^ Posted by Patrick Williams
It brought an extensive educational journey, followed by a lot of extensive hockey tutelage Evan Gold to the position of general manager at the Providence Bruins.
Gold was named to the position by the Boston Bruins on March 29, his latest step up the hockey management ladder. Now in his eighth season with the Boston organization, Gould earned a bachelor’s degree from McGill University in Montreal and a law degree and MBA from the University of Toronto. He spent eight seasons as an associate for hockey operations for the Washington Capitals before joining the Bruins in 2015 as the team’s director of legal affairs.
He quickly made his mark helping the Boston front office navigate the NHL’s salary cap, and was named assistant general manager in 2019.
With Providence finishing first in the Eastern Conference during the regular season, Boston continued its success at the AHL level with a ninth straight trip to the Calder Cup playoffs. As Gold settles into his new role directing the Boston-Providence affiliation into its league-leading 31st season, here are his thoughts on a variety of topics:
in hockey education
“when [former Providence general manager] John Ferguson He was with us, he did a really great job managing [prospects]And he was really collaborative and open in terms of me trying to learn the league and the players and watch the games.
“[Boston GM] Don Sweeney In the same way. If you do your daily work, [he doesn’t] Mind if you want to do extra work and learn more. He always encouraged it.
“Historically, since I joined this organization—but even getting used to personally before that—there’s always been an opportunity given to me by some really great mentors in terms of being around the AHL and getting to know what it’s all about.”
About learning the prospects of an organization and continually retrieving that knowledge
“It’s the next generation of NHL players, right? You always try to get a head start in terms of learning these players and learning the development system.
“Coming to a new organization, you don’t know their players as well as you know the players in the previous organization. So there is a bit of a learning curve in that sense.
“Then you have a new group that joins every year, whether it’s graduating from the rookie group, ex-freshmen, junior free agents, collegiate agents… I think our group has done a really great job of supplementing and giving us some quality players who have come in and made both Providence and Boston really strong groups.” “.
on expanding his portfolio beyond the NHL salary cap
“I think one of the cool things about our group in Boston is that there are so many really smart, smart people to bounce ideas off of, to talk to. Everyone is curious. I’m always trying to learn, trying to get smarter.”
On a typical day for a general manager in the AHL
“Well, you get along with the coaches and staff. You help organize the group, you help liaise with the leadership, coaches, and management in Boston to coordinate. Whether it’s recall, who’s playing well, who deserves a chance, working with all the scouts…then Also watching the matches, watching the league, knowing the players, seeing where new opportunities might appear.
“Just trying to figure out how we can continue to make our entire organization better.”
About Boston’s recipe for success through development in the provider
On April 9, Boston called up five players from Providence before its game in Philadelphia. Conor CarrickAnd Vinnie Lettieri And Brandon Bass They were all in uniform as the Bruins won their 63rd NHL game of the season.
“It’s a testament to the depth of the organisation, and it’s a testament to the group and not only that [Sweeney] He built, but all the professional scouts, amateur scouts, college scouts, and then the job our coaches did.
“It’s the next man mentality. However, those opportunities are earned, not given. Our job is to put the best players on the ice and give everyone the best possible chance of success.”
Boston consistently produces productive players despite not drafting a high profile every year
“I think it’s a testament to people.
“It’s the players and the coaching staff. Young amateurs, professional guys, college guys… We target the highest quality people. It’s not just who can put the most pucks in the net. I think from a competitiveness point of view, from wanting to maximize levels Talent, whatever it is – we try to find players with identities that match our organizational ethos.
“Don has done a great job of setting the standard in terms of what we are looking for, and it is our duty to follow that standard. Our scouts identify the players we are looking for, and they have done a great job finding us not just talented players, but quality people who will step in and shape the next wave for us, Which is crucial.
“We have spent some project capital. It’s definitely our own strategy in terms of understanding that we need to revamp the regulatory assets accordingly.”
Providence is always on the lookout for the highest quality Veterans
“You have to appreciate the game, understand the game, respect the game to play it the right way, which is something our coaches talk about a lot.
“Outstanding people, people who love hockey, good people who understand their roles… Those are invaluable, because it will help the next group maximize their fine side.”
You must have the personality traits of the players on the service
“You need to be competitive. You need an internal drive.” “Growth mindset” is a term that often makes you cringe, but I think it’s an apt term.
“We kind of use ‘personal’ and ‘competitive’ as generic things, but people who are really motivated to maximize their abilities whatever they are from God and then develop those abilities as well. It’s a development program first, so we don’t put a cap on player development. It’s all our jobs. It’s about making the most of everything they can be as hockey players, but it sure is a huge burden on the player to want to do those things. We can’t want it for him.
“So from a work ethic standpoint, from being in the gym, all those things that go into it, at the end of the day they have to be ready to do that work. We can show them a way, but the amount of adversity a player faces when they’re young is through European junior and collegiate hockey… the amount of adversity you’ll face, you have to be willing to fight through it.
“Our job is to identify people who are ready for this, and help them through it.”
Patrick Williams has been in the American Hockey League for nearly two decades for outlets including NHL.com, Sportsnet, TSN, The Hockey News, SiriusXM NHL Network Radio, and SLAM! Sports, and she is currently the co-host of Hockey news on the “A” podcast. He was awarded the James H. Ellery Memorial Award from the AHL for his excellent coverage of the league in 2016.