Bruins Coaching Search

burstnbloom

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Carbery is an intriguing option for me too. He has a really good reputation having come up in the ECHL and won their coach of the year there. He did a year under Jay Leach in Providence before getting the head coaching job in Hershey, where he won coach of the year there. He was in charge of the Toronto power play last year, which famously sucked before he got there despite its $50+m cap hit. He changed it up and it became lethal. In Hershey his teams forechecked hard, were great defensively and scored a fair amount of goals. There are a lot of unknowns given how little NHL experience the guy has, but the Toronto press talked him up a lot this year. I'm happy Sweeney is talking to him. No way to know how he is with players but Matt Moulson said he loves him on Spittin Chiclets, for whatever that's worth (not much.)
 

RIFan

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@BruinsNetwork had a good quick overview of the candidates
View: https://twitter.com/BruinsNetwork/status/1537066260067979270?s=20&t=9uotTszVp3PtsYkUDI4x6Q


Each candidate here provides something different, let’s start with Jim Montgomery. Once the head coach of Dallas, Montgomery held a .567 and .609 PTS% from 2018-2020. He was fired, sought treatment for alcoholism in rehab and then joined the Blues.
Montgomery also went 125-57-26 for Denver in the NCAA. He’s got a really solid track record in high-level hockey, including recently playing for the Blues. For what it’s worth, I’ve heard players really like him and he would probably be a solid fit here
Jay Leach would be my top candidate if I were hiring for the position. I’ve been around his locker room and I’ve spoken to just about every player to come through Providence under him. His guys rarely take a night off and are hardly ever unprepared
Leach, as head coach of Providence, finished his seasons with .625, .572, .661 and .680 PTS% respectfully. He’s had his hand in developing various NHL players so far, like Zboril, Clifton, Frederic, Steen, Lauzon, Vladar, Kuhlman and Vaakanainen.
Joe Sacco, no disrespect to him, but I truly don’t believe he’s a legitmate candidate for this position, nor should the Bruins be promoting him for it. I don’t see how that’s much of a different voice from Cassidy as he was on his bench the whole time.
Spencer Carbery is very intriguing and I love that he’s getting a look. Leach’s former assistant in Providence and HC of Hershey, Carbery is a forward-thinking hockey mind. Has a good handle on the way the game is trending and worked wonders on Toronto’s powerplay.
Carbery has worked his way up from the ECHL, to the AHL and now the NHL with Toronto as an Assistant Coach. His record as HC of Hershey saw him with a .618, .653, .758 PTS% respectfully. He’ll be in the NHL as a head coach sooner than later, IMO.
David Quinn is interesting because we all know how he did in New York and the results weren’t great. That said, he’s also another guy who says all the right things and players generally speak well about. McAvoy has played under him and that’s a valuable connection.
Quinn probably wouldn’t be my first choice, but after speaking to various people in the hockey realm who are much smarter than me, I wouldn’t hate the move. Keep in mind as well, Quinn is from my hometown and I know plenty of people close to him. He’s highly regarded.
In Quinn’s defense, though, he really wasn’t bad at all in New York. Like I said, not great, but not bad my any means, IMO. Quinn had .476, .564 and .536 PTS% respectfully in New York. I’d imagine he had a positive impact on younger guys during that time as well.
 

joe dokes

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Carbery is an intriguing option for me too. He has a really good reputation having come up in the ECHL and won their coach of the year there. He did a year under Jay Leach in Providence before getting the head coaching job in Hershey, where he won coach of the year there. He was in charge of the Toronto power play last year, which famously sucked before he got there despite its $50+m cap hit. He changed it up and it became lethal. In Hershey his teams forechecked hard, were great defensively and scored a fair amount of goals. There are a lot of unknowns given how little NHL experience the guy has, but the Toronto press talked him up a lot this year. I'm happy Sweeney is talking to him. No way to know how he is with players but Matt Moulson said he loves him on Spittin Chiclets, for whatever that's worth (not much.)
Basically everything @burstnbloom said. Up-and-coming guy, has had success everywhere he's been, he's spoken of highly, has embraced analytics and seems forward-thinking. I like him over a retread like Trotz (who's been mentioned, but doesn't seem like a true candidate for the B's job).
Sounds a bit like a new-school version of what Cassidy was at the time of *his* hiring.
 

