BOMBARDIR CRITICAL TO WILD PROSPECT DEVELOPMENT
Feb 9, 2016By Tom Witosky| Follow @toskyAHLWild
On paper, Brad Bombardir’s job would seem to be as easy as an afternoon skate on a quiet pond.
“I try to be a voice for our organization with the players and draft picks, who aren’t a part of the organization just yet,” the Minnesota Wild’s director of player development said on a recent visit to Des Moines. “We want to be a voice in their growth and development as a player.”
But what looks simple is far from it in reality. In fact, Bombardir’s job and those of others in the Minnesota front office in dealing with player development is what makes the difference in having a team that is a perennial contender for the Stanley Cup playoffs and one that isn’t.
Development of young players boils down generally to figuring out two things – what is in an young athlete’s head and what’s in an young athlete’s heart as he begins to learn to become a professional hockey player.
“Everyone wants to be player, but there is a difference between wanting to be a player and willing to be a player,” Bombardir said. “That is a totally different thing. Those guys who generally make it are the ones willing to be a player, which takes a lot more work, dedication, discipline, and focus.”
Bombardir, 43, was acquired by Minnesota via a trade with the New Jersey Devils in June 2000. The Powell River, B.C., native was on the franchise's first team and played 212 games in a Wild sweater. During his run in Minnesota, he was named the monthly captain a franchise-record seven times.
Drafted by the Devils in the third round of the 1990 Entry draft, Bombardir played 356 games during his eight years in the NHL with New Jersey, Minnesota and Nashville. He made his NHL debut with the Devils during the 1997-98 campaign, and captured a Stanley Cup championship in his third season with New Jersey in 1999-2000.
Named in 2010 as the Wild’s player development director, the popular former Minnesota Wild forward has played a key role in quick development of players like Charlie Coyle, Mikael Granlund and Jonas Brodin to get ready for NHL. Each spent only a brief time in the minors before earning their spots on the NHL roster.
“The guys who make it like Granlud, Coyle, and Brodin, they’ve all made it because they have a pro mentality,” he said. “They were all drafted, but now they have to be compared to the rest of the best of the best . A lot of it does end up about willingness to recognize your game and to work at it and get better.”
As the development director, Bombardir spends a substantial amount of time traveling in Canada, the U.S. and Europe watching players in the juniors or European leagues and providing advice on development. He said that the advice can range from telling players how to improve on weaknesses or on how to change their game.
“You are basically trying to get on the same page with them when they are young,” he said. “You need to get an idea of who they are and to make sure that jives with what you have thought about them.”
An example has been the development of forward Jason Zucker, who was the Wild’s 2nd round draft choice in 2010, but didn’t earn full-time status with Minnesota until the 2013-14 season. Up until then, Zucker split his time substantially between the NHL clubs and the American Hockey League club in Houston, then Iowa.
Bombardir said he and others worked with Zucker on a key aspect of his game that was preventing him from making it to the NHL – his battles on the boards in the defensive zone.
“Instead of going down and through the defenseman, he would try to put pucks around and jump on the offensive side of things,” Bombardir said. “He really didn’t having a willingness to engage physically in that battle. That is one area where there is no negotiation on this level. You have to be willing to do what is necessary along the d-zone boards.”
But Bombardir said that Zucker listened to criticism and made the critical decision that led to his landing on the NHL roster.
“Zuck is a great listener and great person, but a lot of time they have to learn through experience,” he said. “He decided to give himself up. He has a willingness now to do what is necessary to play full-time in the NHL.”
Bombardir graduated from the University of North Dakota with a degree in urban planning and often finds himself interested in issues related to urban planning. Larry McKinnon, a North Dakota teammate, is now deputy commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.
“We took the same courses together and I’ve always been interested in those issues ever since,” Bombardir said.
Asked why he has remained in hockey, Bombardir said that he wants to continue to be involved in the game as much as possible.
“I have a tremendous respect for the game because of what it gave me,” he said. “It gave me a free education, I ended up meeting my wife in college, I have three great kids because of that. All of this is the result of hockey. “
As for Minnesota’s future, Bombardir said he is quite optimistic that the club will be benefitting soon from its younger talent.
“We have some good players coming up,” he said. “They have size and ability that will help us strengthen ourselves offensively in particular.”
The only question is just when will those players will be ready.
“You have to go through the process. You can’t cheat the game,” Bombardir said. “It is just that simple.”