Leafs hire Goalie Coach & Head Euro. Scout

[CarltonTheBear]

[tweet]623130105850818561[/tweet]

Vuori has the more experienced background, from the Leafs press release:

Vuori brings nearly two decades of European scouting experience to the Maple Leafs hockey operations department having served as a European scout with the Detroit Red Wings for eight seasons (2007-08 through 2014-15) and with the Los Angeles Kings for 11 seasons (1996-97 through 2006-07). He also held a hockey operations role with TPS of the Finnish Elite League for eight seasons.

Briere is a pupil of Mitch Korn, the previous long-time goalie coach of the Predators (he followed Trotz to Washington).

 

[Kin]

Obviously Vuori can't take credit for all of them but those teams in those years would have drafted some pretty good European players including:

Tomas Tatar
Calle Jarnkrok
Gustav Nyquist
Anze Kopitar
Lubomir Visnovsky
Cristobal Huet
Olli Jokinen

Along with some other lesser but legit NHL players like Frantisek Kaberle, Andreas Lilja, Joakim Andersson. Pretty good record.

 

[Al14]

[tweet]623130105850818561[/tweet]

Vuori has the more experienced background, from the Leafs press release:

Vuori brings nearly two decades of European scouting experience to the Maple Leafs hockey operations department having served as a European scout with the Detroit Red Wings for eight seasons (2007-08 through 2014-15) and with the Los Angeles Kings for 11 seasons (1996-97 through 2006-07). He also held a hockey operations role with TPS of the Finnish Elite League for eight seasons.

Briere is a pupil of Mitch Korn, the previous long-time goalie coach of the Predators (he followed Trotz to Washington).

Briere seems like a real no-name hire to be honest? I guess Sean Burke said no thanks to becoming our goal tending coach!

Snatching Babcock, and now Vuori, from the Red Wings is great, however, we still need to see some success from these two IMHO.

We need to see Babcock teach our players to play, and sustain, effective on-ice systems.  Also, we need to see Vuori find us some real nice diamonds in the rough!

 

[CarltonTheBear]

Vuori seems to have been given much of the credit for Teemu Pulkkinen, a name we've of course heard around here in the past few months. He was drafted directly out of Finland. He's only 1 of 2 Finns that Detroit took while Vuori was there, the other being a late round pick from 2014 so it's tough to judge that one yet. He obviously would have done work in other nations too though.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

Briere seems like a real no-name hire to be honest? I guess Sean Burke said no thanks to becoming our goal tending coach!

Burke's apparently made it clear he isn't interested at all in any type of coaching position, he only wants to be in a front office role.

And Briere might be a no-name guy but like I said he's learned from one of the best in the business so that's a pretty big plus.

 

[Al14]

Briere seems like a real no-name hire to be honest? I guess Sean Burke said no thanks to becoming our goal tending coach!

Burke's apparently made it clear he isn't interested at all in any type of coaching position, he only wants to be in a front office role.

And Briere might be a no-name guy but like I said he's learned from one of the best in the business so that's a pretty big plus.

I'm not sure that learning from the best, and, not having any NHL experience, is necessarily a good, or bad thing.  I would prefer goal tending coaches to have played in the NHL.  Just MHO.

As for Burke, I have a feeling he may have, or is being considered as our next GM.

 

[GhostofPotvin29]

Briere seems like a real no-name hire to be honest? I guess Sean Burke said no thanks to becoming our goal tending coach!

Burke's apparently made it clear he isn't interested at all in any type of coaching position, he only wants to be in a front office role.

And Briere might be a no-name guy but like I said he's learned from one of the best in the business so that's a pretty big plus.

I'm not sure that learning from the best, and, not having any NHL experience, is necessarily a good, or bad thing.  I would prefer goal tending coaches to have played in the NHL.  Just MHO.

As for Burke, I have a feeling he may have, or is being considered as our next GM.

One of the goaltending coaches considered to be one of the best ever, Francois Allaire, never played in the NHL.

It's not a good or bad thing on its own.  Being a former NHLer doesn't make you able to teach the concepts or to identify a goalies weaknesses or trouble spots.  There's a lot that goes into coaching irrelevant to whether or not you played in the NHL.

The focus should always be on the person judged to be the best option.  If they are a former NHLer and can demonstrate a usefulness to that experience, great.  If they're not but are still determined to be the best option then that person should be hired.  There's too much of an old boys club mentality anyway.

 

[Kin]

I'm not sure that learning from the best, and, not having any NHL experience, is necessarily a good, or bad thing.  I would prefer goal tending coaches to have played in the NHL.  Just MHO.

Why? Mitch Korn, who as CtB mentioned is regarded as one of if not the best goaltending coach in the league, never got anywhere near the NHL.

 

[Al14]

Briere seems like a real no-name hire to be honest? I guess Sean Burke said no thanks to becoming our goal tending coach!

Burke's apparently made it clear he isn't interested at all in any type of coaching position, he only wants to be in a front office role.

And Briere might be a no-name guy but like I said he's learned from one of the best in the business so that's a pretty big plus.

