WESTBURY, N.Y. (AP) — When Peter DeBoer took over as coach of the New York Islanders near the end of last season, his runway of four games was not long enough to make the playoffs in a last-ditch effort.
Players did get a small taste of what DeBoer is like. Now, reigning rookie of the year Matthew Schaefer, new captain Bo Horvat and the rest of their teammates will get the full effect of life playing for DeBoer when training camp opens later this week.
“He can just lay his foundation and what he wants for the year, lay (out) what exactly we need to do to be successful right away,” Horvat said Monday at the team's annual charity golf tournament. “Get a good training camp under our belt and kind of know what the game plan is going into Game 1. He’s very good at making things very clear. There’s no gray area, and things are black and white.”
DeBoer, 58, brings his 17 seasons of NHL coaching experience to his first camp on Long Island. This is his chance to mold the Islanders in his image.
“We need to establish a foundation and an identity," DeBoer said. "That’s always the goal of a coaching staff: What’s going to be the identity of this year’s team? What are we going to hang our hat on? How are we going to win games? That’s on us as coaches to implement that and players to buy in.”
New York last season looked to be solidly in playoff position in mid-March before losing 10 of 14 games down the stretch and plummeting down the standings. Schaefer, the face of the franchise who became one of hockey's top defensemen at age 18, called missing out unacceptable and believes people are now doubting the Islanders.
“I love when haters hate because we’re going to do our thing,” said Schaefer, who turned 19 on Sept. 5. “We don’t care what anyone else says because, at the end of the day, we’re a family and we’re worried about what we’re going to do. So, I’m super excited to have a full training camp with Pete and just get going because I think we have so much to show.”
DeBoer has a proven track record to that effect. He has coached two teams to the Stanley Cup Final — New Jersey in 2012 and San Jose in 2016 — and two others to the conference finals — Vegas and Dallas — each multiple times.
“We’re excited,” said winger Kyle Palmieri, who is returning from a torn ACL in his left knee. "It’s an exciting opportunity for our group to really wrap our heads around the way he wants to play and the way we’re going to need to play to be successful.”
The departure of longtime captain Anders Lee in free agency created a void, and Horvat — who held that role in Vancouver — got the call from DeBoer to tell him the role is his. DeBoer was an assistant on Canada's staff when Horvat played at the Olympics, and that preexisting relationship contributed to the move.
“I’m not going to say it was an easy decision, but it was a fairly easy decision," DeBoer said. "At the Olympics, I got to spend three weeks with him there, saw him first-hand every day how he operates, what he’s about. I had a real comfort level with what he was going to bring in that spot. He’s going to have fantastic support around him with the other people we have there.”
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