Coach's Take

Here are a few quotes about recently re-signed defenseman Adam Rivet from head coach/general manager Terry Ruskowski at today's press conference:

"We’re trying to put a team together for the upcoming season, and I know I feel the pressure of trying to put a competitive team on the ice. (Bucks president) John Beckelhymer and I sit down many days and talk about many players and who to get and how to get them here and put them together. Summers are as hectic as the wintertime because if you don’t recruit well, you’re not going to have a good team during the wintertime. The priorities we have are getting back the guys who last year and the years before have been great contributors to the game of hockey and the game of hockey in Laredo. We signed Weidlich, we signed Agarunov, we signed Dube, and this (Rivet) is one of the priority guys that we talked about."

"This (Rivet) is a guy who I actually coached in Knoxville, Tenn., in the playoffs. He was gracious enough to come and help us in the playoffs when I was coaching there before I came to Laredo. I saw his potential just in practice and a couple games he played with us. I knew this guy was a good hockey player and a character individual. On the ice, he does what he has to do. He’s one of the guys in practice who I never have to tell to hurry up or do this or do that. It’s always full-out every time he does anything."

"He’s just a real character guy. When I need something, when I ask him something, sometimes he doesn’t tell me what I want to hear, but he tells me the truth. Sometimes I bring all the guys in, the veteran guys, my captain, my player/assistant coach, and I ask them for advice, and he stands up and tells me the truth. He’s just a great guy. He’s a classy guy. I don’t know anybody who doesn’t like him. He’s great in the community, great on the ice, great in the locker room. You try to point out a fault, and I can’t. There are just no faults to him. He’s just a great guy.”

Coach emphasized Rivet's contributions off the ice, noting his lifesaving efforts in Mexico this summer and also the fact that he was not very demanding in contract negotiations, calling re-signing the D-man "no hassle at all."

I'll post some quotes from Rivet as soon as I figure out what is going in my story for tomorrow and what isn't.

Meanwhile, because I wasn't able to talk to coach personally about the rookie signings on Monday, here's his take on forward Brett Hopfe and defenseman Jordan Pawelec:

"Hopfe has good size, goes hard to the net; he’s very physical. If you look at his numbers in juniors, you know he stands up for himself and his teammates. I know I sound like a broken record saying this over and over again, but that's the type of player I like. I like the guys who play hard, go to the net hard, get those easy goals…well, any goal is not easy, but the easier goals. He stands up for his teammates, stands up for himself. I think that’s character, and I think he brings a lot of character, and I’m very excited to see him in training camp and see how he does in the exhibition games."

"Pawelec was a kid that played out in Saskatchewan juniors. He made the All-Star Team two years in a row and was third in the league as fastest skater. He's got good size, and he's got some grit, also. He doesn't a backseat to anybody. He's a raw, young defenseman coming in here, and I'd like to see how he looks and if he has the ability, we'll teach him the system, teach him what he has to do. We'll see what he has to offer in training camp, and hopefully he'll be good enough to make the team, also, because he's got good size and it's not a fluke that he made the All-Star team two years in a row in Saskatchewan junior hockey, so we're expecting great things from him, also."