Most of their work takes place in empty arenas, but the Griffins’ skill development coaches are key to the team’s success.

It wasn’t all that long ago when NHL teams regarded player development as a self-motivated endeavor. The thought was that the cream would rise to the top, and that if a player wanted an NHL job, all they needed to do was put their head down and earn it.

Hard work remains central to what it takes; there are no shortcuts up the rungs of professional hockey. But teams today leave no stone unturned to help their players reach the next level, as evidenced by the Griffins’ skill development team of Dwayne Blais, Kevin Galerno, and Rebecca Babb.

“I remember back in 2000 after signing with the Blue Jackets, they gave us one big book in the summertime,” said head coach Dan Watson, who spent four seasons as a defenseman for Columbus’ minor league affiliates. “They said, ‘Here’s your program – go!’ It was probably the same one for every single player. There was no individualized training at that time.”

The efforts of Blais and Galerno, both skill development coaches, and Babb, the organization’s skating coach, are not often seen by fans, but they’re essential to the Red Wings’ efforts to develop their players – spanning Detroit, Grand Rapids, and affiliated prospects scattered throughout the hockey world. If the proverb “It takes a village to raise a child” rings true for parents, this trio comprises a substantial part of the village that helps create an NHL player.

Red Wings assistant director of player development Dan Cleary has had a front-row seat to the evolution of this process, as a former first-round draft pick who played 938 NHL games over a 20-year professional career and has worked in his current role since retiring in 2017.

“I don’t think I even got a book,” Cleary said. “I wish my young, arrogant, know-it-all 18-year-old self had a more mature me to say, ‘Get your head right. Who’s your trainer? Let’s meet with him weekly. I want to see test results.’ Now, every one of these kids has a whole group of us that know what they need to work on and how we can help them.”

All About Balance

Blais, Galerno and Babb supplement the Griffins’ coaching staff with on-ice sessions typically held in small groups before or after the team’s practices. The structure of a full team practice can vary depending on how the team is playing, focusing on reinforcing concepts of the team’s system: breaking out of the defensive zone, stopping an opponent in the neutral zone, and fine-tuning special teams positioning, with less time spent on players’ individual skills.

“I don’t think any of the guys love to hear the words ‘system’ or ‘structure,’ especially at this time of year,” said Watson. “This is a way to mix it up and keep it fresh for them. It’s part of the routine. We’ll mix in a strictly skills-and-skating practice, where there’s no systems work. We go all over the map to be creative and do something for the guys so they don’t get bored.”

Blais started in the industry while balancing his own professional hockey career, playing primarily in the ECHL from 2000-04. He co-founded Total Package Hockey, which grew from camps and clinics to a full-service hockey academy with 16 locations in the United States and Canada and more than 75 alumni who have been drafted to the NHL.

“It started as a hockey school in the summer,” said Blais. “I ended up setting up shop in London, Ontario. I was fortunate to meet players that I worked with individually or privately that would go on to play in the NHL. By doing that, you get to know more people in junior hockey and then in the NHL, so eventually I got an opportunity with Nashville, when Barry Trotz was their coach.”

After working a couple of development camps for the Predators, Blais eventually reconnected with Trotz with the Washington Capitals, before taking a job with the Red Wings during the 2021-22 season. As the Red Wings added more prospects through each NHL Draft, the workload grew. Luckily, Blais knew a stable of experienced skills coaches from Total Package Hockey who could help deliver a consistent message in Grand Rapids, including Galerno.

“I really wanted to make development camps really skill-based,” said Blais. “Not as much just getting on the ice to run drills, but focus on specific areas of the game. When you bring in new people, you have to be on the same page, use the same lingo.”

“We’re massive on things that translate to games,” said Galerno. “So much of the game is played on the wall [the boards]. We give them reps in different situations, stopping a puck that’s been rimmed along the wall, making a play under pressure, being fast in small areas. They learn different kinds of fakes to go over, under or around a stick. We key on little details that are going to translate to them being successful here.”

Blais’ work expanded with the Red Wings, especially as more young players began to crack the roster, so Galerno has increased his trips to Grand Rapids, typically visiting about twice a month when the schedule allows for a stretch of multiple home practices in a week. There are many voices that go into creating a cohesive practice and development plan.

“I work with Dwayne, Dan Cleary, Dan Watson, and the coaching staff,” said Galerno. “The coaches are the ones who are here every day in the trenches, and we get to come relieve a little bit of pressure where we can take over a couple days. Whether it’s a bigger group or grabbing three guys before or after practice, we try to work with the whole team.”

