After four straight losses, Troy Stecher discussed the mood in the Leafs’ room during a tough homestand, where the team needs to improve, his waiver claim almost exactly one year ago, and the challenge of defending Quinn Hughes and Kirill Kaprizov against the Wild.
What are you sensing from the group right now? Obviously, it’s been a tough stretch.
Stecher: This homestand hasn’t gone the way we wanted, but our belief hasn’t wavered, and the connectivity amongst the group hasn’t wavered. We’re all still really close with each other, and the vibe’s great in the room.
Yesterday, we had a great day at practice. Energy was high, and we made a couple of adjustments to our systems. But we’re not dwelling on the past. We’ve got a great opportunity tonight to beat a really good hockey team at home, so I’m just focused on that.
In your mind, 20 games in, what’s the biggest thing that needs to improve?
Stecher: I think you’ve asked me a similar question before, and there’s never a specific answer. There’s no complacency at this level. Teams and players are just too good, so you’re always trying to improve on every aspect.
If you do want to go into specifics, I think our kill has obviously dropped off a little bit, so we’d like to improve our kill. Defensively, we’d like to protect our house a little bit better. I think that would help the D and the goalies prevent goals against, moving dangerous shots to the outside.
Neutral zone, obviously, we’d like to be connected and maybe enter with more speed instead of chipping. But there’s a balance between that, too. You don’t want to turn the puck over, right? So, it’s understanding time and space.
Offensively, just simplifying: getting low to high, getting pucks to the net and bodies to the net. Sometimes when it’s tough to score, you’ve just got to kind of dumb the whole game down, and that’s when other things open. As a group, we’re focused on trying to improve our game in every single aspect. There’s no complacency in this room.
What’s it like when you make a systems tweak in the middle of the season? Is one practice enough to get it going?
Stecher: I don’t think it takes as long as people maybe think. If you want to know the honest truth, there are maybe three systems played across the NHL, so everybody’s kind of played all of them. A couple of repetitions in practice to make sure you’re in the right place.
Maybe the verbiage and language is a little different on certain calls, but the whole principle is the same. A practice or two just to make sure your routes are right. But everybody’s kind of had experience playing every system somewhere.
You’re coming up on a year since you joined the Leafs. What have you enjoyed about the market, the team, and being here?
Stecher: November 15.
Obviously, the fan base is incredible, and I feel very fortunate to be a part of that — and just the group in here. It starts from the top, obviously, the leadership group with Tone, Willy, Morgan, and John. They welcomed me in right away, and I felt like I fit as part of this group, and I’m kind of a piece of the puzzle.
Last year, there were highs and lows. This year, I feel like we’ve been pretty even-keeled. Obviously, we’re not where we want to be with our record, but I’ve really enjoyed being a part of this group and being a part of the fight every single day.
Are you good at remembering dates?
Stecher: That one specifically because I got put on waivers. As a hockey player, the last thing you ever want is to not be wanted. That one sticks with me and added a chip on my shoulder, for sure.
The team has scored some big goals on the homestand, but it’s what happens afterward, with the team conceding quickly afterward. What’s the mindset in those moments?
Stecher: It sucks. It feels like it kind of takes the life out of the building. The momentum that you created is kind of stopped. But we’ve been doing a lot of really good things. I think those are the key moments that we’ve got to focus on. When we do get back into the game, how do we continue to push and not be satisfied with tying it up?
Not to change your question, but I think we really have to try playing with the lead a lot more. Last game, we did have a lead at the start of the game. We scored the first one, but then we gave up the next two. When we play with the lead, it takes away a lot of mistakes and a lot of pressure.
How satisfied are you with where your game is and how you’re playing right now?
Stecher: If you asked me before last game, it would’ve been a lot higher. Obviously, I was at fault for the second goal against. Overall, I don’t know. I’ve been here a year. I think you guys know I don’t take a day for granted. I go out there, and I’m a worker. I enjoy working and trying to drag guys into the fight with me.
Obviously, I have limited skill abilities, and hopefully other guys on our team can take over in that aspect. But I definitely feel like every night I try to be one of those guys that drags our team into the fight and makes sure we’re ready to go.
When you watch Quinn Hughes, how would you describe the way he changes the game?
Stecher: I was fortunate enough to play with him in Vancouver when he first came into the league, and I think he kind of opened everybody’s eyes to how good he really was.
The biggest thing with him is he doesn’t allow players necessarily to close the time and space on him. I feel like everybody’s in containment mode with him, and that allows him space on the ice to use his creativity.
The way he skates, the way he sees the ice, his edge work is world-class. He’s an impressive player and will be one of our top focuses, if not our top focus tonight, as someone we want to shut down.
Hughes seems unflappable and confident amid the uncertainty around his future. What did you learn in Vancouver about his personality and how he handles the noise?
Stecher: The thing with Quinn is I don’t think anything bothers him. Even during a game, between periods, I thought he was half asleep sometimes, just staring off into the distance. But he’s a hard guy to read, man.
Once you get to know him as an individual and you kind of build a little bit of friendship, you understand who he is as a person. But as a hockey player, I’m still trying to figure out how he’s able to turn it on and off like a light switch. It’s pretty impressive.
Another one is Kirill Kaprizov. What’s the biggest challenge in defending him?
Stecher: You want to contain him in a certain way, and then guys like that find a way to make something happen in another way. But just through our pre-scout, it’s no secret. I think they like playing three-wide as their forward group. They kind of spread the ice and get your forecheck and your coverage kind of spread out in that way, which opens seams.
I know it’s cliché, but connecting five guys to the middle of the ice is really going to take away a lot of their seam passes rink-wide. If you do that, they’re going to have to go through three sticks. They’re going to have to go through a set of feet, a set of legs, and that’s where breakdowns happen.
It’s about limiting Kaprizov from getting the puck on the outside, where he can curl up, drive wide, and have a bunch of options.
