Who do you target for your coaching staff?

Sucker Punch · Post by **Sucker Punch** » Sat Jul 26, 2008 7:11 am

My biggest problem when hiring a staff is finding competent defensive coaches. On all my teams, I want to have at least one guy whose preferred style is defensive, but they're few and far between, in my experience.

There are two guys I check out in my games though (I'm running TBL db, if it makes a difference).

The first is Marc Habscheid. In my games, he's always been somewhere between an average and very good coach, with a defensive style, and will sign on as an assistant in the NHL or AHL.

The other guy is Igor Boldin, but he's much more hit and miss. Sometimes he's as good as Habscheid, sometimes he's so bad just being near the team could sink an ECHL club into the toilet. He will sign as an assistant in the NHL, but won't come to the AHL at all.

Another little tip (that honestly feels like cheating to me, similar to trading cheaply for Marc Staal/Bobby Ryan), is to sign recently fired head coaches. The majority of them will join you as an assistant, and some will even be an assistant in the minors. After a few years, I usually have the best (and most expensive) coaching staff in the world.

And does anyone have any experience with Vladislav Tretiak? Earlier, when I was using the unfaked db, I couldn't get him on any NHL team no matter how much money I threw at him. Then in one game, he signed on as an assistant coach for the Manchester Monarchs (AHL) just for his asking price. I thought that was kinda wierd.

Oh, and Darwin Bennett is unreal for a scout/assistant GM. Judging attributes are 18-19, and man management is usually 17.

selne · Post by **selne** » Fri Aug 01, 2008 10:47 pm

As to my experience the preffered coaching style is not important at all.
The coach that is responsible for defense practice should have a high attribute in defense and good determination.
No problem if his preffered style is attacking (in this game).

In the second season you can sign Greg Poss from DEL. His style is attacking, but he has good technical and mental attributes. Got to sign Tretiak in 3rd season. Good coach, too.
Language is not important for you coaches, but adaptability for foreign coaches.

In my games there are often two maybe three skanginavian superb coaches with
a defensive style and high attributes in coaching defense. Can't remember their names.
(changes with the number of leagues you select and the size of database you start your game with).

Post by **archibalduk** » Mon Aug 04, 2008 9:25 pm

I don't really pay much attention to coaching style, either. The way I approach it is that any coach on my team needs to have good attributes in most, or all, of the following: Determination, motivating, man management. If I'm coaching a young team then obviously 'working with youngsters' is another important attribute.

If a coach has most of those three attributes then I think he'll serve you well. I then go solely on the coaching goalies/defencemen/forwards attribute to determine how good a coach is at coaching a particular position.

Jackal05 · Post by **Jackal05** » Thu Jun 04, 2009 7:45 pm

Do you think Discipline is an important attribute for a Head Coach? If so, how much and in what ways?

bruins72 · Post by **bruins72** » Thu Jun 04, 2009 8:17 pm

I find it important. A coach with a high discipline will help keep your players from taking stupid penalties. He's a strict drill sergeant. Just beware that sometimes a coach can be too strict and sometimes it might backfire. Sometimes a super-strict coach can affect players' morale.

EK_ · Post by **EK_** » Fri Jun 05, 2009 8:35 am

I try to find coaches from major junior typically when I need to replace one. Haven't ever had the need to clean house.

Ok, well, at the moment my coaches each have a particular strong attribute (Green) in the technical and average everywhere else(14,15,16 ratings). Aside from Ian Clark; he's 18 and 19 in terms of coaching goalies, forwards, defencemen, but that's not important here. They are also average in the mental department(14,15,16 ratings).

I think it's important to go for average overall instead of looking for a few coaches strong in only a few area's particularly. All my coahces current are 14 and above rating in every attribute. Balanced depth. Building a coaching system is like making the team. You wouldn't build a group of offensive oriented only players, or defensive oriented only. Depth is what matters. Sure you can have guys that are very strong in some areas but you need guys that can do everything else equally well.

