoring and ranks third overall among all AHL D-men. The 21-year-old is concurrently gleaning what’s required in the defensive part of his game to advance to the NHL.

“Juggy is doing a lot of things he didn't have to do in juniors,” said Laxdal. “Like box outs [net front], get into bodies, playing a certain way and not playing such a high-risk game. Just let the game come to him a little bit. He's taking some huge steps there.”

For his part, Jugnauth appreciates the unified approach from Bickel and the director of player development, Cory Murphy, who mentored Jugnauth as a prospect during his NCAA and juniors stops.

“They are both pretty similar in their messaging and what they want to get across to me,” said Jugnauth. “A lot of it carries over from what Cory and I worked on last year. The biggest difference is being face-to-face with Stu ... they're both phenomenal, and I am learning a lot from them.”

Detailing the Route to NHL

Like his fellow rookie defenders, Dragicevic knows Bickel has played at the highest level and learned the NHL defenseman skill set while playing for AHL teams as well.

“I think Stu is very, very good with the little details,” said Dragicevic following arguably his best game of the season in a win at Abbotsford, BC, in early December. “When we watch video after a game, he points out the little details that really make you think about the game, which then makes the game a lot easier. I feel really fortunate he's there with me.”

Bickel has devised a checklist of items to put Dragicevic in the optimal position to grow his game and advance as a pro. The six-foot-one, 200-pound defender embraces the tough love.

“There's a lot of stuff with skating and gap control, also D-zone details,” said Dragicevic. “Stu's been really great. He's been harping on me every single day, which I really appreciate. It shows that he cares. He definitely cares a lot. That's something he carries with him. His passion for us to get better.”

Building the Relationship On and Off Ice

Before he embarks on any hockey season as a coach, Bickel knows a first step is finding a comfort level in relationships with each player under his tutelage. Providing direct feedback, even as he looks to accentuate the positives, still can sting for young players as a season unfolds.

“The comfortability is established with each player at a different rate,” said Bickel. “There's no substitute for playing in games and being in game situations as far as that development goes. We can tackle a lot in practice as much as we want. What we're actually seeing in the games may be a little bit different. That's where we're trying to do. Work with each individual every day to address different areas in their games that they need to work on in order to get to the NHL. It requires different conversations with each player about the roles we ultimately see them playing in the NHL.”

Price and Hammell both credited Ottavainen, Nelson, Olofsson, and other veteran Firebirds defenders with sharing their knowledge.

“Things have been positive all season,” said Price, who turned heads in Kraken Training Camp and has done the same with setting up frequent scoring chances for the Firebirds. “I can see my improvement, and teammates are always willing to answer any questions.”

“The D-corps has been great, just working with them,” said Hammell, who has scored four goals this season and impressed all Firebirds players with his willingness to get into a couple of recent scraps against older and formidable foes. “Obviously, Stu is amazing. I feel like we can connect on a lot of different things on the defensive side of play. He's got lots of knowledge for the game.”