Struch brings energy, passion as Rebels interim head coach
His personality is an indication of his coaching style.
Never mind the Xs and Os so much, Dave Struch plans to bring extra energy and emotion to the Red Deer Rebels through the remainder of the WHL season.
“I do have energy. I’m a passionate hockey person,” he said Tuesday, four days after being hired as the team’s interim head coach.
“It just who I am, the way I work, the way I am on the bench, the way I am in practice. As much as we are as coaches, as I am as a coach, I look forward to developing hockey players, hockey people.
“It’s just as important to develop them as young men because their hockey career isn’t always going to be there.”
Struch, who was director of hockey at Notre Dame College in Wilcox, Sask., as well as head coach of the Hounds U15 prep team over the past year, didn’t walk into an unknown situation when he joined the Rebels over the weekend.
On the contrary, as a veteran of 17 years of coaching in the WHL — both as a bench boss and assistant — he was already familiar with most of the Rebels hockey staff, and of course team owner and GM Brent Sutter.
“One of the things that was unique for me was coming in and being comfortable,” he said. “I know a lot of the Rebels personnel. I had a chance to meet them over the years, as the opposition. I’ve now had the opportunity to meet the players and learn their names and I’m still taking action on that.
“But overall, the environment . . . we know what it’s like here. We know what the Sutter family is, who Brent Sutter is. It’s a clean organization, professional, and that’s the way I do things and what I believe in.
“Hopefully we can get things done here in a short time, get things to where we need to be for this weekend and into the near future.”
A native of Flin Flon, Man., Struch moved with his family to Saskatoon when he was 12 years of age. He played minor hockey there and then played four years with the Saskatoon Blades, scoring 45 goals and recording 102 points during the 1993-94 season.
Struch was drafted by the Calgary Flames in ’91 and played four games with the NHL team three years later. He played 14 seasons in various other pro leagues — including nine years overseas — before embarking on a WHL coaching career that included stops in Saskatoon, Regina and Everett.
Struch was hired by Notre Dame last July and cherished his time there, but says he couldn’t turn down the chance to come to Red Deer.
“It was timing. I had a great experience at Notre Dame, the opportunity to be a part of something bigger than hockey,” he said. “I learned a lot there.
“When Brent called it was a feeling of emotion because I was sad to leave the young men I was working with, the coaching staff, the entire faculty.
“But coming here to this franchise, with this organization, with Brent and the Sutter family . . . it was something I couldn’t pass up.
“I’ve had a long career of coaching in the league and it was something that I was excited to get back involved with.”
Struch was hired on an interim basis with any decisions regarding the head coaching position to be made at the end of the season. He didn’t deny that he’d be interested in being officially named as the team’s next head coach at that point.
“It’s something to think about for sure,” he said.
“I will say that over my time in the WHL there are two or three organizations that a lot of coaches in the league model their teams after, not necessarily all the system but the way teams play, their identity. Red Deer is always one of them. Teams like Everett and Brandon (as well) for years have played the same style of hockey no matter which coach is in there.
“The way the Rebels history is and the way Rebel hockey is, I have an idea of what that is and it’s the way I like to coach and the way we’re going to coach. The players got their first taste of it yesterday (in practice) and we hope they buy into it.”
Struch made the long trek from Wilcox to Red Deer on Saturday, a trek made a tad longer than normal thanks to snowy weather, and was behind the bench for the Rebels’ 2-1 win over Calgary.
He hasn’t officially cut ties with Notre Dame, telling the athletic faculty he’ll be available on a consulting basis.
“I let them know than because this is an interim position that if they need anything from me I’m accessible,” he stated. “I believe we started something special there so I would like to continue to use my ideas and hopefully have a voice in guiding them a bit more into the future of Notre Dame.
“I left it in their hands. It’s a critical time for the colleges, for the academies. I think it’s important that they take a step forward and I’ve left it for them than I can be used as a pretty good resource.
“A lot of the stuff we implemented on the hockey side has come to fruition with the development, the coaching staff and the daily routines.”
Struch said the school also hopes to introduce club volleyball and basketball into their athletic program.
“I’m hoping that in discussions over the past year as the director of hockey that the college takes some steps in becoming an elite hockey, basketball, volleyball and overall athletic place to be,” he said.
The Rebels return to action this weekend with two more games versus the Calgary Hitmen — Friday in Calgary and Saturday at the Peavey Mart Centrium.
