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UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN HOCKEY MEDIA CONFERENCESeptember 22, 2014Mark JohnsonMARK JOHNSON: I think a couple of things that I'd just like to discuss today. I think leadership, which in our business is extremely important and I'm very excited about Blayre Turnbull as our captain this year, Karley Sylvester and Katarina Zgraja as assistant captains. They've learned from some of our past captains, and I think they'll do a great job of providing leadership with this team this year. As Brian mentioned, we've got quite a few players returning. We've got a lot of good pieces starting with our goaltender Ann‑Renée, and then moving out to the blue line with Courtney Burke, and then some of the forwards that will be returning, obviously some of the goal production that's coming back led by Brittany Ammerman, again with Blayre Turnbull and Karley and Katy Josephs, we've got some seniors that have been around, they've Tasted the Frozen Four. I think those pieces will certainly help as we move forward in the season. We're also going to add five new freshmen, led by Ann Pankowski who was part of our national team and was one of the last players cut last year for the Olympic team, so with her coming in along with our four other freshmen, a lot of good pieces. That doesn't mean we're going to automatically win hockey games, so we'll start this weekend. We've had one practice, which was a red and white scrimmage on Saturday. We get three more practices and then we'll bus down to Lindenwood and play our games this weekend. As far as a look at our schedule, we've got Minnesota coming in here early this season, and then North Dakota at home the first half of the season. We'll travel out to New Hampshire and play UNH, and then the second half of the season we've got Clarkson coming in the middle part of January. Clarkson won the National Championship last year, so that'll be a good match‑up for us on our home ice. A lot of exciting things going on as we move forward and get the season started. Q. How big do you think was it for Ann‑Renée last year to get some experience while Alex was injured in the net, so going into this year as you mentioned with big games early on like the Minnesota series? MARK JOHNSON: I think it helped out. I mean, last year as we started the season, we didn't know how much playing time she would get, but obviously that game up in Duluth where Alex got hurt and she jumped right in and ended up winning and played the next 10 games certainly helped her. She also got herself in the door with Team Canada, was at their August camp, and actually is up there right now being part of their national team program. I think along with the 10 games that she played last year and the confidence that she's built up over the course of the summer, she should be in good position to get going as we get her back next Sunday and get her ready to play up in Duluth. Q. You're going to be without Ann‑Renée and Blayre and three others for the Canadian camp and you start the season without them. Is it good or bad knowing you've got some young players just kind of find out what else you have because you know what those other young ladies can do? MARK JOHNSON: It's a combination of both. I mean, you'd obviously love to have them, but at the same time, this is what they dream of. This is the goal that they have is to one day represent their country in either a World Championship or Olympic Games, and that's part of the process. We as women hockey coaches understand it. We don't like it, but it's just part of who we are and what we represent. The second part of it is it gives other players an opportunity to showcase themselves. If they're healthy, there will be a couple kids that don't dress on a day‑to‑day basis, so it gives them an opportunity this weekend to showcase themselves and make it difficult for the coaches to make decisions. Q. With so much coming back and with some pieces that look like they could be very important being added, do you kind of go mad scientist and rub your hands together and go, boy, this could be really cool? MARK JOHNSON: Well, that's the fun part is trying to organize lines and trying to find out who plays well with each other. You can do that in practice, but the real test is the games, when you get them in game competition. The puzzle usually changes three, four, five times, whatever it may be, over the course of the winter, but the fun part is as we get organized really next week, when we get all our players back, is trying to find those right combinations. As I mentioned earlier, the leadership part of it is really something that excites me because we probably had 18 or 19 of our returning players around all summer at summer school. We don't get a long training camp, so what they do over the course of the summer and early fall is extremely important, and what I've seen up to this point is exciting. They've paid the price. They've got themselves stronger. They're in much better shape than they maybe were a year ago, so that's exciting. They're committed to the process and the journey of becoming better players individually and at the same time collectively they get along, so it makes it fun to go to practice every day. And now we start, you play a game and then you try to figure out what you did well and what you didn't do well and most importantly what you need to do to improve. Q. Did you see enough of Desbiens last year to believe that she is going to step right in and be a high‑level replacement for Alex? MARK JOHNSON: At this point, yes, and I say that with our home series against North Dakota last year where we ended up losing that first night. She probably let in maybe a couple goals that she'd like to have