Trevor Letowski’s hockey playing days may be behind him but he’s staying in the game.
The former NHLer, who retired in 2010 after a pair of seasons in Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League, last Friday was named the head coach of the Ontario Hockey League’s Sarnia Sting.
The 36-year-old Thunder Bay native spent the past three seasons as an associated coach with the junior club, filling in for 18 games in 2011 and compiling a 7-10-1 record guiding the Sting.
Letowski, who played 616 games in an NHL career that took him to Phoenix, who drafted him 174th overall in 1996, Vancouver, Columbus and Carolina, said he wasn’t sure what to expect when he first stepped behind the bench.
It was an eye-opening experience, he said.
“I quickly found out that that energy and the passion that I’d always felt as a player on the ice, really it was just still there,” Letowski said last Friday when the announcement was made.
“I knew from a very early point this is something I really wanted to do.”
He said he thinks he’s got the necessary experience to guide the Sting, who finished 35-28-1-4, despite the loss of No. 1 overall draft pick Nail Yakupov, who played in Russia during the NHL lockout, and No. 3 pick Alex Galchenyuk, who quickly found a home and regular role with the Montreal Canadiens, when NHL play resumed.
“Whether it’s our first-line centre-man or a player that’s struggling to stay in our lineup, I have been there,” Letowski said during a 25-minute news conference.
“I’ve been in their shoes, I’ve felt what they’re feeling and I think that’s a huge advantage for me. There’s no pretending. It’s going to be an open book and expectations will be high for every player.”
Letowski, who spent his junior career in Sarnia and went to the world junior championship with as a member of the Sting, said he plans to preach keeping an even keel and always punching the clock to his players. He added he plans to draw from having had an up-close and personal look at how some of the best coaches in the game operate.
During his NHL career, Letowski played under the likes of Jim Schoenfeld, Mike B abcock, Marc Crawford and Doug MacLean.
“I consider everything that I learned from those individuals invaluable,” he said.
Letowski is looking forward to helping develop the next generation of hockey player.
“The Ontario Hockey League is one of the best development leagues in the world. This is going to be our focus, the development of our players,” he said.
“Most of our players come to us when they’re 16- or 17-years old. They leave us when they’re 20. They’re very important years in their development, both as hockey players and as people. We’re going to keep a close eye on these kids and really develop them in all aspects of their life.”
It’s those abilities that convinced Sarnia management to make the move, said Sting vice president of operations Bill Abercrombie.
“The thing we like the best was probably his communications skills and the way he’s been working with our young players,” Abercrombie said.
“Our team is very young going forward and we have a lot of response from our players speaking highly of Trevor and wanting Trevor. It was a big factor.”
