Coach leads Hounds with steady hand
He has a calm, relaxed approach and with his steady, stay-the-course leadership, Drew Bannister just might be the most-effective coach the Soo Greyhounds have had since Craig Hartsburg moved on after the 2007-2008 season.
Winners of three in a row and seven of their last eight games, the Greyhounds take a tidy record of 16-14-3 into an Ontario Hockey League break that will last until December 28.
One of the youngest and least-experienced teams in the 20-member OHL, the Hounds have managed to advance in the Western Conference standings — and the job that has been done by first-year bench boss Bannister is worthy of praise.
Easy to talk to and readily available to the media regardless of how the Hounds are playing, Bannister represents an under-the-radar hiring by Greyhounds management that has worked out rather well halfway through a rebuilding 2015-2016 season.
As the even-keeled leader of the Hounds, Bannister has shown an innate ability to take losses in stride without over-reacting while at the same time holding his players accountable.
While careful not to blame losses on individual players, Bannister did not hesitate in giving goalies Brandon Halverson and Joseph Raaymakers a “C minus” grade when I asked him to rate their performance during a December 1 radio interview on ESPN 1400.
And it’s worth noting that since Bannister gave his two goalies the below-average, C- grade, the Hounds have won seven of eight games and received better netminding during that stretch.
While not commanding a high profile, Bannister has shown his leadership abilities as a coach in much the same way that he did in a quiet manner during his four-year playing career with the Greyhounds that included a Memorial Cup championship as a top defenseman and a final OHL season in which he was named team captain.
Some coaches have to scream and yell to get their point across. Others have to play the aloof heavy with the know-it-all approach and the smug attitude.
Then there’s Bannister, who uses his above-average intelligence, hockey knowledge and patient-yet-firm demeanour to get the most out of his players.
He may not be the master motivator that his old Greyhound coach Ted Nolan was.
He does not have nearly the head-coaching experience that the aforementioned Hartsburg has.
And he certainly does not have anywhere near the talented, veteran roster to work with that his predecessor Sheldon Keefe did.
But Bannister has more than made do with what he has in a half-season with the Hounds as a first-time head coach.
Take a look around the OHL and besides Rocky Thompson with the Windsor Spitfires, I do not think there is a coach who has got his team to play beyond its experience level more than Bannister has.
And as a former assistant coach in the National Hockey League, Thompson has more coaching experience than Bannister has.
It’s hard to find much fault with the coaching job that Bannister has done with the Greyhounds to date.
He’s grown quickly on the job and he hasn’t let a couple of losing streaks affect the Greyhounds to the point that forward progress has been impeded.
Under Bannister, the Hounds have corrected their mistakes and shown marked improvement despite being a team with inconsistent goaltending, a blueline corps that is no better than average and an offense that features rookie Boris Katchouk as its third-leading point-getter.
But led by top scorers Zachary Senyshyn, Blake Speers, Katchouk, Gabe Guertler and reclamation project Bobby MacIntyre, an improving defense and two goalies who seem to have got the message from their coach, the Hounds have inched their way into the thick of things in the Western Conference.
It’s only half a season.
But the Hounds are winning the close games of late and are definitely making strides under their rookie head coach and his staff of assistants.
Which brings us to the next point.
Does Greyhound general manager Kyle Raftis stay the course with what he has, does he move an older player to try to recoup high draft picks that he traded away a year ago or does he add an experienced forward or defenseman to put the team in better position in the second half of the season?
Whatever the case may be, let it be said that the Hounds do not have a question mark behind the bench.
Quietly and in his own way, Bannister is doing a very good job with these Greyhounds.
PHOTO: First-year coach Drew Bannister has done good work with the Greyhounds.
Very glad to see this ilk of coach gets appreciation and praise. Arrogance, or screaming and yelling to get results, should not be the way we teach our next generation to behave as they enter adulthood. Well-done Coach. I wish you every success!
Love it! Great story, always a great interview too! Way to go Drew!