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Wings hire Horcoff to player development post |
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Often, the Detroit Red Wings didn’t have to look far to find Shawn Horcoff. During the NHL season, back when the Wings were a Western Conference squad, Horcoff was a frequent opponent as an Edmonton Oiler, including a forgettable – from Detroit’s point of view – 2006 first-round playoff loss when the eighth-seeded Oilers stunned the top-seeded Red Wings.
In the summer, Horcoff was also easy to find. After playing college hockey at Michigan State, he made his home in the Detroit area and through his close friendship with then-Red Wings forward Daniel Cleary, frequently suited up with Detroit regulars during off-season conditioning skates.
After Friday, the Wings won’t have to look far at all for Horcoff, because he is now one of them. The veteran of 1,008 NHL games was hired to be the club’s director of player development.
“I’ve known Shawn a little bit because he lives in Detroit and went to Michigan State, and used to skate at the Joe,” Detroit general manager Ken Holland said. “Kris Draper knows him very well.
“We interviewed him and talked to a lot of people that know him.”
A star player and a captain with the Oilers, and a grinder later in his career, the Wings believe Horcoff’s varied hockey experiences set him up well to be a talent evaluator and developer.
“He’s been on the first line, the fourth line, he’s been a captain. At the end of his career he had to find ways to make himself important.
“We felt he’d be good at this job.”
Former Wings defenseman Jiri Fischer, who was the club’s director of player development, requested a reassignment of duties, leading to the opening for Horcoff.
“Jiri Fischer came to me this summer and said he’s been the director of player development for nine years, and loves the job but wanted the opportunity to grow as an executive and would like to get into the player evaluation side of the industry,” Holland explained.
“I met with him a couple of times and we’ll meet again and he’ll transition into a different role in the organization. We’ll find a job for him in player evaluation.”
Going Camping
The Wings’ NHL Prospects Tournament got underway Friday in Traverse City, Mich. and the team made it clear the mission and expectations for the up and coming talent within the organization is vastly different in the fall than it is during the summer development camp.
“When you bring them into the summer development camp in July, we try to put them at ease,” Detroit assistant GM Ryan Martin said. “It’s not so much an evaluation camp as much as a teaching camp, giving them the education and the resources to become better pros.
“Whereas this camp, the first thing I said to them this morning was this is an evaluation camp. In 26 days the NHL season opens and this is the beginning of the Detroit Red Wings training camp. The veterans aren’t here yet but I remember Andreas Athanasiou, the year we drafted him, played so well at this tournament he earned an exhibition game.
“This is the beginning of an evaluation period for these players to put themselves on the map, whether they’re trying to make a case to stay in Detroit or get called up to Detroit or make a case to be a full-time player in Grand Rapids or earn an NHL contract.”
The eight-team tournament also features squads from the Carolina Hurricanes, Chicago Blackhawks, Columbus Blue Jackets, Dallas Stars, Minnesota Wild, New York Rangers and St. Louis Blues.
“Ultimately, we’re in this to win it,” Martin said. “This is the 19th year (of the tournament), and we’ve won it once, three years ago.
“It’s a hard tournament.”
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