Q&A with Buffalo Junior Sabres head coach Michael Peca

by Ryan Fay

Union recently landed a commitment from Buffalo Junior Sabres (OJHL) defenseman Nick DeSimone for the 2014-2015 season.

To get the skinny on DeSimone, I conducted a phone interview with Junior Sabres head coach/general manager Michael Peca.

Peca scored nearly 500 points in 13 seasons in the National Hockey League before retiring in 2010. Best known for his time with the Buffalo Sabres and New York Islanders, he was a two-time (1997, 2002) Frank J. Selke Trophy winner for top defensive forward.

Peca

RYAN FAY (RF): Most people out this way have never seen DeSimone play. What kind of player is he?

MICHAEL PECA (MP): He's a good offensive defenseman. He has great instincts offensively. He played forward a bit coming up through the game of hockey and that has served him well to see the ice and where forwards might be or be heading. He does a lot of that without putting himself in situations where he's vulnerable defensively.

For him to come in here and be one of our leaders (he's an assistant captain), it says volumes about what kind of person he is. He's had brothers go through the game of hockey, so he's seen the type of hard work and dedication required to even go from junior hockey to college hockey. He has put in that work, and it's great to see it pay off for him.

RF: DeSimone's numbers are up quite a bit this year. Last year with the EJHL's Connecticut Oilers, he had four goals and nine assists in 36 games. This year, leads OJHL defensemen with 28 points (8 g, 20 a) in 26 games. What do you attribute this year's spike to?

MP: Sometimes when you see what a player is capable of doing, you have to get out of their way. The one thing I tell these kids, and we stress early on, is that we don't burden them with overly complicated systems or responsibilities. These kids are still exploring themselves as hockey players. Sometimes the more freedom you give them, the more confidence they're going to gain from it. We give them the responsibility and freedom to explore from time to time. A lot of kids flourish in that environment, and I'm glad he's been able to.

RF: Where would you like to see him improve before making the leap to college hockey?

MP: Our challenge with every kid is to prepare them for the next level and to do that sometimes is hard. At times, they're ahead of the majority in the league, so there's a tendency to cheat a little bit, gamble too much, or make a high-risk play because they can get away with it. Our coaching staff's goal is to teach these kids to make mature decisions with the puck and be responsible when they're on the ice.

When you get to the next level, coaches will be patient, but not as patient as they are at our level. They're going to want a player who's responsible for them and able to step into the lineup and contribute right away. That doesn't mean just contributing offensively, but not being a liability defensively.

We're grooming these guys to have their game ready, but also the maturity part of it to be responsible young men so they know what they're in for when they live the college life.

RF: How is the defensive side of his game coming along?

MP: It's good. That's our focus moving forward. You have to defend unless you're as gifted offensively as some of the ones who don't come around very often. Shoring up that part of his game is crucial. He's going to be stepping into college hockey next year and the pace of the game is going to be that much faster -- and not just the speed of the players, but the puck movement and the decision making. The more stable he can be defensively at this level, the more prepared he'll be moving forward next year.

RF: What kind of player could you see him ultimately developing into at the college level?

MP: He has all-around capabilities, but he's a guy who's going to develop into an offensive force and be able to quarterback a power play.

RF: How much of an adjustment period do you think he'll need at the collegiate level?

MP: His goal, and our goal for him, is to prepare him to step in right away and contribute. A lot of it depends on opportunity and taking advantage of those opportunities. But he's a bright kid, and I don't think it will take him long to adjust.

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