Teaching and learning: Rookies building on lessons that began in bubble

If you've ever tried to teach your kid how to ride a bike … or mow the lawn … or prepare a meal … you know where the Stars' coaching staff is right now.
As Dallas assimilates rookies Ty Dellandrea, Jason Robertson, Jake Oettinger and Thomas Harley, we all have been given a nice view of the learning process. Just watching Robertson grow from his first two games to his last three has been eye-opening. Seeing Oettinger become more and more confident in the span of two weeks has brought a smile to your face. Going on the ride with Dellandrea as he jumps from first line to fourth to first again has underscored just what a chaotic journey it can be.
"As I go on and play more games, I feel like I'm adjusting and I feel more comfortable, and I feel I can see the ice better and it kind of slows down in a good way," Dellandrea said. "I think each game I'm starting to feel better and gain that confidence and grow each game."

It's a matter of patience and detail and planning. When I was helping my kids with their spelling tests, I had something I called the "patented method." On Monday, I would simply lay out the words of the spelling test and have them write them out in a notebook twice. On Tuesday, we would do the same thing. It was easy, but it also reinforced the familiarity with the words while not trying to overwhelm them with memorization.
On Wednesday, I would test in the same order on the list, having them again write out the words while I recited them. On Thursday, I would change the order of the list around, again having them write out the words that I was testing them on.

On Friday, they had the test -- and usually did pretty well.
The concept was if you do a little bit every day, the test on Friday doesn't seem so daunting.
The Stars had a very similar plan with this group of rookies. When they were preparing the extra players for the playoff bubble, they opted to take the kids over a few 20-something AHL players who probably could have helped more if injuries stacked up in the playoffs.
"That's why we brought all of them to Edmonton," Stars coach Rick Bowness said. "Knowing they most likely were not going to play, but that it was important to start to understand the Dallas Stars culture and to be around the pros and see what preparation is all about and see what the National Hockey League is all about."
While the Stars didn't know it would last as long as it did, having those players in the same hotel for two months with all of the veterans was a huge benefit. Bowness said the decision is paying dividends now as Oettinger, Dellandrea and Robertson are jumping right in at the NHL level.

"It was important to involve the kids in Edmonton, I thought that was a tremendous learning experience for them," Bowness said. "Our players know them a lot better now, especially this year with such a short training camp and no exhibition games. Our veterans did a great job of keeping the young guys involved and making them feel part of the team. That definitely helps them feel comfortable in the locker room and on the bench."
Cap management is such a big deal in the NHL now that you have to be able to rely on younger players who are on affordable contracts. With Tyler Seguin ($9.8 million cap hit) and Ben Bishop ($4.9 million cap hit) out for much of the season because of injuries, the Stars need to trust the younger players, because they can bring a level of potential that inexpensive veterans often can't.
Helping them find that potential quickly is key.
So far, the lessons have worked and the training wheels are coming off. When the coaching staff decided to let Oettinger have back-to-back starts, it was a move of trust. When Oettinger came through with another strong performance Tuesday, it showed he was ready.
"He was coming off a great game Sunday and he played very, very well again for us tonight," Bowness said. "We said at the start that he was going to play and he's going to continue to play. We love the way he plays. He's seeing the puck and very confident right now."

Oettinger has lost twice in 3-on-3 overtime, but he now has the experience of playing in 3-on-3 overtime against great players like Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat. Next time he goes out there, he's going to understand the angles and the flow of the puck better. He's going to be ready.
"It's fast and it's exciting," Oettinger said. "Obviously, it's really quick. Overtime comes down to getting some big saves and unfortunately, I haven't been able to do that the last two nights in overtime. In the future, hopefully it's something I can come up with because that's what it comes down to once you get to overtime."
And that's part of the learning experience, just like learning how to adjust when you have a week or two between starts and when you have a day between starts. Oettinger said he believes in momentum and was happy to build on his performance from Sunday.
"I one-hundred percent think that's a thing," Oettinger said when asked about momentum. "Goaltending, a ton of it is about confidence. When you're confident, you feel like the game is slower in front of you and the puck is a little bigger. Whenever you have a solid outing, it's nice to build on it. Obviously, it makes you feel good."
Robertson said the same thing, and you could see it unfold on the ice. In earlier games, he looked a little lost. In more recent games, he's playing with confidence and seeing the game as an offensive player.

"Going over the film for these past couple weeks and talking to different people and seeing how much more time I actually have, it certainly gives me more confidence while I have the puck knowing that I can hold on to it and make more plays," he said.
Just like riding a bike -- or preparing for a spelling test.
Bottom line, there is some teaching being done here, and it started in earnest last season. That seems like a pretty solid "patented method."
"We're asking an awful lot from them right now, but that's where we are," Bowness said.
"We want them to play, we want them to continue to grow. They're a big part of the future of this team. They're the present and the future."

Up next

vs. Hurricanes, Thursday 7:30 p.m. CT
American Airlines Center
TV:FOX Sports Southwest
Radio: The Ticket 96.7-FM, 1310-AM
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Mike Heikais a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter @MikeHeika, and listen to his podcast.