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Ellis knows his role with Sabres

October 4th, 2009

BILL POTRECZ , ST CATHARINES STANDARD

October 2, 2009

Matt Ellis’ willingness to accept whatever role—however big or small—has endeared himself to the Buffalo Sabres.

The 28-year-old Welland native hooked up with the Sabres last season after being placed on waivers by the Los Angeles Kings and immediately impressed Sabres coach Lindy Ruff with his selfless attitude.

“He’s accepted his role as a fourth-line centre,” Ruff said at HSBC Arena as the Sabres prepared for the 2009-10 NHL season. “If it’s 30 seconds or eight minutes of ice time, he’s not asking for anything more. Usually players want more. If they have a little bit of success, they want to be a third-liner.

“Matt is special in a sense that he takes whatever role is given to him and he’ll be a soldier in that role for you.”

Ellis, a 6-foot-1, 215-pound centre, feels it’s important to the overall chemistry of a team to fill whatever role is asked of him.

“Teams are built around everyone accepting their roles,” he said. “You have the stars and the goal scorers, but you also need the role players to fill the void when there are injuries or guys need to step into the lineup.”

Ellis performed admirably in limited duty for the Sabres last season, scoring seven goals and 12 points in 45 games, often playing on the fourth unit or checking unit.

Ellis said his understanding of the big picture could be traced back to his time with the Detroit Red Wings organization.

“When I broke in with Detroit, I understood that was capacity I had to fill on that team,” said Ellis, who spent four seasons with the St. Michael’s Majors before signing with the Red Wings in 2002-03. “It’s something I have to accept and be ready when the opportunity comes.

“It’s about the attitude and being part of a team and bringing what I can to the table day in and day out, and when the opportunity arises, making sure I’m ready.”

Ellis’ refreshing attitude also carries over to the gym, where he’s a tireless worker.

“He feels it’s his duty to set an example of how to work hard and that’s special, in a sense,” Ruff said.

Ellis worked out with Sabres teammate and fellow Welland native Dan Paille this summer, often at White Oaks. He also spent two days a week in July and three more a week in August working with former St. Catharines Falcons coach Darryl Belfry.

“I got a ton out of it,” Ellis said. “Darryl is great at what he does. He’s been one of the best investments I could make in my career.”

Ellis began working with Belfry three years ago, concentrating on his skating. Last summer, the duo concentrated more on offence.

Ellis didn’t mind putting in the extra time.

“I’ve always been a hard worker,” he said. “You want to keep building on your foundation and I’ve been able to do that with Darryl. He did a great job getting me ready.”

Ellis, who had a goal and an assist in three exhibition game for Buffalo, spent five seasons in the Detroit organization before finally cracking the NHL for 16 games in 2006-07. He played 35 more games for the Wings the next season before being picked up on waiver by the Kings.

Ellis said the move west was an eye-opener.

“That was the first time I stepped outside my comfort zone,” Ellis said. “I’d always been with the Detroit organization and that’s all I knew in pro hockey.

“It pushed me outside my comfort zone, but it also opened up some new opportunities. I’m thankful for each step of the journey. I’ve tried to take a little from each place I’ve been and put it all together.”

Ellis has a one-way contract for the first time this year, which means he’ll likely stay put in Buffalo rather than shuttle back and forth between the NHL and the American League.

“It feels good, but you don’t take anything for granted,” Ellis said. “You have to compete day in and day out and be consistent. The coach needs to trust you and know what he’s going to get from you.”

Ellis is also thrilled to be playing so close to his hometown.

“It (Buffalo) definitely feels like home,” he said. “I love it here. Growing up a half-hour from here, it doesn’t much better than this.”

Professional Power Skating Coach . Hockey Skill Development Professional.

Darryl Belfry is currently working in development for the Los Angeles Kings (NHL). Darryl is a skill development professional who has developed his philosophy over the last 15 years and his use of video analysis and NHL role models in development makes his program among the most relevant and effective in the world. He is credited with influencing the careers of many current NHL players through the most formative ages in their development. Darryl lives in Ridgeway with his wife Ruth and daughter Ella.

Work ethic of Sabres’ Ellis earns Ruff’s praise

September 26th, 2009

By John Vogl

NEWS SPORTS REPORTER

Updated: September 26, 2009, 9:29 AM

At first, it’s hard to tell who’s happier that Matt Ellis is a member of the Buffalo Sabres, the player or the organization. Both speak glowingly of each other, and the praise is genuine.