Zososoxfan

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@BruinsNetwork had a good quick overview of the candidates
View: https://twitter.com/BruinsNetwork/status/1537066260067979270?s=20&t=9uotTszVp3PtsYkUDI4x6Q


Each candidate here provides something different, let’s start with Jim Montgomery. Once the head coach of Dallas, Montgomery held a .567 and .609 PTS% from 2018-2020. He was fired, sought treatment for alcoholism in rehab and then joined the Blues.
Montgomery also went 125-57-26 for Denver in the NCAA. He’s got a really solid track record in high-level hockey, including recently playing for the Blues. For what it’s worth, I’ve heard players really like him and he would probably be a solid fit here
Jay Leach would be my top candidate if I were hiring for the position. I’ve been around his locker room and I’ve spoken to just about every player to come through Providence under him. His guys rarely take a night off and are hardly ever unprepared
Leach, as head coach of Providence, finished his seasons with .625, .572, .661 and .680 PTS% respectfully. He’s had his hand in developing various NHL players so far, like Zboril, Clifton, Frederic, Steen, Lauzon, Vladar, Kuhlman and Vaakanainen.
Joe Sacco, no disrespect to him, but I truly don’t believe he’s a legitmate candidate for this position, nor should the Bruins be promoting him for it. I don’t see how that’s much of a different voice from Cassidy as he was on his bench the whole time.
Spencer Carbery is very intriguing and I love that he’s getting a look. Leach’s former assistant in Providence and HC of Hershey, Carbery is a forward-thinking hockey mind. Has a good handle on the way the game is trending and worked wonders on Toronto’s powerplay.
Carbery has worked his way up from the ECHL, to the AHL and now the NHL with Toronto as an Assistant Coach. His record as HC of Hershey saw him with a .618, .653, .758 PTS% respectfully. He’ll be in the NHL as a head coach sooner than later, IMO.
David Quinn is interesting because we all know how he did in New York and the results weren’t great. That said, he’s also another guy who says all the right things and players generally speak well about. McAvoy has played under him and that’s a valuable connection.
Quinn probably wouldn’t be my first choice, but after speaking to various people in the hockey realm who are much smarter than me, I wouldn’t hate the move. Keep in mind as well, Quinn is from my hometown and I know plenty of people close to him. He’s highly regarded.
In Quinn’s defense, though, he really wasn’t bad at all in New York. Like I said, not great, but not bad my any means, IMO. Quinn had .476, .564 and .536 PTS% respectfully in New York. I’d imagine he had a positive impact on younger guys during that time as well.
Where are Torts and Trotz on this list??
 

RedOctober3829

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"David Quinn is scheduled for an in-person interview for the Bruins coaching position next week, according to a source familiar with the situation. The native of Cranston, R.I., is considered one of the two leading candidates to replace Bruce Cassidy.

Jay Leach, the other front-runner, has yet to interview, according to a source close to the former Providence coach. The source indicated Leach will have an interview at some time.

Quinn has the personality that general manager Don Sweeney would prefer in his next coach: positive, engaging and uplifting. Cassidy’s demanding style with his players, especially his younger ones, prompted Sweeney to fire him at his house on June 6."

https://theathletic.com/3371306/2022/06/17/david-quinn-bruins-coaching-search/?source=rss&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
 

joe dokes

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"David Quinn is scheduled for an in-person interview for the Bruins coaching position next week, according to a source familiar with the situation. The native of Cranston, R.I., is considered one of the two leading candidates to replace Bruce Cassidy.

Jay Leach, the other front-runner, has yet to interview, according to a source close to the former Providence coach. The source indicated Leach will have an interview at some time.

