Larson: Poehling can definitely bring it

MONTREAL - St. Cloud State University head coach Brett Larson fondly recalls an important conversation he had with Ryan Poehling back on November 2.

It was during the first intermission of the their tilt against the Colorado College Tigers, as the Huskies found themselves in a 2-0 hole.
"I said, 'Ryan, I can see how good a player you are, and it's there. But, now you're at the point where you need to be able to take over games. I need you to be the guy to create a spark and take this team over,'" shared Larson, of his chat with the Canadiens' first-round pick.
The 19-year-old centerman took Larson's message to heart, going on to score twice in a 5-3 come-from-behind victory at Broadmoor World Arena.
"He was a huge spark in turning that game around," mentioned Larson. "His attack level and his ability to just go out there and make plays and command the puck, it was really evident that he kind of took a step from just being a really good player to a guy that has the ability to take a game over."

According to Larson, Poehling hasn't taken his foot off the gas pedal.
In the nine games since that one-on-one talk in Colorado Springs, Poehling has been held off the scoresheet just once. He currently leads the Huskies with 14 assists and ranks second on the roster with 17 points through 16 games.
"I can tell that he's working to get better as a player, but he'd also love to get better for this team," praised Larson, whose top-ranked Huskies own a 13-1-2 record on the year. "When you've got that high-end player who understands that not only is his development important for him, but it's important to help this team get to where it wants to go, that's pretty special."
Collecting helpers
Poehling's playmaking ability has certainly caught Larson's attention in the early stages of their working relationship.
Larson, who was appointed the Huskies' new bench boss in April from NCHC rival University of Minnesota Duluth, is a big fan of the Lakeville, MN native's natural talent in that department.
"When you have that size and skating ability, with that type of hands and vision, along with his ability to make plays in traffic or even on the rush, I think that's what makes him a special player," mentioned Larson. "He's got great vision, and he's got a great sense of how much room he has. He's able to make a lot of plays, whether in tight areas or on the rush."
Larson singled out one pass, in particular, that really impressed him recently.
It came during the Huskies' game against the University of Nebraska at Omaha on December 7.
Fast forward to the 1:39 mark of the YouTube clip below to check out the feed.
Watch: Youtube Video
"It's a tight, tight game. He makes a great pass to Jimmy Schuldt on the power play to put us up 2-0," said Larson, of the feed by the Junior standout. "He's been a guy that you could count on every night to come through in the tough moments."
Physical maturation
Finding holes in Poehling's game is a tall task, according to Larson.
Young players can always get stronger, though, and that's where the Huskies' bench boss looks forward to seeing improvement in the coming months.
"The part of his game that still needs work is strength development. He's still a pretty young kid. He came to college real young. He's a Junior from the standpoint of when he came in, but most of the guys in our League played a year or two of Junior hockey before they came in," explained Larson. "He's still at an age where a lot of freshmen are just coming in [to play college hockey]."

As time marches on and Poehling continues to fill into his 6-foot-2 frame, Larson envisions him turning into a player Minnesotans aplenty already look up to.
"I see him being a Mikko Koivu type player because he's got such a great 200-foot game," said Larson, referencing the longtime Minnesota Wild captain. "I see him being the guy who's going to be able to play in any type of situation. He's going to be playing against real high-end players that are very strong. He's just got to keep working to make sure that he's able to step into those roles at the next level."
Keeping an eye on the World Juniors
Earlier this month, Poehling was one of 29 players named to Team USA's preliminary roster for the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championship, which gets underway on December 26 in British Columbia.
If Poehling cracks the final squad, Larson fully expects him to produce in his second straight appearance at the annual event.
Poehling's output so far during the 2018-19 collegiate campaign is a good indicator that he's trending in the right direction as the competition draws closer.
"We'll be watching closely because we're proud of him. We'll be cheering for him because he's a great kid. We're going to be watching his progress, for sure," indicated Larson. "I think he's going to have a great tournament. He's hitting his stride at the right time to go in there and be a big part of that team."
When Larson calls Poehling a "great kid," he's referring to his conduct both on and off the ice.
Long before the Huskies' stud was preparing for his sophomore World Junior Championship experience, Larson remembers sitting down with the Habs' hopeful shortly after assuming his new role.

"This is my first head coaching job at this level. This team has been really good in the past. Ryan's a first-round draft pick. You could have walked into a meeting with the kid and felt like he thought he knew everything, they've got it all figured out here or 'Who's this assistant coach coming in here to a head coaching role?' But, I didn't feel that for a second," concluded Larson. "I met a high character kid who cares about the program, who's willing to be coached and who wants to get better. Probably what's impressed me more about him than his talent has been his character. It's fun to get up close and get to know him as a person."
Photo credit: St. Cloud State University