But when Ellis’ words finally slow down a notch or two, the answer comes.

“It definitely feels like a home,” Ellis said Friday in HSBC Arena. “I love it here. I won’t lie to you. It’s a great group of guys, management, coaching staff, right down. Great fan base. Growing up a half-hour from here [in Welland, Ont.], it doesn’t get much better than this.”

If it sounds like Ellis feels blessed, his actions show it. The 28-year-old soaks in every moment of his NHL existence and treats each one as a gift. How so? By shutting his mouth and going to work.

“He works extremely hard, if not the hardest on the team,” center Paul Gaustad said. “He’s just a good team guy. It’s the epitome of what you want on your team.”

Said Ellis: “It’s been my attitude my whole career that I take each day at a time and try to seize every opportunity that’s in the present.”

It’s an outlook that’s endeared him to the club that plucked him off the waiver wire last season. Ellis is grateful to be living his childhood dream, the one he’s had since he first picked up a hockey stick. So while some players carp about ice time or a diminished role on the power play, the fourth-line center breathlessly anticipates every shift.

“He could get 30 seconds of ice time or he can get eight minutes of ice time, and he’s not asking for anything more: “It’s my role to play whatever minutes I play,’” coach Lindy Ruff said. “He really feels it’s his duty to set an example on how hard he works. That’s special in a sense because usually some players want more. If they have a little bit of success they want to be a third-liner, and “How come I can’t play more?’ Matty is special in a sense that, “I’ll take whatever you give me, and I’ll be a soldier in that role for you.’”

The team’s fondness for Ellis is why he’s a near-lock to be in the lineup a week from tonight, when the Sabres open the regular season against Montreal in HSBC Arena.

It helps that he has success. Though Ellis played just 45 games—and an average of only 8:49 in each—he contributed seven goals and 12 points.

He spent the summer getting in position for more. He skated two or three times a week with hockey development coach Darryl Belfry, working primarily on his shot. But no matter how many goals come, Ellis will still gladly play wherever he’s needed.

“Teams are built around everyone accepting their roles,” he said. “You have your stars, you have your goal scorers, but you also need your role players who come in and fill the void when there’s injuries or when a guy needs to step into the lineup.

“One of the things that comes from being a role player is the coach needs to be able to trust you and know what he’s going to get from you. To be able to be consistent and get the coach’s trust, that’s huge.”

Click here for professional skill development and power skating drills

Summer Recap

September 3rd, 2009

Wow! What an amazing summer!

I wanted to take a few moments to recap an amazing summer season.

Matt Ellis - Buffalo Sabres and I just finished filming a shooting video. This video is important because it represents a new level of shooting skill that is now available. I completed a shooting/scoring research project in which I then taught to Matt during his off-season development program which he shares with Daniel Girardi - New York Rangers (NHL) and Daniel Paille - Buffalo Sabres (NHL). The highlights of that video is here:

2009 Playmakers ”Next Step Shooting Skills”

I also spent a significant amount of time working with Pro/NCAA and CHL players who are part of the “Beyond the Next Level” http://www.beyondthenextlevel.com/ gym in Oakville. I was fortunate to spend time working with the JPL Prospects (http://www.jplprospect.com) , JPL is an NHL player agency who sends their top prospects to Oakville for strength and conditioning training in the summer. Here’s a picture of me with a BTNL clients Cody Bass - Ottawa Senators, Sam Gagner - Edmonton Oilers and Stefan Legein - Columbus Blue Jackets prospect.

I also was able to run 3 Pro Defense Camp Weekends this summer. I run these defense camps in association with Ian Pulver of Pulver Sports (http://nationalhockeyinstitute.com/www.pulversports.com) , Pulver sports is an NHL player agency.

These camps featured the following players:

Daniel Girardi - New York Rangers (NHL)

Josh Kidd - Manchester Monarchs (AHL)

Jesse Blacker - Windsor Spitfires (OHL) and 2009 2nd Round Selection of the Toronto Maple Leafs

Mat Clark - Brampton Battalion (OHL) and 2oo9 2nd Round Selection of the Anaheim Ducks and 2009 Invitee to the 2010 Team Canada World Junior Development Camp in August.