I'm not sure that learning from the best, and, not having any NHL experience, is necessarily a good, or bad thing.  I would prefer goal tending coaches to have played in the NHL.  Just MHO.

As for Burke, I have a feeling he may have, or is being considered as our next GM.

One of the goaltending coaches considered to be one of the best ever, Francois Allaire, never played in the NHL.

It's not a good or bad thing on its own.  Being a former NHLer doesn't make you able to teach the concepts or to identify a goalies weaknesses or trouble spots.  There's a lot that goes into coaching irrelevant to whether or not you played in the NHL.

The focus should always be on the person judged to be the best option.  If they are a former NHLer and can demonstrate a usefulness to that experience, great.  If they're not but are still determined to be the best option then that person should be hired.  There's too much of an old boys club mentality anyway.

And, how'd Francois Allaire turn out as our goal tending coach???  :-\

 

[LuncheonMeat]

Briere seems like a real no-name hire to be honest? I guess Sean Burke said no thanks to becoming our goal tending coach!

Burke's apparently made it clear he isn't interested at all in any type of coaching position, he only wants to be in a front office role.

And Briere might be a no-name guy but like I said he's learned from one of the best in the business so that's a pretty big plus.

I'm not sure that learning from the best, and, not having any NHL experience, is necessarily a good, or bad thing.  I would prefer goal tending coaches to have played in the NHL.  Just MHO.

As for Burke, I have a feeling he may have, or is being considered as our next GM.

One of the goaltending coaches considered to be one of the best ever, Francois Allaire, never played in the NHL.

It's not a good or bad thing on its own.  Being a former NHLer doesn't make you able to teach the concepts or to identify a goalies weaknesses or trouble spots.  There's a lot that goes into coaching irrelevant to whether or not you played in the NHL.

The focus should always be on the person judged to be the best option.  If they are a former NHLer and can demonstrate a usefulness to that experience, great.  If they're not but are still determined to be the best option then that person should be hired.  There's too much of an old boys club mentality anyway.

And, how'd Francois Allaire turn out as our goal tending coach???  :-\

Given the players he had to work with, which included JS Giguere, Vesa Toskala (I think), Jonas Gustavsson, James Reimer, Jussi Rynnas and Ben Scrivens.  Of those, his best chances at success were Reimer and Gustavsson.  We know where Reimer is - backup goalie on one of the worst teams in the league. Gustavsson is a backup goalie who had health problems during his time in Toronto.  I don't really think you can blame Allaire for that mess.

 

[herman]

I feel very positively about these hires -- particularly Ari Vuori and his Finnish focus. I think there are a few more scouts to be added to the Euro-pool to cover beyond Sweden, Finland, and Russia.

Steve Briere articles (courtesy of MLHS's writeup): http://ingoalmag.com/?s=steve+briere

 

[Al14]

Briere seems like a real no-name hire to be honest? I guess Sean Burke said no thanks to becoming our goal tending coach!

Burke's apparently made it clear he isn't interested at all in any type of coaching position, he only wants to be in a front office role.

And Briere might be a no-name guy but like I said he's learned from one of the best in the business so that's a pretty big plus.

I'm not sure that learning from the best, and, not having any NHL experience, is necessarily a good, or bad thing.  I would prefer goal tending coaches to have played in the NHL.  Just MHO.

As for Burke, I have a feeling he may have, or is being considered as our next GM.

One of the goaltending coaches considered to be one of the best ever, Francois Allaire, never played in the NHL.

It's not a good or bad thing on its own.  Being a former NHLer doesn't make you able to teach the concepts or to identify a goalies weaknesses or trouble spots.  There's a lot that goes into coaching irrelevant to whether or not you played in the NHL.

The focus should always be on the person judged to be the best option.  If they are a former NHLer and can demonstrate a usefulness to that experience, great.  If they're not but are still determined to be the best option then that person should be hired.  There's too much of an old boys club mentality anyway.

And, how'd Francois Allaire turn out as our goal tending coach???  :-\

Given the players he had to work with, which included JS Giguere, Vesa Toskala (I think), Jonas Gustavsson, James Reimer, Jussi Rynnas and Ben Scrivens.  Of those, his best chances at success were Reimer and Gustavsson.  We know where Reimer is - backup goalie on one of the worst teams in the league. Gustavsson is a backup goalie who had health problems during his time in Toronto.  I don't really think you can blame Allaire for that mess.

So, in other words, Allaire can only work with good goal tenders to begin with.  He can't make bad to average into half decent, just OK?  Got it! 

