In an NHL season of firings, perhaps no move has been more surprising than the Golden Knights’ ditching of coach Gerard Gallant in favor of Peter DeBoer. You can include Wolves coach Rocky Thompson in the sizable group who didn’t see that decision coming.
“I was a little bit shocked, yeah,” Thompson said Saturday before the Wolves beat the Milwaukee Admirals 4-1 at Allstate Arena, thanks to Gage Quinney’s hat trick. “Without a doubt.”
Of course, the parent-club Knights’ getting rid of their coach could have implications for Thompson and the Wolves.
Thompson, 42, is highly regarded around the game and looked at as a potential NHL coach. In the offseason, the Maple Leafs reportedly were interested in adding Thompson as an assistant, but the move never materialized.
Now there’s a new coach in -Vegas, one who isn’t an interim. Per reports, the team doesn’t plan to fill the spot of assistant coach Mike Kelly, who also was dismissed.
What that means for Thompson’s future in the Knights’ organization is unclear. If he had an answer, Thompson didn’t volunteer one.
“That’s a question for them,” Thompson said. “I just worry about what I can control here with Chicago, and that’s [how] I go about my business. That’s what I tell my players: Worry about what you can control, and let’s all try to improve each other every day.”
The Wolves have progressed, and that continued Saturday. Other than Quinney’s hat trick, they got a goal from Jake Bischoff and beat the league-leading Admirals for their fourth win in five games.
“I thought we played really well,” Quinney said. “We just have to keep playing like that every night.”
Thompson was more effusive. He discussed how the Wolves have gotten scoring from their entire lineup, which happened again with Bischoff’s first goal.
“We’ve been progressively getting better and better,” Thompson said. “I thought we played a really good game [Wednesday] in Milwaukee, as well, but this was even a little bit of a notch up.”
Thompson didn’t seem like someone distracted by news from Vegas. Asked how he doesn’t focus on such events, Thompson said it’s because he has “a lot on my plate every day.”
“We’re in a tough playoff race [in] a very strong division,” he said. “There’s so much that I’m in charge of and can lead and control. That’s what I worry about. Those are the things that are right in front of me. There’s a lot there to do, and progress is being made and there’s more progress that can be had.”
The Wolves have made strides playing a system similar to -Gallant’s. For now, the Knights have made subtle changes to their approach. Thompson hasn’t heard anything about changing things for the Wolves, but he will make adjustments as they trickle down from Vegas.
The change also means new eyes will evaluate the Knights’ prospects with the Wolves.
Thompson said he hasn’t talked about that with his players.
“I don’t talk to the players about that at all,” Thompson said. “I worry about us, and our communication is about them and their progress. If there is something structurally that needs to be adjusted, then we’ll make that adjustment. But that will come via me to the individual and to the team as a whole.”