Adam Clendenning - USNDTP Under 18 Program

Brock Beukeboom - Sault Ste Marie Greyhounds (OHL) and 2009 U17 Gold Medalist with Team Ontario

Blake Parlett - St. Mikes Mississauga Majors (OHL), Tyler Hostetter - Erie Otters - OHL, Adrian Robertson - Peterborough Petes (OHL), Paul Bezzo - Owen Sound Attack (OHL), Frankie Corrado - Sudbury Wolves (OHL)

We also had Jeremie Blain - Acadie-Bathurst (QMJHL) and Antoine Corbin - Kelowna Rockets (WHL)

From the US Universities we had Nicholas Schaus (UMass-Lowell), Tim Carr (UMass-Lowell), Kevan Millar (University of Vermont), Jack Downing (University of Vermont)

and highly touted Max Iafrate a 1994 from Michigan.

Needless to say it was an incredible three weekends.

As previously posted we went to Edmonton Alberta (www.westernelitehockey.com) for a 3 day camp, which next year is already booked for 2 weeks for 1995 and 1996 birthyear players - in 2010 the camp will be held in the West Edmonton Mall, which will be unbelievable.

We sold out all of our youth Extreme Edges and Shooting Programs.

We hosted a 1991-93 Intensive which featured OHL and US Prep School Players, along with a 1995 Intensive which featured Artem Yatskevich who flew in from Moscow, Russia and Brian McDonald who flew in from Winnipeg, SK for the camp.

Complementing those Intensives we also ran a 1996 Intensive and a 1997 Defenseman’s Intensive which we plan to expand and develop for next summer.

Overall I had an incredible summer with some amazing programs and look forward to the Fall/Winter Programs leading us to another promising summer.

2009 NHL DRAFT

July 1st, 2009

Congratulations to the following Playmakers who were selected in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft in Montreal June 26th

2nd Round 37th Anaheim Ducks - Mat Clark D

2nd Round 58th Toronto Maple Leafs - Jesse Blacker D

3rd Round 70th Nashville Predators - Taylor Beck RW

4th Round 94th Columbus Blue Jackets - David Savard D

We congratulate them on their accomplishment and wish them the best of luck heading forward to realizing their NHL dream.

3 Clients Win the 2009 Memorial Cup

May 26th, 2009

Congratulations to Adam Henrique, Jesse Blacker, and Justin Shugg of the 2009 Windsor Spitfires for winning the 2009 CHL Memorial Cup this past week in Rimouski, QC.

The CHL Memorial Cup is widely considered the toughest championship to win in hockey. Congratulations to all three, we are very proud.

2009 Shooting Camp Off-Ice Practice Directive

May 20th, 2009

Heading into the break before the next shooting camp date I wanted to comment on both where we are in the camp and what you can do during the break to get ahead.

For the first two sessions, my focus was to expose you to a variety of different shots and shooting techniques, most specifically was the emphasis on “active wrists” in each shot. Many of you are very rigid in your wrists limiting your shooting effectiveness.

On each of the wrist shot, the snap shot, the pull in snap shot and the backhand, all of which were covered in both sessions, you need to develop a comfort in top hand control. The wrist action that controls the shot all comes from the top hand. One of the best things you can do off the ice to develop this is to use a tennis ball and stickhandle the ball with only the top hand. If you find your top hand wrist getting tired quickly during this exercise, it is likely that this is an underdeveloped aspect of stick control that will help you in all puck skills including shooting.

With respect to the bottom hand, too many of you “choke” the stick with the bottom hand. Meaning, your grip is too tight on the bottom hand which encourages the bottom hand to be involved in the control aspects of the shot. This is a very debilitating habit that you must work hard to change. The confusing part about the role of the bottom hand in shooting is that it is the force applicator. The problem is, the work leading up to the shot must be done with a soft bottom hand and only in the moment when you are about to release the puck does the bottom hand tightly grip the stick to apply downward pressure and produce the power of the shot.

Off the ice you can work on this by stickhandling a ball with a loose bottom hand - allowing the stick to rotate freely in the bottom hand, then pull the ball toward your feet and grip the stick hard, bend the stick with weight pressure and shoot. Focus on keeping a loose bottom hand until the last possible moment before releasing the shot.

Lastly, one of the other elements we touched on in the first couple sessions, that will become more prominent in the remaining classes is split vision. Split vision is where you can see the puck on the stick and you can see the target at the same time. Too many of you shoot with your head down. You are accustomed to looking at the puck in the shooting process, therefore your accuracy is inconsistent. Your shooting will be inconsistent so long as your take your eyes off the target in the shooting process. The next step is to fixate your eyes on a target at the beginning of the shooting process and hold your focus on that target throughout the shooting process. At the same time stickhandle the puck and see if you can get to the point where you can experience split vision. Once you have achieved split vision, then shoot for your target.