Quinn has the personality that general manager Don Sweeney would prefer in his next coach: positive, engaging and uplifting. Cassidy’s demanding style with his players, especially his younger ones, prompted Sweeney to fire him at his house on June 6."

https://theathletic.com/3371306/2022/06/17/david-quinn-bruins-coaching-search/?source=rss&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
I suppose it's possible that Quinn has learned from his previous NHL gig.
 

cshea

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RedOctober3829

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Quinn would be an underwhelming choice for me. I'd rather have the Leafs assistant Spencer Carbery or Tampa assistant Derek Lalonde. Quinn was hired to develop the Rangers' young players and it seemed like it came with mixed results. Adam Fox developed into a Norris Trophy winner under Quinn but Kaako still hasn't reached his potential and Lafreinere and K'Andre Miller got better under Gallant. They were also a much better team under Gallant this year than with Quinn.
 

cshea

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In defense of Quinn, I wouldn't take the Rangers success this season as a knock against him. Their numbers were virtually identical year to year between Quinn and Gallant. The only difference is Gallant got Super Nova Shesterkin.

2020/2021 under Quinn 21/22 under Gallant
47.19% CF% (25th) 47.03% CF% (25th)
47% SCF% (23rd) 46.05% SCF% (26th)
46.76% HDCF% (23rd) 47.75% HDCF% (22nd)
47.94% xGF% (22nd) 47.04% xGF% (24th)



As for young player development, I don't know. He took over in 18/19 after they sent out their letter and blew it up. They had a bunch of young guys on that team that have turned into good players, some with other organizations. Not sure if you want to credit him or what, but he had 23-year old Pavel Buchnevich, 22-year old Tony DeAngelo (shitheadedness aside, he can play hockey), 24-year old Brady Skjei, 20-year old Ryan Lindgren.

The high profile players were Lafreniere and Kakko. I'd argue he did OK with both. He had Kakko for longer. Drafted 2nd overall, he made the team and posted a 0.70 points/60 his rookie season and then jumped up to 1.28 p/60 his second year which is a good step forward. He had injury problems which limited is GP and thus the counting numbers decreased. I'm not sure I agree that Lafreniere got better. He went from 1.75 points per 60 his rookie season under Quinn to 1.66 this year under Gallant. These guys also came into the league during weird Covid times which I'm sure wasn't easy to manage.

This isn't to say Quinn is a good coach or Quinn is the right man for the Bruins job, I just dont' think it's fair to point at the Rangers run this year and use it as a knock against Quinn. He did do some good things for them, and has more success stories in player development beyond Adam Fox.
 

RedOctober3829

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In defense of Quinn, I wouldn't take the Rangers success this season as a knock against him. Their numbers were virtually identical year to year between Quinn and Gallant. The only difference is Gallant got Super Nova Shesterkin.

2020/2021 under Quinn 21/22 under Gallant
47.19% CF% (25th) 47.03% CF% (25th)
47% SCF% (23rd) 46.05% SCF% (26th)
46.76% HDCF% (23rd) 47.75% HDCF% (22nd)
47.94% xGF% (22nd) 47.04% xGF% (24th)



As for young player development, I don't know. He took over in 18/19 after they sent out their letter and blew it up. They had a bunch of young guys on that team that have turned into good players, some with other organizations. Not sure if you want to credit him or what, but he had 23-year old Pavel Buchnevich, 22-year old Tony DeAngelo (shitheadedness aside, he can play hockey), 24-year old Brady Skjei, 20-year old Ryan Lindgren.

The high profile players were Lafreniere and Kakko. I'd argue he did OK with both. He had Kakko for longer. Drafted 2nd overall, he made the team and posted a 0.70 points/60 his rookie season and then jumped up to 1.28 p/60 his second year which is a good step forward. He had injury problems which limited is GP and thus the counting numbers decreased. I'm not sure I agree that Lafreniere got better. He went from 1.75 points per 60 his rookie season under Quinn to 1.66 this year under Gallant. These guys also came into the league during weird Covid times which I'm sure wasn't easy to manage.

