Patrick WilliamsTheAHL.com Features Writer
Steve Konowalchuk he learned the business of pro hockey early.
As a 19-year-old in April of 1992, Konowalchuk made his professional debut with the AHL's Baltimore Skipjacks, playing three games for the head coach. Barry Trotz. The former third-round pick will split his first full season between Baltimore and the Washington Capitals.
Konowalchuk's time in Charm City saw him skate on teams that eventually graduated. Olaf Kolzig, Byron Dafoe, Ken Klee, Keith Jones, Jason Woolley, Tim Taylor and AHL Hall of Famer John Slaney in long, successful careers.
With that first introduction to the American Hockey League, Konowalchuk says he learned “the behavior needed to make it to the NHL.” Now after more than 30 years, he will take on his first head coaching assignment, leading the Springfield Thunderbirds. He will bring with him 790 games of NHL playing experience, as well as nearly two decades of work in coaching and scouting.
Konowalchuk returned to the AHL last season as an associate coach with the Colorado Eagles. Before that, he was an assistant in the NHL with Colorado and Anaheim, and was a successful head coach in the Western Hockey League in Seattle and Red Deer. He also spent time scouting the New York Rangers.
A 50-goal scorer himself in minor hockey with 63 points in 48 games in the AHL, Konowalchuk understood that while offensive stats attract attention, commitment to a two-way game is what will keep a player in the NHL. He did just that, building a reputation as a reliable person until he represented America in the World Cup of Hockey in 1996.
Working with the Eagles last season gave Konowalchuk a chance to get used to the AHL again. So when St. Louis Blues looking for a new coach to lead the Thunderbirds this offseason, Konowalchuk was the obvious choice.
“It was a great refresher and a great learning experience to see the details coming into the American League,” Konowalchuk said of his time with the Eagles. “The locker room, that age group, the intensity, it was good for me to be able to see that. I believe that will help me to move forward here.”
Konowalchuk built lasting relationships as a rookie in Baltimore. Taylor, now an assistant general manager for the Blues, played five seasons in the AHL before reaching the NHL; he went on to win two Stanley Cups and became an NHL captain. Klee, who played 934 NHL games, became Konowalchuk's longtime partner in Washington. Dafoe won the Calder Cup with Portland in 1993-94 and later was a Vezina Trophy finalist with the Boston Bruins.
One thing those players have in common stands out to Konowalchuk.
“They compete,” Konowalchuk said. “That will be a big message to my team. It's about competing on the ice, on the ice, everything you do because the guys who play and go forward are successful, they're very competitive. That is what pushes them to do everything in their power. Kenny was like that. [Taylor]I played against him a lot when he was in Tampa. Very competitive.
“That's the biggest thing I've taken away from my entire career. It's always that guy with the biggest competition that surprises. 'He's not fast enough. He's not big enough. He's not this-or-that, or he can't score.' But he competes and competes, the next thing he knows he's doing his job.”
Konowalchuk landed as a rookie with first-round picks in Slaney once Pat Peake. As his young players learn what it will take to eventually land an NHL job, this fall he wants his young players in Springfield to remember the journey as well.
“It's a special moment,” Konowalchuk said. “When you look back, those first few years…they're some of the best friends you'll have throughout your career because you're all going through the same thing at the same time. You share those experiences together.”
TheAHL.com features writer Patrick Williams has covered the American Hockey League for nearly two decades at outlets including NHL.com, Sportsnet, TSN, Hockey News, SiriusXM NHL Network Radio and SLAM ! Sports, and most recently was the host of The Hockey News On The 'A' podcast. He was the recipient of the AHL's James H. Ellery Memorial Award for the league's top scorer in 2016.
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