Guest Coaches Teaching, Learning, Soaking Up Opportunity at Preds Development Camp

Lindsay Tilley thought she was being pranked.

Surely there was no way Barry Trotz was calling again two years after he had first invited her to interview for a guest coaching position at Predators Development Camp.

She didn’t get the gig, and even though Nashville’s general manager promised to keep Tilley on his radar, she figured that was Trotz simply being polite.

So when the phone rang again two years later, Tilley wasn’t sure what to believe.

But if there was any doubt as to who was really on the other line offering her to come to Nashville this week to be on the ice with the top prospects in the Preds organization, all she had to do was look at her surroundings on Monday morning as she laced up her skates at Centennial Sportsplex.

Decked out in Predators gear from head to toe - including her Gold and navy hockey gloves - Tilley had not been duped.

Far from it, in fact.

“Thrilled, beyond thrilled,” Tilley said of the opportunity. “I mean, it's something that I didn't think I wanted until I lost it. Then, for the past two years, I’ve really wanted it. So, I was just beyond delighted to get that call.”

Tilley, a technical skating specialist who owns an all-female company called “HEAT: Hockey Edge Agility Training,” and Reid Cashman, head men’s hockey coach at Dartmouth University, have been serving as guest coaches during Preds Development Camp this week, an opportunity both couldn’t resist.

“When the Preds reached out, it was the easiest no brainer,” Cashman said. “To come down here and to learn and to be around really unique, great people, it’s just awesome.”

Cashman, who played collegiately at Quinnipiac before turning pro as a player, actually spent a season with Nashville’s AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals. The defenseman then turned to coaching, including stops back with his alma mater, and later as an assistant coach with the Hershey Bears - the AHL affiliate of Washington - when Trotz was coaching the Capitals.

Now the bench boss at Dartmouth, Cashman says there are still folks in the Nashville organization from back in the 2009-10 season when he played for the Ads, a testament to not only the culture, but the opportunity that exists at a camp like this.

“There’s not a moment that hasn't gone by that I haven't been able to pick something up, and that’s the coolest part,” Cashman, who also spent two seasons as an assistant coach with the Capitals, said. “At the end of the day, to kind of self evaluate and think, ‘Can we bring that back to Dartmouth? Can I bring that back to our players? Can I bring that back to our staff?’ Or, ‘Hey, they're doing some of the things that we're doing,’ and kind of reinforcing that maybe we're on the right path there. I love the culture of Nashville, and that's something we've worked really hard to create a culture at Dartmouth.”

For Tilley, who comes from a figure skating background, her expertise is now focused on an imperative element of the sport of hockey. While the need to be agile on the ice might seem obvious for a hockey player, to really hone in on the intricacies of the craft can be invaluable, especially at this juncture of a young player’s career.

“It can be a game changer for some players,” Tilley said of the skating instruction. "Unfortunately, you can't hide behind bad skating anymore. Everyone is so good, and it's too fast, right? And so not only the speed, but the deception that you have to have with that speed and to be creative on your feet, I think, is crucial at this level.”

A highlight of the week for both coaches? An appearance from seven-time college football national champion coach Nick Saban, who was in town on Tuesday to meet with players and staff.

“That was a tough one to beat,” Tilley said of meeting Saban. “I think that made me a super cool mom to my kids. That was a highlight for sure.”

“Nick Saban, it’s pretty hard to beat that intimate of a setting,” Cashman said. “Because you can watch the YouTube videos [and hear him speak], but to be in an intimate setting was great. And then I've just looked up to Barry. He was really good to me as an American League assistant, and he was an NHL head coach. He looked after the AHL assistants, and so I've had so much respect for him for a long time. So, to spend a few minutes to pick his brain and to be around him and his staff, there’s not a price you could pay to get that kind of knowledge.”

Yes, this week is about Nashville’s prospects expanding their knowledge on and off the ice, but the coaches benefit just as much. In the grind of a season, the focus can get narrowed on wins and losses. But at this time of the year, the chance to learn and grow is too good to pass up, and everyone takes advantage in a setting like this.

Plus, spending a week in Nashville isn’t half bad, either.

“It's far exceeded my expectations,” Tilley said. “I didn't know really what to expect going into this, but the organization as a whole - I mean, the staff, from the equipment managers to the chefs, everyone has just been so welcoming and so nice and nothing like an intimidating situation that I maybe thought it could be. Everyone's just really excited to get these guys in here and see what they're capable of and what their future is going to look like.”

“I just think that the first-class nature of how they do it is special,” Cashman said. “And the amount of care that this organization puts into every player that's here, and even every staff member that's here; like, outside looking in, you don't always know how much they care about you. And being around and being a little bit behind the scenes, it's so evident how much they care about each individual that's here, and how do we make them better? How do we maximize who these kids are and what they can become? I just think when you're behind the curtain to hear those conversations, it makes Nashville special.”