A large part of shooting with your head up is split vision and the other part is developing more trust in your stickhandling. The two ideas I share with you in this article are interrelated. The better control you can develop in your top hand and the better timing you develop in the grip in the bottom hand improves the trust you have in your stickhandling. The more trust you have in your stickhandling, the more attention you can dedicate to your target. The more concentrated you are on your target, the more potential you have to be consistently accurate.

Take these power ideas and practice them everyday, and when we re-convene for the remaining sessions in the skating and shooting camp, you will be ready for the next step.

Good luck,

Darryl Belfry

Playmakers Hockey

Congratulations

Playmakers would like to congratulate the following students and wish them the best of luck as a door in their pursuit to the NHL has opened. Now of course the real work begins to take advantage of this opportunity.

Rd 2 31 Aaron Taylor Ottawa 67’s

Rd 3 43 Ben Fanelli Kitchener Rangers

Rd 4 66 Alex Lepkowski Saginaw Spirit

Rd 5 87 Joey DeConcilys Niagara Ice Dogs

Rd 6 114 Greg Jambrosich Sudbury Wolves

Rd 9 177 Mark Luzar Brampton Battalion

Rd 9 179 Tommy Barzcz London Knights

Rd 10 183 Kyle Woodhouse Kitchener Rangers

Best of luck to all.

Defensive Play that Wins

April 30th, 2009

I hope all of you enjoyed the hotly contested and wildly exciting 1st Round of the 2009 NHL Playoffs as much as I did. I can’t wait for the 2nd Round to begin. The parity of the cap system shows up most prominently in the playoff races down the stretch and the upsets in the first round. All the series were incredibly close, save Boston’s dismantling of Montreal. In watching the first round games as intently as I did, I wish I had a dollar for every reference to “good defensive play” by the commentators. Clearly, defensive play is critical, however, I find the obvious illustrations of “defensive play” by role players has a way of minimizing the great defensive play by all players, including the most offensively gifted.

In watching the illustrations on TV of “good defense”, I am fearful that young players may get a limited idea of what “good defense” really is. My attempt in this article is to clearly identify the three components of defensive play that wins, show how these components are related and illustrate how all players, regardless of what stage of hockey they compete in or “offensive talent” someone told them they were blessed with, can employ these components consistently and effectively. I suspect this is may be the first time that you have heard it described this way, which will be an advantage for you as you head into next season.

First, I’d like to clearly identify the three components of defensive play that wins. These components are as follows:

1. Puck Power Management

• Playing good defense starts with the decisions you make when you have the puck.

i. You have to know where the bad areas/situations are to turn the puck over. There are clear areas/situations on the ice that if you turn the puck over, you will put yourself and your team in a defensively vulnerable position. Figure 1-3 illustrates a couple of these areas/situations.

Figure 1: The Offensive Blueline

Figure 2: Last Man

Figure 3: Cross Ice Passes in the Neutral Zone

Figure 4: Missing to the long side

Figure 5: Hope Plays

• So much of puck management is making certain that as the puck carrier you don’t force a play that gives your opponent an unearned opportunity to score.

i. This is why the offensive players are often criticized for their being irresponsible defensively. Many times the criticism they receive stems more from their poor decisions with the puck that lead to direct scoring chances than it does from them losing a check. This is what I mean about how “good defensive play” as it is illustrated can be misleading.

ii. This is also why it is somewhat misleading when “role players,” such as described defensive specialists, checking forwards, and stay-at-home-defensemen get praised for their “good defensive play.” Any time the burden of making plays with the puck is lifted and your sole responsibility is to chip the puck into soft areas and check, it’s much easier to excel at “defensive hockey.” When you have the burden of making plays and creating scoring chances, all your checking and sound 1 on 1 defensive work for the entire game can be erased with one poor puck decision that leads to an egregious turnover that ends up as a scoring chance against.

iii. The trouble with specializing as a low risk, low reward defensive specialist who makes few plays with the puck is that the time is coming quickly where you will have very little prospect of playing at the elite levels. That type of player is slipping in its relevance. All players have to make plays, and all players have to manage the puck and play good defense. Players like Pavel Datsyuk who is a finalist for the Hart Trophy as the leagues’ MVP and a finalist and previous winner of the Selke trophy as the leagues’ best defensive forward is a sign that well-rounded players who manage the puck can excel at both ends of the rink.

