Successful coaches in the NHL have their own unique philosophies and coaching styles that help lead to success. However, those tactics don’t develop immediately. Coaches start- out watching and analyzing their superiors on the bench. That is what Washington Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery has done time and time again throughout his now 14-year coaching career.
“Being able to see the game through a different lens, different organization, a different appreciation, maybe for a player or a style of play, and meet all of the people and pick their brains,” Carbery said on the Break the Ice podcast with Mike Vogel.
“That’s where I feel like I’m so blessed is I get to pick the brain of [former Providence Bruins head coach] Jay Leach, learn the way that he sees the game and talk to [Boston Bruins development coach] Jamie Langenbrunner about player development and who they draft and why they draft him and what they see.”
The Alaska-Anchorage product has been familiar with the Capitals organization from the start of his coaching career. His first gig was with Washington’s ECHL affiliate, the South Carolina Stingrays, back in the 2010-11 season. Carbery’s final two seasons as a player were with the Stingrays, so it was an easy fit.
After serving as an assistant under South Carolina coach Cali MacLean, the Victoria, BC, native was promoted to the head coach and the director of hockey operations. He was at the helm for five seasons and won the Jon Brophy Award, which is awarded to the ECHL coach of the year, in 2013-14.
His knowledge of the game continued to grow as he went from team to team. He was particularly inspired by the way Kim Brandvold, the skills coach of the Boston Bruins, ran drills for defensemen.
“All those thousands of experiences you go through in a season and learn about the foundational things,” Carbery said. “Then I bring that to Hershey and that’s part of the identity of our group is part of what you grab from all these different spots.”
Carbery finally got his first crack at coaching in the NHL for the 2021-22 season after becoming the AHL’s coach of the year in 2020-21. He became the mastermind of the Toronto Maple Leafs’ power play for two seasons, and it was one of the most lethal units in the league. Under his guidance, the Maple Leafs had a top-2 power play. Though he will not be working directly on the Caps’ 5-on-4 unit, some of his tactics will be used when the season rolls around.
“Some of the stuff that I took from here, some from here, some from here that I believe in. Some from Sheldon Keefe and the Toronto Maple Leafs in the way that they play, I think are great, innovative ideas and need to be part of my philosophy,” Carbery said. “All these little things that I learned along the way that now are in my tool belt will be part of the way that the Washington Capitals play this year.”
Carbery will be the youngest head coach in the NHL at 41-years-old. His ideas are formed around the modern game which is based on speed. Something the Capitals have been lacking for the past few seasons.
By Jacob Cheris