This isn't to say Quinn is a good coach or Quinn is the right man for the Bruins job, I just dont' think it's fair to point at the Rangers run this year and use it as a knock against Quinn. He did do some good things for them, and has more success stories in player development beyond Adam Fox.
I don't disagree he did some good things with NY. I agree with you that he took over a rebuild and got it to a point where they could contend. I'm probably being harsh on him. I just don't see the fit with Quinn with where this particular group is with Bergeron seemingly coming back. He'd make more sense if they were looking at a rebuilding process and there would be more young players coming in to develop further.
 

amfox1

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Vellucci has an impressive resume and is the oldest and most experienced of the three candidates named above. He served as assistant general manager and director of player development with CAR from 2014-19 and also was the head coach of CAR’s AHL affiliate for two seasons (and won the Calder Cup in 2019). Vellucci then moved to PIT in 2019 as the head coach and general manager of their AHL squad, then moved to the NHL level in 2020 to work with PIT head coach Mike Sullivan.
 

Auger34

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Someone posted this in a thread earlier but someone attended a coaching clinic somewhat recently and said that Quinn was the most underwhelming, least charismatic coach there and that he also trashed advanced statistics…definitely doesn’t sound like a coach that I’d want the Bruins to hire
 

Joe Nation

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According to the Globe, there is another name in the mix of finalists: Greg Cronin
Penguins assistant Mike Vellucci and Greg Cronin, coach of the AHL’s Colorado Eagles, are among that group of finalists, a source with knowledge of the process told the Globe.

Cronin was head coach at Northeastern (2005-11), going 87-104-29 and making one NCAA tournament appearance in 2009. The Huskies won three of their 34 games in his first season, but set a then-record for wins (25) in his fourth season.

He quickly earned a reputation as a fiery leader. Then-Northeastern athletic director Dave O’Brien told the Globe in 2005 of his new coach: “After one lunch, I knew he had grit and determination. If you look real closely, those aren’t even his teeth. If you look even closer, those probably aren’t his joints as well.”

Cronin was an assistant at Maine and Colorado College in the 1990s and was interim head coach at both for short stints.. As a player, he was a forward at Colby.
 

cshea

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Straight from Quinn's mouth:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbV-ZcMl1WU


That response seems like a standard coach answer regarding analytics. Sometimes the data doesn't match my eye, but we try to figure out why that is. Butch had similar responses during his tenure. Coaches are always going to be eye test first.

In 2022, I think it's impossible for an anti-analytics coach to be hired in the NHL. The Bruins in particular are an analytically inclined front office. I'd imagine understanding data, crafting strategies, and translating and communicating data to the players is probably at the top of the job description. They aren't going to hire someone who is going to take the data package and throw it in the trash.

I'm not a huge Quinn guy but I feel like he's getting a little bit of a bad rap because he's got local ties and is the only really "known" coach on the reported shortlist. Leach is an unknown (at least in terms of having no NHL experience, realize he's known due to his Providence/Boston time), Carberry is an unknown, Vellucci is an unkown.
 

Dummy Hoy

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Someone posted this in a thread earlier but someone attended a coaching clinic somewhat recently and said that Quinn was the most underwhelming, least charismatic coach there and that he also trashed advanced statistics…definitely doesn’t sound like a coach that I’d want the Bruins to hire
He was actually very charismatic- I just felt it led to him being able to mask other potential weaknesses (a lack of curiosity in progressive ideas?). I think the charisma would go a long way to helping recruit in college and less at the pro level.

But what do I know?
 

burstnbloom

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I think the problem with Quinn is that his rangers teams just looked unprepared most nights. Their 5v5 system was rudimentary and often broken by free lancing and puck chasing, their pk was a joke and the pp was mediocre despite having 3 of the top 10 pp players in the nhl on it. He doesn’t strike me as a particularly savvy X’s and O’s Guy. That can be mitigated if he has strong support and would be ok if he was a good people manager but that locker room seemed fractured and unhappy most of the time. If they pick him, I’ll obviously root for his success but I don’t think a choice like that reflects particularly well on a front office routinely chided for their lack of creativity.
 

amfox1

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cshea

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Fluto aslo lists Montgomery as a top choice in the article. It seems like everyone is agreement on Quinn and Leach being finalists. Seravalli had Vellucci as a finalist; Fluto said Montgomery.

Interviewees that have not been mentioned as finalists, or are confirmed out, Spencer Carbery, Greg Cronin, Scott Sandelin.

Guess we'll find out soon enough.
 

jsinger121

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Watch the Bruins announce it tomorrow at 5pm. A typical news dump heading into the holiday weekend.