Jared Shafran | Ah, the Beat
ontario domination head coach Marco Sturm He spent two and a half years in his current role coaching the Los Angeles Kings to their top-flight affiliate in the American Hockey League.
While he admits there was some learning curve at first as someone who had never played or coached in the AHL, both the Reigns and Kings are starting to see the fruits of his labor and coaching style.
The Kings have a clear goal for their AHL club: to develop NHL players in a competitive environment, one of the top teams in the league.
Sturm’s group competes in the league’s upper echelons. Ontario’s record in 2024 shows it, with the team finishing the calendar year in December with an 8-1-0-1 record. In 69 games in 2024, Dominion dropped 44-21-0-4 with a points percentage of .667.
In other words, Ontario actually won two out of every three games. Sturm believes that regardless of roster turnover, injuries or any other obstacles they may face, as long as they play “play” they will win games the right way. “That’s the goal for everyone he has on the roster: to do it every night in a way that’s going to bring results for the team and themselves.
“My past in coaching was the game management part, which is hockey management is very important,” Sturm said. “Maybe a lot of coaches don’t address it like I do, but I’m like a player and I treat it as a player as well. Coaching. I’m a big believer in that.”
The former left winger, who played 938 games in his 14-year NHL career, also said he believes in structure, which sometimes takes time to install when a coach takes over a new team, but players have to buy in to make it work.
“In the beginning, I can tell there were some doubts, but at the end of the day, it worked,” Sturm said. “I feel like they’re really into it now. They can see it; they can feel it, and if you follow my The requirements are played the right way and it will bring them success. Sometimes other teams are better and that’s okay, but as long as we play the game the way I want to see them play and what they’re capable of, I think. They’ll be fine.”
Ontario benefits from a unique organizational structure that sees the Dominators’ players and hockey operations staff reside in Los Angeles’ South Bay and practice at the Toyota Sports Performance Center in El Segundo, the same facility as the Kings. It keeps players from both teams off the puck, especially those who may be down and out throughout the season.
When players get a chance with King, they’ll be pleased with the cast of familiar faces throughout. But they can still do things from the rink with friends in the halls of the Royals locker room, and players form tight bonds regardless of who’s on the roster for a game on any given day.
“The whole organization has done a great job, from Rob Black and his staff. ” Sturm said. “I think what we have here is very unique. You’re one of the best places in the league, the best organization, the way we live our lives and the way guys hang out at the rink. “
Sturm spent four seasons as an assistant coach with the Kings Todd McLellan He was able to play in the AHL with him before joining the Reigns. Many people’s logical path is to work hard, but he’s glad he had to do it the other way around.
“I’m kind of going backwards, but I think it definitely helped me,” Sturm said. “Because I remember a lot of times when Todd would go crazy on certain players. As a coaching staff, we have to make sure in the AHL that we do The right thing, we’re going to teach them the right way so that when they get called, there’s no question that they should fill it out and play the game because they already know everything, and I think I got a lot out of it, really. Help me with that, not just the players, but the entire Kings coaching staff.”
With all of this in mind, Sturm’s goal is to ensure that players are not just peers they are familiar with when they get a chance to play in the NHL, but are also familiar with the Kings’ game and system and how the Kings play.
“I want to translate what we take off the ice, which is why we’re very similar, the style we play, the system we play,” Sturm said. “And I want to continue to do that because of our interaction with the players. “
Sturm’s style of play helped dominate two rounds of the playoffs last spring, and the team reached the Pacific Division finals, where they were upset by eventual Western Conference champion Coachella Valley.
The list of players who contribute to the Kings lineup every night, being coached and mentored by Sturm every night, is growing every week. A glimpse into Los Angeles’ lineup on Wednesday night against the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers features eight players who have played full-time NHL’ers during the reigns, not to mention the other four who played against the NHL. Four who attended together. King this season.
Sturm talked about many of the players cracking the Kings roster.
forward Alex Turcottewho has become an important part of Los Angeles’ nightly lineup: “Turc is a guy that we’ve been stuck with because he’s been injured in the past, but he’s developed really well since I’ve been here. He handles the game management way better than he has in the past. … He’s a very dynamic guy who brings plays to the game. There were others who were better than him last year, but he always found a way to respond in certain games and in certain areas. That’s why I’m not surprised at all that he’s had such a huge impact in the NHL, and good for him, he’s stayed together through some tough times, which is great to see.”
exist Brandt Clarkewho played 63 games with Ontario in the regular season and playoffs: “Clarke is a completely different player, different personality, and I think he’s different than all the other prospects we have. We want to clean up his defensive performance, He’s playing a lot of minutes. Even if he’s tired, we want him to play good defensive hockey because offensively, there’s a lot of things you can’t teach with this kid, but on the other hand, he just has to learn some things. , I think he’s getting better every month. This year, I think he’s playing a lot of minutes and what we talked about last year, he’s carrying it with the Kings. Clark is so smart. Reminds me of Dewey (Drew Doughty)…They are so competitive and they want to do their best every time, not just in every game but in every drill, they are so competitive. “
exist Jacob Moverarehe earned a spot playing alongside another former reigning Blueliner Jordan Spence: “Tuna (Moverare) is always a coach’s favorite for us because you always know what to expect from him. I think it’s just Jimmy and DJ (Kings head coach) Jim Shearer and assistant DJ Smith) longer because they really didn’t know him, but now they know what the real MO is, he’s reliable every night, he’s consistent, he’s someone who can go against the big guys, he can go against the Grinders, and you can count on that name. He gives you an honest effort every night and we all love him, he’s a very humble guy and he’s an absolute joy to be in the locker room. The hardest thing for a little kid is that they’re afraid of some of the veterans and older people because they’ve been there. At the end of the day, we just want them to play the game and have fun, and I think Spenny will definitely play more with MO because of the past. they play together [Ontario] It will definitely help them now. “
exist Akil Thomaswho made the jump to becoming a full-time NHL’er this season: “It’s nice to see, because I feel like after he got injured and he had to start over, I was there with him going through that process with him on his way to the NHL. It’s nice to see Seeing him make great strides with us, the playoffs and now with the Kings, he should be a role model for a lot of the younger guys in this organization, he’s a very driven, hard-working kid who’s been in the major leagues. I give him a lot of credit for making a difference.”
On the rookie forward Samuel Helenius and Andre Lee: “These guys had a really good season last year, especially the playoffs, and they took it to another level. In the summer, I thought we might have another big year for them, maybe on the way to the Kings, But they both caught fire in training camp, which was the biggest surprise for me. I knew they had the ability, but I didn’t know they were able to play that fast at a high level. I think my job is more than just development. Those young players, I’m always looking for them to play the right way, and if players learn anything from me, playing the right way the right way is going to bring you the most success no matter what league you play in. ”
Although the Dominion wasn’t quite as hot in January, the team defeated Calgary, the top team in the Pacific Division, 6-1 on Tuesday night. Ontario is just midway through the season and is 22-13-1-1, good for third in the division.
The Dominions resume their schedule Friday night at Bakersfield before battling the Coachella Valley Firebirds on Saturday night.
