Dupont named head coach

The_Stick_

Well-Known Member
#3
Hockey is about winning trophies, no matter how “easy” some view the playoffs to win, we still won it. Dupont demanded respect from day 1 of taking over that locker room, and it’s clear to see he is well respected and players bought in to what Dupont wanted to achieve. Of course, Dupont isn’t a top European coach who has won major European trophies, but he’s going to give what a lot of coaches won’t, passion for our club. Brodie Duponts’ Barmy Army!
 

moggy#9

Well-Known Member
Thread starter #7
Just wondering why massive mistake?
Lord got given the chance and look how well that worked out.
There's no denying the fact that he's has the dressing room, but I'm concerned about him being out coached by some of the more experienced coaches in the league. Corey neilson would have been my ideal appointment.

Having seen the interview by TK, I now understand the thinking behind the appointment. I will now be behind Dupont.

One slightly worrying aspect of the interviews though was the mention of recruitment. Only 5 or 6 new guys doesn't seem like enough given that we know one will be for carruth and another mikkelson.
 

Kevlar68

Well-Known Member
#8
I think the fact that he now knows the Devils Org., what they expect and he knows the players is a plus for me as a new coach would be going in to next season cold not knowing anything about the team they've gone in to coach.
Dupont now has a year already under his belt with us as player and coach.
 

Devil94

Well-Known Member
#9
Happy with this. What I was concerned about when Skalde left was another rebuilding season with a new coach, which would have been another gamble that could have gone either way. I'm glad TK referenced that in his interview, we will now have 14/15 guys that know the coach, more importantly likes the coach and the coach will know about them. That to me is much more important than bringing another new coach in who is unknown to the guys, even if they bring extensive coaching experience.
 

ASHIPP

Well-Known Member
#10
Steve (King) directly stated recently what TK and the Ownership group require in their Head Coach...passion, commitment, culture.
With Dupont they have seen that in action this past season as both Assistant and Interim Coach.

A young player with those very qualities was once hired as the first Head Coach of the new era...and he didn't do too badly over 6 years did he? ;).

Dupont might be regarded as a risk by some. No more of a risk than a more experienced coach. I give you Paul Thompson and Doug Christiansen who were very successful, moved to other clubs and were disasters.

A good communicator and motivator who has the respect of the locker room is a good start. If the players enjoy their training sessions that's also a massive plus. Dupont has a fine playing cv. He will have useful very contacts too.

Welcome back Coach Dupont and the best of luck this season.
 
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Mooney#16

Well-Known Member
#11
I’ve been fortunate enough to get to know Brodie a little on the school run. I really wouldn’t be that worried about the appointment. He’s a knowledgeable guy, loves hockey, is passionate about the next steps in his career and the opportunity Devils are giving him and most encouraging for Devils fans definitely believes in the benefits of the physical side of the game and using that to manage momentum in games.
 

kingmo19.1

Well-Known Member
#12
After the longest recruitment exercise the world had ever seen last time, this is almost the opposite.

Good luck to Brodie. He’s on a roll and the fans should back him to the hilt.

He has the advantage of a years worth of EIHL experience under his belt so maybe not as risky as a new coach to the league.

Roll on the player signings!

(I bet Franny is secretly thinking - oh no,
Does that mean a full season as assistant coach in addition to my full time job :) )
 
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Rempel16

Well-Known Member
#13
This is great news.

Really excited about what Dupont can do - he's cut from the same cloth as Lord (works all hours, uses video analysis, cares) which is exactly what we need after Skalde.
 

matbur

Well-Known Member
#18
Very good interviews, felt TK should have spoken more when Dupont first game in.

I was dubious about Dupont's appointment last season at first, but the more you hear about him, and from listening to him, he sounds a good fit.

Worth noting his intention to play 'heavier' brand of hockey, grinding it out down low and his emphasis on man management. TK also alludes to 'five or six' changes which sounds about right to me with the need to avoid another big turnover of players.

I'm optimistic about the new season.
 

Finny

Well-Known Member
#19
Time will tell if this is the right appointment or not, but there are several reasons to be excited.

In the short time he was in charge last season he changed our style of play, and it was successful. I watched back the Playoff Final a couple of days later back in full and was impressed with our style of play. In previous games v Belfast I felt we always rode our luck a bit. Soaking up pressure and then trying to hit them on the break.
In the PO Final though we more than held our own. Arguably more so than in the previous PO Final. We had long spells of domination in the Ozone which we hadn't been doing earlier in the year. As mentioned in the videos, it's going to be a return to the style of hockey we got used to under Lord.

It's not a complete restart again. I was willing to give Skalde a year and a bit to settle in and get used to the players and league, so when he was released I was worried we'd be back to square 1 again. As Todd points out in the video signing Dupont means we are not back to square one. Whether as Interim Head Coach or Assistant Coach he was on the bench for most of last season. It sounds like we might be re-signing more players than we were expecting, but I think we all had a couple of maybes on our list who under a new coach and new style of play can move themselves into the must keep category.

But the key point which encourages me the most is the influence of Franny in this situation. From memory the appointment of Lord was mostly down to him. He had seen what Lord had been like in his preparation as a player and believed it would translate into coaching too.
With Skalde, for all the interviews in the world you can't find out what someone is like until they actually get into the locker room. But Franny will have seen first hand what Dupont is like. From being a player, to Asst Coach to Head Coach. And if Franny is confident in his ability I'm very excited for the coming season.
 

Finny

Well-Known Member
#20
Only disappointment in the interviews is that Todd confirms the player signings will be drip-fed.

Still holding out the hope that one year they will keep everything secret until an open training session in August!!!
 
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