 

[herman]

http://mapleleafshotstove.com/2015/07/20/jamie-mclennan-on-steve-briere-this-is-an-outstanding-hire-for-the-toronto-maple-leafs/

On new Leaf goalie coach Steve Briere:
In doing some reconnaissance on him, when I saw the name come across the board, I was like, ?this name looks familiar,? so I ultimately hockeydb him, and saw he played in Fife in England when I was in England during the lockout. So, I played against this guy. And then, it starts to hit me. I?m driving in, and I call a buddy who I trust, and I?m like, ?Steve Briere.? And he?s like, ?yeah, he?s a Mitch Korn disciple.? And then I put two and two together ? I?ve worked on the ice with this guy before. This guy is going to be an outstanding hire for the Toronto Maple Leafs. He?s bright. Mitch Korn, for people who don?t know, in the goaltending coaching circle is known as Yoda. He?s this tiny, little, really wise man. Mitch Korn is known as one of the best goalie coaches on the planet. This guy worked underneath him. It wouldn?t surprise me if Mitch Korn was asked as a character reference, ?who is an up and coming guy?? Briere, 38 years old, young, progressive? from my understanding he does a psychology of a goaltender as well as the drills. I think this is an outstanding hire by the Leafs. Again, off the board, you?re not recycling an old [coach]. It?s a progressive hire. I think this is an outstanding hire. I don?t know if they?re done yet; I don?t know if they?re going to have [something] like a goaltending development area. They?ve got an analytics sector; in player development, Scott Pellerin took over for Steve Staios. So, he?s doing an outstanding job; I had a conversation with him the other day, he?s a former teammate of mine?. they?re heading in the right direction. This is another nice hire that is kind of under of the radar ? off the board ? but all the guy needs is experience.

The highlighted portion is kind of where Allaire didn't work out for the Leafs. It looked like he was trying to get Toskala and Gustavsson to play his blocking style with little regard for the natural ability that got them to the NHL to begin with.

 

[hobarth]

http://mapleleafshotstove.com/2015/07/20/maple-leafs-hire-ari-vuori-as-director-of-european-scouting-steve-briere-as-goalie-coach/

I had no idea TO had such a small scouting dept in Europe, good God. It's almost like the Leafs were ignoring Europe as a source of talent, pathetic.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

http://mapleleafshotstove.com/2015/07/20/maple-leafs-hire-ari-vuori-as-director-of-european-scouting-steve-briere-as-goalie-coach/

I had no idea TO had such a small scouting dept in Europe, good God. It's almost like the Leafs were ignoring Europe as a source of talent, pathetic.

They had 5 European scouts prior to the scouting purge earlier in the offseason, that's fairly standard for NHL teams. And the Leafs have taken 1-2 Europeans in basically every draft, also fairly standard.

 

[WhatIfGodWasALeaf]

Fife in England eh?

That's like Toronto being American.

 

[hobarth]

http://mapleleafshotstove.com/2015/07/20/maple-leafs-hire-ari-vuori-as-director-of-european-scouting-steve-briere-as-goalie-coach/

I had no idea TO had such a small scouting dept in Europe, good God. It's almost like the Leafs were ignoring Europe as a source of talent, pathetic.

They had 5 European scouts prior to the scouting purge earlier in the offseason, that's fairly standard for NHL teams. And the Leafs have taken 1-2 Europeans in basically every draft, also fairly standard.

I stand corrected, I've always wondered why the Euro scouting efforts seemed to result in choices in the lower draft rounds, not counting Nylander of course.

 

[herman]

New Maple Leafs goalie coach latest Korn disciple

"We work on projects together, finding ways to be better, bouncing ideas off each other," Korn said. "Steve really understands the position. He was a smaller goalie himself and very cerebral, very smart. He understands everything has a purpose. He is very tech savvy. He is always thinking outside the box, like me. And he's very much like me in that we don't do the same old boring crap."

[...]

"There are so many 'Children of the Korn' because he is a teacher," Briere said. "He is basically a professor and he teaches you how to be a professional, how to prepare, how to be patient, how to communicate with guys, and then everyone takes that information and adds their own little twist of how they think, and in my case it was the way I create my plan for a goalie."

[...]

"Anything is just a fluke if you can't duplicate it multiple times at multiple levels, right?" said Briere, who has worked with four of the last five Goalie of the Year winners in the NAHL and three of five in the USHL. "Part of it is the teams, great coaching staffs creating a system and environment for goalies to do well, but I'd also like to believe people judge you by your success and if you can win Goalie of the Year basically five years in a row with different goalies playing different styles from different countries, then this is a platform."

[...]

"Part of business is hiring people and when hiring people you need to know personality to know how they fit in the organization," said Briere, pointing to examples of successful roster choices based on matching the profiles of a goalie and coach. "I know the strengths and weaknesses of each goalie's personality before we start and how they will fit with my own strengths and weaknesses, and how to tailor my approach. I know what is important to each guy."

Briere has already started implementing that plan with Maple Leafs goaltenders Jonathan Bernier and James Reimer, aided by the fact he was born in Quebec and can speak French easily with Bernier, while also growing up in Manitoba, just as Reimer did.

 

[Highlander]

you gotta continue to love the Leaf hires?sounds like the Dubas of Goalie coaches.

 

[herman]

Report of another addition to the Euro scouting team: Robert Nordmark, formerly of Edmonton

So that'll be Ari Vuori (Director of European Scouting, Finland) overseeing Thommie Bergman (Sweden), Nikolai Ladygin (Russia), and Robert Nordmark (Sweden) as they cover their home bases and neighbouring regions.