Hoven did an interview with Marco Sturm in his latest episode of the podcast (Episode 230). Key takeaways:
- Loss in AHL playoffs was a shock, but obviously not good enough. Playoffs are an opportunity to grow and you try to learn from your experiences from the past. Had higher hopes either way.
- End of season recap on players:
Francesco Pinelli: Good kid. Needed to figure things out. It's normal. Had a good summer and stepped in right away. Had a really good stretch where you think "this kid has something." Just needs to be more consistent. Right now he's a good fit as a third-line center. Could play in a bigger role though.
Martin Chromiak: Has a lot of gifts that people don't have. But needs to be more consistent and harder on pucks. These are reasons why you sometimes don't see him. He's proud of how he played in the second half. Glen Gawdin and Charles Hudon helped him a lot.
Andre Lee: He gets a lot of credit for making the team out of training camp. He deserved it. It took about 10-12 games to get him back to the way he was after being sent back down to the AHL. He's not worried about him. You can use him anywhere. Like Iafallo
Aatu Jamsen: Had a tough time adapting to style of play. Different mentality in Europe. Loved it when he played mad.
Angus Booth: Marco loves him. Has known him over the years from development camp, but he looked and played like a man from the start of the season. There were times he held onto the puck too long, but he figured it out right away. Very reliable. Can't say enough good things about him. He comes in every day to work. He's one of his biggest surprises.
Otto Salin: It's not easy coming in at the end of the season especially from another county, but he was solid. Very surprising. Skated really well. Needs to get stronger. Reminds him of Sean Walker. Needs to learn to defend consistently. But he moves and shoots like Walker.
Jared Wright: College kids are older and more experienced, so in many ways they come in better than junior players. Smart. Doesn't play a complex game, which is why he's easy to fit in. Brings a lot of speed. Looks forward to working with him more. You heard "Oooooo" the few times both Wright and Chromiak were out there together with their speed. Needs to learn to use his speed better instead of just dumping it in though.
Koehn Ziemmer: Liked him better than in training camp. He was hurt and couldn't finish his summer program. So he was slower than he hoped to start the season. When he came back in the AHL, he liked him much more. His board work was much better. He has the ability to score like no others have. The rest of the body needs to catch up.
Carter George: They were so excited and happy for a draft pick just like him at this early stage. Hope he continues to progress in strength and ability to be a top guy, because he has that mentality. Very relaxed and calm. Having a calm goalie helps the team a lot. Always had a good feeling with him. The big question was, "Can he do it again?" and he did.
Erik Portillo: He's promising. Hopes he can come back to the way he was before the injury. He was on his way figuring things out.
