CUNNIFF SEIZES OPPORTUNITY

Feb 23, 2016

By Tom Witosky | Follow @toskyAHLWild

David Cunniff has made it clear what he expects from the Iowa Wild for the rest of the season.

“The standard has been set,” the Wild’s newly named interim head coach said simply. “We expect to win.”

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Cunniff responded to questions following a wild weekend that included head coach John Torchetti abruptly being hired to replace Mike Yeo in Minnesota and the 45-year-old Cunniff moving up to replace Torchetti in Des Moines. It all took place over a three-game weekend that drew more than 17,000 fans to Wells Fargo Arena who watched the Wild split with the Grand Rapids Griffins in games that could only be described as having a playoff flavor and concluded with a hard fought 2-0 loss Sunday in Milwaukee.

Such weekends don’t happen often and for Cunniff, a native of South Boston and the son of long-time AHL coach the late John Cunniff, the decision by Minnesota’s front office to give Cunniff his first shot at head coaching after 14 years as an assistant became an extra special moment for him.

“My wife came in to Des Moines that night,” Cunniff said. “So on her first night in Des Moines, we get the news that I am going to be taking over. I was so happy because she and my children have been through a lot over the 14 years.”

Cunniff said that the impact of the announcement was only beginning to set in, but added that his goal now is to continue and improve upon the successful turnaround the Wild has staged since Christmas. Since then, the club – healthier now than any time since the season began – has a 10-8-1 record since Dec. 26.

 “Torch did a great job with turning us around, so it is up to (assistant coach) Pascal (Rheaume) and me to keep it going,” Cunniff said. “This is healthiest we have been forward wise and so I expect good things going forward.”

With less than half of the schedule remaining, Cunniff said that the club is about to get a big boost – a return to the line-up of former Buffalo Sabre center Zac Dalpe, who was injured in the first game of the season. Dalpe was considered a vital cog to improving the Wild’s lack of scoring last season and is expected to make difference this year.

“Luckily, we have Dalpe coming back,” Cunniff said. “With Zac, we will bump some people around, but there is no doubt he should be a big help for the rest of the year.”  

With Torchetti’s ascendancy to the NHL Wild, Cunniff said communication between the two clubs should be even better.

“I expect a smooth transition because I know how Torch operates and I know he will be calling me weekly,” Cunniff said. “It’ll my responsibility to be honest with him. If they are playing well, I will let Torch know and I know he’ll be calling them up.”

Gustav Olofsson, the Wild’s AHL All-Star defenseman, said that Torchetti’s departure and Cunniff’s hiring should not create any transition problems. He said Iowa’s recent success has been result of the players coming to a good understanding of what is expected of them. He also said that the team’s improvement on offense -- 53 goals in 19 games – says a lot.

“Coach Cunniff brings a different coaching style but we know how to play as a team and that is what is really important,” Olofsson said. “We’ve had success and we are going to keep building on it. We know exactly how to play.

Olofsson added that the veteran leadership, led by team captain Maxime Fortunus, in the locker room plays an important role in keeping the club on an even keel. “It turns to a lot the leaders in the room. It’s going to be a very smooth transition in the locker room,” he said.

Cunniff’s approach for the Wild will be much like Torchetti’s – a blue-collar lunch-bucket mental approach to the game that provided him with an unexpected five-year pro hockey career in the East Coast Hockey League and the American Hockey League. Undersized and not too fast, Cunniff found a way to become a third-line or fourth-line forward. 

“I found a niche – something that others didn’t want to do and found success with it. It is tough to those things and stick up for teammates, but that is the kind of environment we need,” Cunniff said at the start of the current season.

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Cunniff helped guide Albany through the 2014-15 season to a 37-28-5-6 record, missing the Calber Cup playoffs by two points. He joined the Devils after spending 12 years in the San Jose Sharks organization where he served as an assistant coach in Cleveland and Worcester.

At the time of Cunniff’s hiring, Torchetti said he and his new assistant had learned most of their hockey from the same person, Cunniff’s late father, John. As a result, Torchetti said there would be no confusion about how the team would be structured and how they would approach the game.

“When I was playing, I would go to his father’s camp and learn a great deal from him. He passed those things on to Dave as well,” Torchetti said.

Now that Torchetti is the head coach in Minnesota, Cunniff has an opportunity he didn’t expect at the beginning of the season.

“Torch is a great coach so I have big shoes to fill, hopefully I can do that,” Cunniff said.