New T-Birds coach Konowalchuk knows what it takes | TheAHL.com

Patrick Williams, TheAHL.com Features Writer

Steve Konowalchuk learned the pro hockey business early.

As a 19-year-old in April of 1992, Konowalchuk made his professional debut with the AHL’s Baltimore Skipjacks, playing three games for head coach Barry Trotz. The former third-round draft pick would split his first full season between Baltimore and the Washington Capitals.

Konowalchuk’s time in Charm City saw him skate on teams that eventually graduated the likes of Olaf Kolzig, Byron Dafoe, Ken Klee, Keith Jones, Jason Woolley, Tim Taylor and AHL Hall of Famer John Slaney to long, successful careers.

During that early introduction to the American Hockey League, Konowalchuk says he learned “the work ethic that it takes to get to the NHL.” Now more than 30 years later, he will take on his first professional head coaching assignment, leading the Springfield Thunderbirds. He will bring with him 790 games of NHL playing experience, along with close to two decades of work in coaching and scouting.

Konowalchuk made his return to the AHL last season as an associate coach with the Colorado Eagles. Before that, he had been an assistant in the NHL with Colorado and Anaheim, and he was a successful head coach in the Western Hockey League in Seattle and Red Deer. He also spent time scouting for the New York Rangers.

A 50-goal scorer himself in junior hockey who put up 63 points in 48 games in the AHL, Konowalchuk understood that while offensive stats attract attention, a commitment to a responsible two-way game is what will keep a player in the NHL. He did just that, building a reputation as a dependable forward to the point that he represented the United States at the 1996 World Cup of Hockey.

Working with the Eagles last season offered Konowalchuk a chance to acquaint himself with the AHL once again. So when the St. Louis Blues went looking for a new head coach to lead the Thunderbirds this offseason, Konowalchuk became an obvious choice.

“It was a good refresher and a good learning experience to see the detail that goes into the American League,” Konowalchuk said of his time with the Eagles. “The locker room, that age group, that dynamic, it was good for me to be able to see that. I believe that’s going to help me go forward here.”

Konowalchuk built lasting relationships as a rookie in Baltimore. Taylor, now an assistant general manager with the Blues, played five seasons in the AHL before reaching the NHL; he went on to win two Stanley Cups and become an NHL captain. Klee, who played 934 NHL games, became Konowalchuk’s long-time teammate in Washington. Dafoe won a Calder Cup with Portland in 1993-94 and later was a Vezina Trophy finalist with the Boston Bruins.

One element with those players stood out to Konowalchuk.

“They’re competitive,” Konowalchuk said. “That’ll be a big message to my team. It’s about competing on the ice, off the ice, everything you do because the guys that play and go on to have success, they’re just very competitive. That’s what pushes them to get everything out of their potential. Kenny was that way. [Taylor], I played against him a lot when he was in Tampa. Very competitive.

“That’s the biggest thing I’ve taken away from my entire career. It’s always that guy who has the ultra-compete that surprises you. ‘He’s not quite fast enough. He’s not quite big enough. He’s not quite this-or-that, or he can’t score.’ But he competes and competes, and next thing you know he’s carving a career out for himself.”

Konowalchuk roomed as a rookie with a pair of first-round picks in Slaney and Pat Peake. As his young players learn what it will take to eventually secure an NHL job, this fall he also wants his own young players in Springfield to remember the journey.

“It’s a special time,” Konowalchuk said. “You look back, those first couple of years…are some of the best friends you’ll make throughout your career because you’re all going through the same thing at the same time. You’re sharing those experiences together.”

TheAHL.com features writer Patrick Williams has been on the American Hockey League beat for nearly two decades for outlets including NHL.com, Sportsnet, TSN, The Hockey News, SiriusXM NHL Network Radio and SLAM! Sports, and was most recently the co-host of The Hockey News On The ‘A’ podcast. He was the recipient of the AHL’s James H. Ellery Memorial Award for his outstanding coverage of the league in 2016.