Moose coach thinking ahead

By: Tim Campbell Posted: 8:56 PM CDT Saturday, Jul. 4, 2015

Manitoba Moose coach Keith McCambridge is again running the on-ice sessions at the Jets development camp.

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Manitoba Moose coach Keith McCambridge is again running the on-ice sessions at the Jets development camp.

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 04/07/2015 (3744 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitoba Moose coach Keith McCambridge is again running the on-ice sessions at the Jets development camp.

His assistant, Mark Morrison, as well as player development co-ordinator Jimmy Roy and player development assistant Mike Keane are also coaching players at the MTS Iceplex.

Focused

McCambridge said Saturday he’s focused on this week’s business, but in the corner of his eye, his Moose wheels are also turning.

Coach Keith McCambridge, right, at the Winnipeg Jets 2015 development camp at MTS Iceplex.

“Yes, when I see players that could potentially slip through the cracks from Winnipeg and come down to the Manitoba Moose, as a coach you look to see possibly what offensive players could play together and maybe you look down the road,” McCambridge said. “Definitely it’s a focus, where those guys might slide in for us.”

***

McCambridge’s session with reporters Saturday included the question of who stood out for him on Day 2.

It’s a question coaches often duck, but McCambridge said he saw some worthy candidates, including Tucker Poolman, Jansen Harkins, Brendan Lemieux, Nic Petan, Eric Comrie and Connor Hellebuyck.

“For July, the young players look real sharp,” the coach said.

***

For a player used to scoring — he had 114 goals in three OHL seasons before turning pro — 2012 third-round pick Scott Kosmachuk found less success in his first year in the AHL with the St. John’s IceCaps.

Kosmachuk scored just 14 goals and 28 points for the IceCaps in 70 games, but the vibe from the organization is that he remains a potential sleeper going forward.

That might be doing him a disservice, based on the words of McCambridge Saturday.

“Everybody talks about after Christmas for first-year players and he fit exactly into that category,” McCambridge said. “Not a lot of offensive production in the front half of the year. But really started to gain confidence and feel comfortable in the league when he came back from the break.

“He became a big contributor for us down the stretch offensively and more importantly in my mind, understood how he needs to play and how he has to be on the right side of the puck.”