Montreal Canadiens 2017 first-round pick Ryan Poehling will have a new coach next season as Bob Motzko has a new bench job with the University of Minnesota.
When the Montreal Canadiens took to the podium and announced Ryan Poehling as their first-round choice, there were smiles all around from the organization and the young centre’s family. Aside from them, Poehling’s head coach at St. Cloud State was ecstatic for his player. The 19-year-old put up seven goals and six assists in 35 games and was looking forward to returning for another year of growth with the Huskies.
Poehling improved in all areas of the ice especially his offensive game. He saw a 17 point increase from his totals in the year before, but his overall reliability as a two-way centre has many looking forward to his NHL debut. After being a top-ranked team in the NCAA, St. Cloud State was, unfortunately, eliminated from the 2018 NCAA’s Men’s Hockey Tournament not being able to make the Frozen Four. However, there are still many looking forward to what the team will bring to the table next season.
It will be different though in a significant way. Motzko will no longer be the man behind the St. Cloud bench after fulfilling that role for the last 13 years.
Join us in welcoming the 15th head coach in #Gophers Hockey history!
— Minnesota Men’s Hockey (@GopherHockey) March 27, 2018
READ: https://t.co/SgLrFH5lVC pic.twitter.com/lfS5zob0uE
It will be a return for Motzko who was previously with the school as an assistant coach from 2001-2005. Now he will be back as the team’s head coach.
However, this brings questions surrounding Poehling. Motzko was a large part of building the culture and the system with the Huskies but was also the head coach of USA’s World Junior team which the Habs prospect was on.
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With a new coach brings a new system which could impact how he performs in future years with St. Cloud. Optimistically, Poehling becomes a better player for it, but it would be unwelcoming to see the changes negatively impact his game and growth.
With Motzko on his way to the Gophers, the narrative is now whether this will impact Poehling’s decision for the next few years. The young centre expressed his desire to remain in college and grow as a player. It’s logical to assume that a coaching change, which happens throughout a player’s career, won’t change that sentiment. But what if it does?
Since the Montreal Canadiens drafted Poehling out of college, they still have time to sign him to a contract. It would be a rather rash decision to choose to turn pro because of this. He’s always been described as being a focused and ‘for the team’ player and I doubt a new coach changes that.
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The best place for Poehling is on St. Cloud’s roster where he can continue to grow and build up to the standard of professional hockey. Hopefully whoever the Huskies choose to replace Motzko fester that talent and turn it into something the Montreal Canadiens can use for years to come.