Sheldon Keefe is looking to break into the NHL as one of the youngest coaches in the league, potentially with the New York Rangers.
At 37 years old, Sheldon Keefe is making quite a commotion in the AHL as the head coach of arguably the best farm system in the league.
Keefe has led the AHL affiliate of the Toronto Maple Leafs to an astonishing record. He has coached the Toronto Marlies 150-63 record over 228 regular season games. Since 2015-2016, Keefe has worked with some of Toronto’s best stars. Names including William Nylander, Connor Brown, Zach Hyman, and more. One of the largest qualities the previous New York Rangers head coaches have lacked in recent years, is the ability to coach young players.
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What we had
Both coaches John Tortorella and Alain Vigneault have had harsh criticisms surrounding their misuse of young players. Tortorella was often criticized for his poor minutes distribution for players like Chris Kreider, J.T. Miller, and Mats Zuccarello. All three players ended up being very large role players under Alain Vigneault.
However, for how poorly Tortorella mistreated some young players, the crimes that Alain Vigneault has committed in player development may be infinitely worse.
Alain Vigneault has yo-yo’d players up and down lineups and in and out of the press-box. One may think its fair to tinker with lineups frequently, finding perfect lineups. However, Vigneault loves scratching players like Pavel Buchnevich and Boo Nieves for Cody McLeod and Tanner Glass.
Both Tortorella and Vigneault had very simple strategies and systems. Tortorella had a extreme defensive system that revolved around defensive responsibility and shot blocking. Little offense came from this system as the puck was often dumped into the zone.
Vigneault had a different system more built around creating turnovers and high speed transitions. This is likely why Michael Grabner scored so much for the Rangers. Vigneault employed a man-to-man overload defensive zone. The Rangers defensive group not only was much less talented as the years went on, they also slowed significantly. This allowed opposing offenses to create seams and cut open the interior very easily with fast passes.
Recently, Pavel Buchnevich came out with an interview with the claim that head coach Alain Vigneault interacted with players infrequently.
What we can have
However, Sheldon Keefe takes a different approach to coaching. Keefe, is a well read coach who uses analytics. In a league where analytics are becoming more and more the norm, it is prime time to jump on the advance stats train.
Keefe is well regarded by some of his current players like Timothy Liljegren.
"It’s because they(the coaching staff) tell you stuff like that every day, and that’s not always the case in Sweden, but it’s better this way because you have a better understanding when you do something wrong.”"
Despite the reputation Vigneault has earned as a silent leader, the Rangers will not disagree with a coach who speaks up.
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Although Sheldon Keefe is not a lock for the head coaching job, the New York Rangers could stand to benefit from this young, enthusiastic coach with a bright, new style, and incredibly developmental talent.