back, but what I liked was the response the next night where she came back and played very strong against a worthy opponent, and that indicates that she's competitive. She didn't enjoy losing, and certainly didn't like letting in a couple of goals. I think some of the experiences that she's had this summer will also help. Q. You see it sometimes in football and basketball on different levels with incoming freshmen and high expectations. What do you expect from Annie Pankowski this season? MARK JOHNSON: Well, you'd hope that she gets off to a good start. Obviously some of the things that she went through last year, good and bad, I mean, exciting to be part of that process, and then as you get near the end, you get released, which is always a tough pill to swallow for any player. Obviously the strength part of it, playing against our best players in a practice setting for a long time, you know, helps her out. But the big thing is try to get off to a good start here this weekend, try to build some confidence and continue. The nice thing is she's got a pretty good supporting cast that will be able to help her. Q. With Ann, is she further along? Did she benefit a year ago by being on the national team and then getting cut and having to go kind of regroup a little bit? Do you think she's further along in that development compared to had she been here for a year? MARK JOHNSON: I would say she probably benefitted being with the national program, and I say that because if you're in the locker room, if you're on the ice, if you're having lunch with other elite players and watching them, how they conduct themselves, so if I'm around Hilary Knight or if I'm around Meghan Duggan for a long period of time, I'm a young player and I aspire to be them one day or be in a position that they're in, I think being around that is very helpful. And I think being released can be helpful, too, because it's one of those situations where it's a learning process being a young player as she is, what do I need to do to prove myself so the next time I get that opportunity, I'm not going to be released. I think she worked hard over the course of the summer. She's certainly part of the process for the national team, and I think having gone through last year helped her. Q. I'm guessing Minnesota will be picked to win the WCHA. That aside, Amanda Kessel not being able to play this season, that's a big blow just for the sport of women's college hockey. MARK JOHNSON: It is, other than the four times we play against them and you don't want to see her on the ice, but you feel bad for her. I've seen it in a couple of our players where they've sustained injuries and they've either had to take a year off or some have ended their careers. For her to be in that position again when you look at it, you hope they can get healthy and they can lead a normal life. Obviously it's a big blow to our league and certainly a big blow to Minnesota not having their former Patty Kazmaier winner. She had 11 points, I think, that season. For them it's something that it'll be challenging, but they're still going to be good, and you just hope that Amanda at some point in the near future gets healthy and can lead a normal life. Q. The WCHA men's hockey obviously made tremendous changes over the last couple of years. Do you foresee any big changes or movements in the women's WCHA? MARK JOHNSON: Not in the near future, unless Michigan or Michigan State or one or two other Big Ten universities decide to add it. I don't foresee any changes. I think we're in a good place right now. Obviously our league is very strong and very competitive, and hopefully some of the other leagues can stay healthy and make sure those teams stay around. That's the thing that worries me in today's environment of teams dropping sports. That's one thing you don't want to see, especially in a sport that you're coaching in. You want to continue to see growth and groups adding. As far as league structure and things like that, we have a new commissioner of this league. Sarah Martin, who was our longtime commissioner for 12 or 13 years, decided to retire, so we've got a new commissioner, and I know he's excited about getting his foot in the door and trying to increase our brand and increase our product awareness. Q. This is the first time that we've had a chance to talk to you since the passing of Bob Suter, and I wanted your reaction to what you saw, the outpouring and reaction from people all over the country and those who were here in attendance for the funeral those two days and how often you've reflected on him and your relationship with him since. MARK JOHNSON: Well, it was a tough week, Wednesday and Thursday leading up to the funeral. I mean, you're just sort of numb. You go about your business, but it's just this reflection on what Bobby meant to me as a friend, a longtime friend. It was really exciting Friday at the viewing, and I was really excited for his parents, Marlowe and Dodi, his wife Mary, just to see the outpouring of the number of people that came and just showed their support. And then at the funeral on Saturday, you look out and we had most of our 1980 Olympic members there, and then you had all the Suter family, and there were a bunch of them, lots of them, and then to the right you had Craig Leopold, the owner of the Minnesota Wild, brought his team down and their front office people, and so it was a great tribute to Bobby, meant a lot to a lot of different people, and the service was wonderful. He was a unique individual, left way too young, but he provided a lot of us with a lot of great memories, and his legacy will go on and on and on because he touched so many people. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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