2. Positioning

• Positioning yourself to be a defensive player we can win with is about ice awareness and commitment to being on the defensive side of the puck. The players who are among the very best two way players in the NHL (Datsyuk, Mike Richards, and Henrik Zetterberg) are because they have figured out how to turn their defensive positioning into offensive chances. They understand that good defense leads to good offense. They don’t believe that being on the defensive side is sacrificing offense; they have come to believe that it is enhancing their offense.

Figure 6: Defensive Side Positioning

Figure 7: Dual Positioning

Figure 8: Inside Out

Figure 9: Inside Out II

Figure 10: Recovery Position

• Defensive play is about creating transition situations. Those players, who show a high aptitude in hockey sense, excel in transition. To excel in transition you have to be crafty and skilled in gap control. Gap control is an excellent separator between those players who legitimately can play at the next level and the posers.

i. The best way to learn and understand how to control the gap is as follows:

a. The best time to position yourself defensively is when your team has the puck.

b. The best time to position yourself offensively is when you are defending.

ii. Let me illustrate a situation to clarify this critical concept to transition.

Figure 11: Transition

Figure 12: Transition

Figure 13: Transition

3. Compete Level

• Of all the elements of defensive play, this one is probably the most misleading. What does it mean to have a high compete level?

i. It is misleading because so many people equate high compete levels with hits. If you finish your check does that mean you have a high compete level? Yes and no. Yes, in that, your willingness to use your body is competing. No, in that, unless your checks force turnovers, or hurry the opposition, create board battles or lead to a loose puck battle, then finishing your check may take you out of position and make you a defensive liability. Players with a high compete level must balance their aggressiveness with effectiveness. It’s not enough to run around and hit everything that moves. There is some value in that, but not as much as the guy who arrives while the puck is still there.

ii. Competing is more than the battle, its winning the battle, establishing body position and making plays in traffic. Too many times, players engage in a battle, win the battle, only to make a “hope play”, or force a puck into a low-percentage area, or their battle win leads to another battle. Players who have exceptional compete levels, are able to turn their battle wins into plays. If you can’t make plays after winning a battle, you will have difficulty playing at an elite level.

iii. Competing is as much taking contact to make a play. Players with high compete levels; have the courage and poise to take the extra time knowing they will take a check to allow their support to get open to receive a pass. That’s what it takes to make a play, that’s a high level of compete.

The next part of illustrating “defensive play that wins” is having a good understanding how each of these elements are related. This will help you implement these concepts into your game immediately.

The best way to illustrate how these concepts are related is to describe a common situation.

Figure 14: Situation 1

Figure 15: Situation 1

Figure 16: Situation 1

Figure 17: Situation 1

Figure 18: Situation 1

This scoring chance is made possible because of F1’s ability to make defensive plays.

1. Puck Management - recognizing limited space at offensive blueline - chips into area where F2 could compete for the puck.

2. Compete Level - Engages in board battle on advanced puck from F2 as they battle 2 on 2.

3. Positioning - starts on the defensive side of the puck - jumps to compete, then recovers quickly to the middle of the ice - allowing F3 to be aggressive.

4. Positioning - recovers to a dual position and on the turnover is in a soft area of the ice to get a shot.

5. Positioning - after the shot attempt - he is in good defensive position if F2 or F3 is unable to recover the puck.

I trust after this short illustration, you are now able to recognize how important playing good defense is to winning and how the three elements of “good defense” interact. This should allow you to see the game from a different perspective and hopefully encourage you to look for opportunities to improve your puck management, your positioning and your compete level to convert your defense into offensive chances. Work hard to improve your game in each of these three areas to establish yourself as a great player who can be trusted in all situations, on both sides of the puck.

Those of you resist and are unwilling to commit yourself to these defensive principles and think that your “offensive talent” is enough to carry you through, will find out very quickly that there is a short shelf life for one-way offensive players. The same is true for those of you who are hoping that becoming a defensive specialist and absolving yourself of the burden to make plays is enough, will find out that the shelf life for defensive players who can’t make plays is even shorter. The NHL has recently seen the extinction of the “stay-at-home defenseman” who would hold and obstruct and throw the puck off the glass. All defensemen must be able to make plays and manage the puck; the teams at the top have 6 defensemen who are mobile.

As you watch the rest of the playoffs work these principles and pay special attention to how small the margin for error is.

Now that you know what is expected and you have the knowledge to make changes in your game that will separate you from your peers, there is nothing holding you back.

Good luck,

Written by Darryl Belfry