Also, Look at previous history. Was that coach a coach of the year or a runner up in the CHL or AHL? What's his previous coaching record; that's important if you're looking for a head coach. Has he lead previous teams to the playoffs consistently, etc. I think it's important looking back at their history because some coaches are like some players; stacked attributes but can't perform to their actual skill level.

Hope that helps ~~

Jackal05 · Post by **Jackal05** » Tue Jun 30, 2009 5:25 am

bruins72 wrote:I find it important. A coach with a high discipline will help keep your players from taking stupid penalties. He's a strict drill sergeant. Just beware that sometimes a coach can be too strict and sometimes it might backfire. Sometimes a super-strict coach can affect players' morale.

I am finishing my second season with Olli Johansson as my Head Coach in my "European Invansion of Boston" franchise. His Discipline attribute is red: 15/100 aka 3/20. My team penalty minutes are not high, in fact, this season we have the second LEAST team penalty minutes in the NHL.

Joe · Post by **Joe** » Tue Jun 30, 2009 3:58 pm

Jackal05 wrote:
bruins72 wrote:I find it important. A coach with a high discipline will help keep your players from taking stupid penalties. He's a strict drill sergeant. Just beware that sometimes a coach can be too strict and sometimes it might backfire. Sometimes a super-strict coach can affect players' morale.
I am finishing my second season with Olli Johansson as my Head Coach in my "European Invansion of Boston" franchise. His Discipline attribute is red: 15/100 aka 3/20. My team penalty minutes are not high, in fact, this season we have the second LEAST team penalty minutes in the NHL.

Do you have very many aggressive players though?

masarume · Post by **masarume** » Tue Aug 11, 2009 4:47 pm

My Current coaching stuff is adequate.

Head Coach: Marc Crawford
Assistants: Sam St. Laurent (goalie coach with 95 in goalie and very good mental stats)
Assistants: John Tortorello
Assistants: Steve Stirling
Assistants: Kevin Constateine (sp)
Assistants: -

The last assistant is driving me nuts. I can’t remember who he is but he’s very reputable.
I simply wait for a team to get impatient and fires a coach. Then I swoop in for the kill. Most Gms won’t make a coaching move unless it’s the offseason.

There was a conditioning coach that was superb in my first year but at age 61, he just retired and left me haning.
Pat Quinn was my assistant GM.

I see improvement in every category (esp skating) but I’m struggling with stamina. Some players can still grow, but most stick around as is and some (even stars) decrease. Parise was 85 Stam 61 Strength, but at the tail end of last season, he’s been stuck at 80 Sam and 56 Strength. Hopefully Training camp will adjust that, but I’m not holding my breathe.

RomaGoth · Post by **RomaGoth** » Tue Aug 11, 2009 10:02 pm

I generally leave the majority of my coaches in tact when I start a new game. I have:

Head Coach = Mike Babcock (one of the best coaches in the NHL)
Assistant = Paul McLean
Assistant = Jim Bedard (very good with goalies)
Assistant = Sam St. Laurent (we all know to go after this guy immediately)
Assistant =
Assistant =

I can't remember my last two, I believe they were signed as free agents. Todd McClellan is a hit or miss guy when starting a new game. Same with Jay Woodcroft. They both went to San Jose in real life.

I also usually sign 2 trainers and a bunch of new scouts, trying to get at least one from Sweden/Finland/Russia.

masarume · Post by **masarume** » Wed Aug 12, 2009 2:28 pm

McClellan is pretty steady in my version of the game… I hired him as a assistant to my AHL team…
I also have Alain Vigneault, Claude Julien (low low determination) with Brent Sutter leading the staff as HC.

Can you get St. Laurent to run conditioning practices? I read the guide and it says as long as you have Management and Discipline, but it does not say anything about coaching forwards/defense.. St. Laurent is rather low in those.. ( 35 and 29 )