When it comes to building a successful team, there is a formula. That formula is a simple one. It begins with quality people being placed in important positions, and is followed by having those people do the hard work of building a team that will be successful on and off the ice.
John Schwarz knows the formula. I have witnessed it with his hiring or Bill Zaniboni to run the USPHL’s Dells Ducks, with the hiring of Marty Quarters to run the Wisconsin Rapids River Kings, and now with the hiring of Brad Stoffers to run the Chicago Cougars.
With the expansion Chicago Cougars, Schwarz surrounded himself and the new players with good people. Stoffers is a good young coach who spent the last few years in the NAHL. Add in Joe Dibble as a co-owner, who just happens to be one of the best development coaches in the NAHL, and you have a pretty strong base to build your team on.
If you think these types of quality people don’t matter, you need to think again.
The expansion Chicago Cougars already have more than enough players to fill their roster. That’s right, the expansion team has more than enough players to fill their roster.
And we aren’t talking a bunch of kids who are just looking for a place to play. We are talking quality players. If OHL experience, Canadian Junior A experience, and high level AAA experience mean anything to building a team, the Cougars are going to be strong out of the gate.
Getting to the rink every weekend. Scouting. Recruiting. Having a plan. Having a track record of sending players to NCAA programs. These are things that create a quality program.
Why other teams don’t follow this model? That’s a question those teams should be asking themselves.
What do I expect out of the Cougars? I expect them to compete for a championship in their first year, and I expect them to move players up to the NAHL or USPHL Premier, and I expect them to move players on to NCAA programs.
Lofty expectations? I don’t think so, at least not when you have a plan.
Joseph Kolodziej – Publisher
