The tournament has changed a lot since Sandelin led the U.S. to a fourth-place finish on home ice in 2005 in Grand Forks and Thief River Falls, and even more since his first experience at the WJC as a defenseman in 1984.
“I hadn’t played in it since ’84 when I was wearing Cooperalls,” said Sandelin, who earned one assist in seven games as the U.S. went 2-5 and finished sixth that year. “Obviously, the tournament is huge right now. I think for me, one of the [biggest changes is] how big the tournament’s gotten. And secondly, how good the players are. It’s such a competitive tournament in a short time, but just having gone through that a few times, I feel like I’m more prepared as a coach.
“Last year was a great year, we came up a little short, it was a lot of fun. I experienced 2012 when we were playing in the relegation round and that was not fun, but I think it’s something as a coach, you go in there and you try to manage your team as best you can, and really try and get them to become a team. There’s no question the experience helps, having gone through it and knowing how to manage certain things, whether it’s rest or practices within the tournament — all those things that go along with it. I think that’s a big difference from maybe my first time, and just having been on different staffs and going through all that.”
That past experience has helped Sandelin determine some of the keys to helping a group of players from far-flung sources mesh together and gel as a team in a short tournament. This year, the team will hold its first practice on Dec. 16 in Plymouth and will play its first official game just 10 days later in Ostrava, Czech Republic.
“Number one, everyone says you want to try to get your group to really come together quickly — sometimes that’s easier said than done, obviously,” Sandelin said. “I think leadership is a critical component. You need a good leadership group that maybe has been through it, and we have some guys that have – maybe not a lot, but we do have a lot of guys that have played internationally.
“I think for us, too, not really over-coaching, kind of following through on some of the things we tried to instill in our group in the summer and obviously making whatever adjustments we need to make. Getting the team to come together, you need good leadership and with the kids we have, I really liked what I saw this summer.”
For Sandelin, the tone will be set with the opening game on Dec. 26 against Canada. The U.S. also faces Germany, Russia and the hometown Czech Republic in the preliminary round of the tournament in Group B.
“Obviously, the key is to get off to a good start,” he said. “There’s not a lot of games. I think that the pool we’re in is one of the tougher ones, and starting out with the first game, we obviously want to win that game and put ourselves in a good spot moving forward.”
Story from Red Line Editorial, Inc.