The Cutting Edge

In addition to the second skills coach in Galerno, the Red Wings wanted to further boost their skill development department with a specialist, so they looked to another sport for an expert.

“My background is figure skating, but I’ve been a skating coach in a couple different disciplines for about 25 years,” said Babb. “I’ve been teaching hockey players for about 20 years.”

It’s not uncommon for figure skating coaches to work with professional hockey players, but few have the resume of Babb. After an international career that saw her win a Canadian junior ice dancing gold medal, Babb would go on to train two-time Olympic champions Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, and three-time World medalists Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje. 

The technical aspects of figure skating and ice dancing naturally lend themselves to what hockey players need to work on – sometimes developing skills they have little experience with until they work with a high-level skating coach.

“I think what happens is that parents put their kids into hockey and they’re given a stick and a puck, and that’s the focus,” said Babb. “Really, the basis of the sport is moving from point A to point B. If you do that flawlessly, handling the puck and the stick are much, much easier. All of a sudden, your balance is better, and you’re not struggling to get from point A to point B.”

Despite never playing competitive hockey, Babb’s no stranger to the sport. Growing up in rural Newfoundland, she was surrounded by hockey through her close friends and spending hours at the rink, even bumping into a future Red Wing and Griffin.

“Cleary and I grew up in the same very small community,” said Babb. “Our paths crossed quite a bit. He left at a very young age for hockey, and I left at a very young age for figure skating. Our lives took us in different directions, but all came back full circle.”

“I’ve known her family basically my entire life,” said Cleary. “Once I got to see her work as a skating coach, I was really impressed. Her ability to command the guys, her knowledge of the stride, it was a great fit for us. The players trust what she’s saying. No one’s forcing them to come out and do the work, they’re all totally willing.”

Putting The Pieces Together

While the development staff is focused on the investments made in the younger players, the Griffins’ veterans are quick to utilize the skills coaches and provide their own expertise.

“When guys come down from the NHL, a lot of times those third and fourth lines aren’t touching the puck much. All of a sudden, they’re sent down and playing in the top six and are expected to produce,” said Watson. “I firmly believe no matter how old you are, there are always things you can get better at. If you can be great at the simple things, you’ll be a better hockey player.”

Development plans for players are a collaborative effort, with daily communication between Red Wings management, Griffins coaches, and the skills instructors in order to balance extra on-ice work with proper rest and recovery.

“It starts when we draft a kid,” said Cleary. “Rebecca comes in to look at their stride. Then we say, ‘What other strengths does he have?’ and work on different areas with Blazer and Kev. We build out a plan for the summer and keep in touch. When they’re ready for Grand Rapids, Watty and [assistant coaches Steph Julien and Brian Lashoff] become heavily involved. Then we meet not just together, but with the player, to ask, ‘Here’s what we feel, what do you think?’”

“That’s a daily conversation we have, and it’s ongoing,” said Babb. “I’m very lucky to work with a group of men that are open to collaboration, and we communicate extremely well. Grand Rapids is my favorite place to work because everybody is so keen, morale is so great, and they’re having such success right now. I’ll put out a list of players I need to work with, but other guys jump in, which is always rewarding as a coach.”

Ultimately, while the on-ice results in Detroit and Grand Rapids this season serve as a ringing endorsement for the success of this program, all parties involved believe the best is yet to come.

“[Marco Kasper] is a perfect example – his first year was my first year,” said Galerno. “He wanted to work to the point of needing to say, ‘Hey, get off the ice, give your body and brain a rest.’ Some players go to the NHL and feel they made it, and they lose that drive. That’s not the case with him. He’s still up there every day asking Dwayne what he can do.”

“These young players are very into this,” said Cleary. “When you get that buy-in, it makes it even better. It comes down to them, because there are days when no one is around. Most of these guys are into this in almost an addictive way. They know the kids that do the work are the ones that are going to see the growth.”

Kyle Kujawa is a Grand Valley State University graduate and lifelong hockey fan who enjoyed a 12-year career in sports that began as a public relations intern with the Griffins in 2010. After two seasons (and one Calder Cup!) as a full-timer, he moved on to the Detroit Red Wings’ PR staff, where he spent nine seasons (2013-22). He turned in his press credentials for the corporate world in 2022 but has remained involved in hockey through various freelance writing gigs, coming full circle with an opportunity to contribute to Griffiti.

Photo by Nicolas Carrillo/Griffins