Bannister on the Attack - Randy Pascal

Timing is everything, or so the saying goes.

An 18-year veteran of the professional hockey ranks, with stints in the NHL (164 games), AHL and several recent stops overseas, long-time Sudburian Drew Bannister had identified coaching as a path he wished to pursue a few years back.

Splitting his time as a player-coach in recent years and throwing himself heavily into the Hockey Canada coaching program, Bannister sent in a résumé to the Owen Sound Attack this spring, having shared a Calder Cup Championship with departing assistant coach Terry Virtue.

By the May long weekend, Bannister received a call from Attack GM Dale Degray and following an extremely productive meeting with Degray and Owen Sound head coach Greg Ireland, he was offered the job a week later.

Roughly six weeks before, essentially the same position would open up in his hometown following the departure of Jeff Beukeboom from the Sudbury Wolves. Such are the hands of fate.

“When I got back from my end of last season, I knew that I wanted to get out of the game in a playing sense and get more involved in coaching,” said Bannister, now two years shy of his 40th birthday.

Still, despite a solid background as a player and an impressive commitment to truly studying his field, Bannister was aware that the hockey fraternity, by nature, can be a very tight-knit group.

“It was kind of a surprise (to be offered the job in Owen Sound) since I really didn’t know Dale and Greg that well,” said Bannister. “But I am very impressed with both of them and feel fortunate to have this opportunity.”

For those who have coached Bannister in the past, this transition likely comes as little surprise.

“I have always been known as an intelligent player,” said the long-time defenseman who participated in three Memorial Cup championships while playing for Ted Nolan and Danny Flynn in Sault Ste Marie.

“I tended to pick up pretty quickly on things. That hockey sense came pretty easily for me, systems, practices and drills,” Bannister added. “And my love for the game has never died. It’s something I’ve known for a while I wanted to get into.”

Working closely with the NOHA (Northern Ontario Hockey Association), Bannister took every available opportunity to develop his coaching abilities, both in the classroom and on the ice.

He recently returned from completing the High Performance II component of his coaching credentials, taking part in the Under-17 camp in Cornwall.

“I think it’s important to do those things,” Bannister said. “I think a lot of players just come out of the game and get into coaching and don’t understand what it takes to be a good coach.”

“I’m obviously a young coach and I still have a lot to learn,” he said.
As a player, as a person, as a coach, Drew Bannister has developed a clear mindset of the task before him.

“What we’re trying to do is obviously help make these kids the best players they can be, to make the next step,” he said.

“But the most important thing is that once they leave, that they are good human beings, good people, that they’re ready for the challenges for the rest of their lives.

My core values have always been family, honesty, hard work — all the attributes that go into being a good hockey player and a good person.”

Two decades removed from the last time he laced up the skates as an OHL player, Bannister knows all too well that it’s a different environment he will be facing the second time around.

“The biggest difference, for me, is just the skill of the defencemen now compared to when I played, from mobility to puck-handling skills,” he said.

“I think defense still have, at times, a tendency to over-handle the puck, to make too many passes, instead of just getting their feet up ice,” Bannister explained.

“The teams are so good now, so well coached, the more time you give them to set up defensively, the harder it is to get through the neutral zone.”

“The kids are different these days,” Bannister continued. “It’s 12 months a year now. At a very young age, they set their path. They’re mature, but I think there is a burnout factor and you really have to manage them well throughout the year, so that they’re still fresh at the playoffs.”

In the Owen Sound Attack, Bannister is joining a team that captured the league playoff championship in 2010-11 and then hardly missed a beat.

“After you win, usually there’s a rebuilding phase,” Bannister said. “Then I looked at what they did last year, finishing sixth in the conference and playing in a very tough division. I think the next two years are very promising for us, but we have a lot of work to do.”

Just one more area where assistant coach Drew Bannister will feel right at home — away from home.

Randy Pascal is the founder of SudburySports.com and a contributing sports editor for Northern Life.

Posted by Vivian Scinto