1-on-1 with Zack Stortini

Tucson Roadrunners Assistant Coach Zack Stortini joined Adrian Denny and Kim Cota-Robles this week on Roadrunners Happy Hour. Catch Happy Hour every Tuesday at 5 p.m. on Fox Sports 1450 AM and the Roadrunners Happy Hour Podcast on the iHeartRadio app. For the complete episode, including what Roadrunners players were sighted out on New Year’s Eve, download below.

Listen to “Happy New Year With Zack Stortini” on Spreaker.

Q: Zack, we have seen this team really pull it together as we close out the first third of the season. Do you notice these things? Our secondary scoring has improved a lot.

It’s a situation where things continue to grow and continue to develop and it’s exciting. You see guys that are constantly improving. The work ethic that we have on our team is incredible. It comes from the culture that’s established here and it doesn’t stop. We had a hard practice yesterday, coming off of the Christmas holidays and the New Year and everything, and guys were willing to work and put the effort in to get better. You see the team growing together, making those improvements, and hopefully we are able to continue the success that we have.

Q: The forward lines have been kind of all over the place this season. How are you deciding who goes where? What’s going through your head when you make those decisions?

Yeah, you’re right. And that’s one of those things in the game of hockey. The only constant is the change, especially at our level here in the AHL. There’s always that constant change of guys getting called up, sent down, injured, traded, things like that where the adaptability is an asset for these young men. To be able to play with anybody at any point, to be adaptable; learning how to play different styles with certain players who play the game differently and have certain strengths; being able to be moldable and contribute to different roles up and down the lineup. I think a lot of our players have done a great job understanding those roles, first of all, and then second of all, being able to deliver. A lot of that comes from the systems that are implemented. Our Head Coach, Steve Potvin, has done a great job in demanding a lot from our players on that one, making sure that it’s clear as to what we want. Our expectations, what they are. Our players are very coachable, they’re smart individuals who pick things up and are willing to work to improve both of us as individuals and as a team.

Q: It seems like when a player is a healthy scratch for a night they come back and produce. How does that work? You might think that a player would get stale.

Anytime you’re in and out of the lineup, that’s one of the hardest things in sports, speaking from a little bit of experience. Watching our players go through it is very difficult. To pour your heart and soul into everything that you do, wanting to be a part of the team, wanting to be a contributor on a nightly basis and suddenly being told it’s not your turn, it’s usually for very specific reasons. Sometimes it is game based on who we’re playing and the previous game, but those are not easy decisions. It’s never the fun part about coaching and it’s never a fun part for the player, but it’s done with purpose, we are hoping that the player comes back stronger, physically, mentally and emotionally. Better for the process that they’re going through. A lot of these players are going to have to go through that at the next level at some point, so it develops the skills on what it takes to get back into the lineup and what’s required to be a nightly contributor. So, it is a learning process, not a fun one, but it’s necessary.

Q: Dylan Guenther is an awesome prospect. Leading scorer in October, November and the past few weeks. It looks like he’s the next player to have a special year here like Mike Carcone or Mattias Maccelli. What do you like about his game?

Dylan is a tremendous young man. Obviously, the skill set that’s on display every game that he’s played is world class. He’s dynamic with the puck, he is competitive, he’s just fun to watch. What I really like about him and appreciate is he’s a student of the game, he wants to learn, he wants to get better. He is looking for every advantage, every edge you can find to get better and watching video. He watches all of his own clips and he studies the game. He watches other teams play the NHL games. He’s pretty remarkable that way. The other side is the work ethic that he has. This doesn’t happen by accident. He puts in the time. We have a pretty cool shooting gallery. I’m sure some of the fans have seen it in the underbelly of the TCC. He spends numerous hours there continuing to shoot pucks. He’s already got a great shot, but he wants it even better. He spends time after practice working on his skills to get better, to develop them. You see that carry over on the ice, that relentless work ethic that is going to propel him to the next level.

Q: Josh Doan is making a big impact as well. What’s to like about his game?

He’s another one of those players, Josh is, that is relentless in his work ethic. Wanting to learn, wanting to get better. Talk about clutch players. I think he leads the league, correct me if I’m wrong, in game-winning goals (Correct, 6). He’s a guy that is highly competitive, wants to win and does it the right way. He makes sure it’s team first, but then at the same time, he’s working to get to the spots, the areas where he can make that difference to be a game breaker and win the game. So a little quick side story too. It’s not only what he does on the ice. Everybody sees what a great stick that he has, he’s physical, he skates well with the puck and makes great plays, but off the ice, he’s a tremendous young man. He brings his teammates together. We had a lot of new players, as you guys know, join our team this year. He’s one of the guys that are welcoming to those players, connecting with them early when they arrive in Phoenix for training camp. The other day he just stopped and talked to the guys with families So, he’s more than just the clutch guy. He’s a glue guy. He’s a guy that brings a lot to our team, both on and off the ice cultural wise. He’s a mainstay.

Adrian: He’s never going to be the first guy in the locker room, Zack, because he stops and says good morning to the equipment managers on his way in.

That’s the first spot. That’s huge. For any young player out there, I mean, those are the things that make your team stronger. You talk about that winning streak. That’s where it starts, where everybody’s in it together and everybody’s taking care of each other. A lot of times you feel that energy beginning as you arrive to the rink or before you get to the rink and then it carries over into your day whether it’s a practice or game day.

Q: Aku Raty is another player that is looking hot right now. Can you speak on him a little bit?

Yeah, you’re talking about another great young man. I could say this about him, and I know it sounds repetitive, but relentless work ethic. He’s a guy that I met his father and mother the other day when they came to visit, when they played against his brother (Aktu) who was with Abbotsford. You got to watch the two brothers compete as a coach. So, you hear a lot of that direction and guidance when Aku speaks. So, he comes from a good place where he is taught very well. Again, he wants to get better. He wants to improve. And it’s good to see him get rewarded for that effort.

Kim: I have one real quick thing about Aku because he came out to my son’s hockey practice, whenever that was, maybe like a month or so ago with the high school teams. Aku was absolutely fantastic out there with the kids. Him and Max Szuber were out there. They got split up and Aku was just having the best time. I have so many videos of him just laughing and playing with the kids like there were no language barriers. They were just having fun, and the kids, the kids take practice very seriously. His energy was palpable on that day. It was fantastic.

That is awesome. You can’t help but notice the smiles. Those are the two perfect guys, Max and Aku, they, have the biggest smiles. They make everybody happy around them. They’re such nice young men that it just rubs off on everybody else. I’m sure your son had an awesome time with them. That’s a cool experience, that’s what the game’s all about. That’s really, really cool.