Jay Pandolfo (Winchester, Mass.) played for a lot of coaches in his long college and pro career, starting with Jack Parker at Boston University and finishing with Claude Julien of the Boston Bruins.
With that in mind, he believes he has a good handle on how to treat players as he heads into his first season as BU’s head coach. He knows what works and, maybe more important, what doesn’t work.
“You probably learn more from that,’’ said Pandolfo, who was associate head coach at BU last season after five seasons as a Bruins assistant coach.
“The stuff that is done the right way, you remember it. But you more remember the guys that did it the wrong way — or at least you felt it was the wrong way. You remember that and make sure you don’t use those tactics.”
Pandolfo entered BU as a 17-year-old freshman in 1992, straight out of Burlington (Mass.) High School. Back then coaches often ruled with an iron hand, but times have changed somewhat.
“A lot of times, but not always, the coach was a lot harder on guys and without as much communication. Now you really have to make sure you are communicating with the players. At the end of the day, the players want to feel valued and know the reasons why things are happening one way or the other,” Pandolfo said.
“That’s the biggest difference. Back years ago as a coach, if you didn’t feel like giving an explanation, you didn’t give an explanation. That’s just the way it was.”
While the perception around the legendary Parker (Somerville, Mass.) usually was that it was his way or the highway, Pandolfo said that wasn’t entirely accurate.
“He could be really hard at times. I don’t think the players in this day and age respond as well to that. But he was really good with communicating with you after the fact.
“He knew if guys were affected by certain things. I felt like for me and I think other players, he went out of his way to make sure you knew where you stood. He was ahead of it in that way.
“There’s no question I had that and other guys that I played with had that relationship with him where he wanted it a certain way, but if he knew you didn’t agree with it or didn’t feel like you were being treated the right way, at the end of the day he would always come back to you. He knew how to handle his players.”
Pandolfo takes over a veteran team that has the personnel to contend for the Hockey East championship, if not more.
“I’m obviously in a fortunate situation — to have a really good roster in my first year, not really having to rebuild right away,” he said. “A lot of guys came back that if you’d asked at the beginning of last year if they’d be back, whether it be for their junior year or senior year or fifth year, you’d probably say no.
“I think these guys enjoyed the overall experience last year and they know they left something on the table. They are motivated to come back and win and do it together. I think that’s a big part of it. I feel really optimistic about the group we have coming back.”
The most important returnee is junior Drew Commesso (Norwell, Mass.), one of the top netminders in Hockey East.
“That is huge for us. When you have that position solidified, it certainly gives you confidence as a coach and as a team,” Pandolfo said.
Commesso, a second-round selection of the Chicago Blackhawks, passed up the opportunity to be the No. 1 goalie for the United States at the World Junior Championship in August to focus on preparing for the season.
“Drew is really committed to having a great season. He’s put in a ton of work this summer to put himself in the best situation possible so he’s ready to hit the ground running. I’m really excited about that,” said Pandolfo, who counts Commesso among his leaders
“Drew has really impressed me. His dedication to his craft and then also to our program is huge. He’s right there as one of our top leaders. I think it definitely rubs off on guys and now being in his third year he has even more confidence.
“He speaks up a lot. A lot of times goalies aren’t willing to do that, but he is and I think that’s making a huge impact on our team.”
“We’re a little older than a typical BU team would be. I think we have 11 seniors. I don’t think it’s too often where BU has 10 or 11 seniors on their roster. That’s certainly a benefit, being a little more mature and a little older. We have some good young freshman coming in, and to have that leadership and guys that have been around, it helps them,” said Pandolfo.
The six-player freshman class includes three NHL draft picks in Lane Hutson, Ryan Greene and Devin Kaplan.
Hutson, a dynamic, freewheeling defenseman picked in the second round by the Montreal Canadiens, is an exciting addition.
Having Hutson and junior defenseman Dom Fensore, last season’s top scorer with 31 points in 35 games, in the lineup bodes well. Though they are undersized, they are outstanding skaters.
“A big part of having success is the ability to break the puck out of your own end. To have those two guys going back on pucks, you feel pretty confident that they’re going to make the right play and a lot of times it’s a one-man breakout with those guys with the ability they have with the puck and with their feet. I’m really excited about that,” Pandolfo said.
“Lane Hutson, on the power play, right away he’s going to help us a lot. Right there you have two guys that can quarterback the power play. That’s the other part of Lane that’s going to play dividends right away for us, so I’m really excited to see him in that situation, as well.
“Just watching him over the last year, his hockey sense is what separates him. I know he’s an undersized defenseman, but he’s really intelligent out there. That’s going to be fun to watch, too, on a regular basis.”
The Terriers will face a tough test just a couple of weeks into the season when they hit the road for a pair of games at Michigan on Oct. 14 and 16.
“I think it’s awesome. Early in the year, on the road, it’s going to be a challenge. They always talk about measuring sticks, I guess, but it gives us an idea of where we’re at. I know there’s a long way to go in the season after that, but it’s still nice to see where you’re at against one of the top teams in the country,” Panfolfo said.
The Terriers struggled in October and November last season before turning it around.
“Last year, not getting off to a good start was a big issue. Obviously it cost us making the national tournament. So I think that’s really the first goal — getting off to a good start. That’s honestly the most important thing and go from there. At the end of the day, the goal is to be right there, to be one of the top teams in the country,” Pandolfo said.
Pandolfo, who played on BU’s 1995 NCAA champions and won the Stanley Cup with the New Jersey Devils in 2000 and 2003, wants to re-establish the team identity that he experienced as a Terrier.
“I want it to be back to when I played at BU. We always had talent and skill, but we always competed really hard and were hard to play against on a regular basis. That’s the biggest thing, to be hard to play against every single night.
“It doesn’t just mean running people through the boards, it’s not that. It’s being hard on pucks all the time, that relentless pressure. That’s what I remember BU hockey being about and that’s how I envision it moving forward.”
He feels good about the coming season, and with good reason given the players and the staff now in place.
“I do think we have the team to make a really good run. The expectations for the program and for our players from the coaching staff and beyond is to make a run at a national championship this year. That’s the goal.”
