Madden Looking Forward to Coaching Coyotes' Crop of Prospects

John Madden knows a thing or two about how to play defense.
The
Arizona Coyotes' newest assistant coach
was renowned throughout his NHL career as one of the league's best defensive forwards, having won the Selke Trophy in the 2000-01 season while finishing as the runner-up on three other occasions.
That defensive prowess continued into his coaching days, where he helped the San Jose Sharks post the second-best penalty kill percentage in the NHL (85.20) last season, a stark contrast to the Coyotes' 75 percent kill rate, which ranked near the bottom of the league.
It all starts with being active while on the penalty kill.

"A lot of fundamentals go into it. Just overall, being aggressive," Madden said. "Smart, aggressive hockey and not giving up much in terms of time and space."
Coaching the youth on Arizona's roster is nothing new for the 49-year-old Madden, who also coached a young, up-and-coming Florida Panthers roster alongside Gerard Gallant from 2013-2016. The Panthers were loaded with rookie talent at the time, featuring Aleksander Barkov, Aaron Ekblad, Nick Bjugstad, Dmitri Kulikov, Erik Gudbranson, Jonathan Huberdeau, and Vincent Trocheck.

One of the elements Madden, who won the Stanley Cup three times as a player, stressed the most is getting to know the young players as they try to turn into NHL-caliber professionals. He's developed that style throughout his coaching tenure, but has even taken a few lessons from his son, Tyler, who's entering his third season with the Los Angeles Kings' AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign.
"[Tyler's] been around the game, and he still had a lot of questions where I was like 'Wow, he's asking these questions, what are other kids doing that haven't been around the game as much,'" Madden said. "There's a lot of times where they may shake their head and say 'Yeah, I know what's going on,' or they may have a good feeling of it, but I think when you really open them up and break them down, I think they'll open up to you and tell you a little bit more about them as players and as people."
That approach to coaching has helped Madden experience a high level of success in a relatively short amount of time behind the bench. He compiled a 101-99-19-9 record in three seasons as head coach with the AHL's Cleveland Monsters from 2016-2019, and advanced to the second round of the Calder Cup Playoffs during the 2018-19 season.
"It's exciting to have the privilege to work alongside a proven winner like John," Coyotes head coach André Tourigny said in a statement. "His resume as a coach and as a player is extensive. Our staff, our players, and I will take full advantage of his knowledge and experience."

Madden also knows that not everything can be taught. The success he's instilled on penalty killing units hasn't happened overnight, and as a coach, sometimes experience itself must be the best teacher.
Understanding the systems of other teams, or the tendencies of other players, is a big part of how players grow within the league. One of the keys to Arizona's penalty kill this season, though, will almost assuredly include its ability ratchet up pressure on the opposing team.
"If you watch passive penalty kills, other teams pick you apart. They have too much skill, they have too much time," Madden said. "You turn an average player into a good player, and you turn a good player into a great player the more time and space you give them."
Coyotes general manager Bill Armstrong is confident Madden will help improve the team's shorthanded play.

"He's a proven winner who had a very good NHL career as a defensive specialist," Armstrong said in a release. "I'm confident that he will be able to help our penalty-killing unit and he will be a great addition to our staff."
For Madden, the opportunity with the Coyotes is the chance to continue his successful coaching career while teaching the game to a young Arizona roster - an element he has come to love during his time behind various benches in both the AHL and NHL.
If history is any indication, the Coyotes' prospects have a bright future ahead of them.
"I'm really excited about this. I love working with young guys, and I had a little experience with it back in Florida when I was there with Gerard Gallant," he said. "I really enjoyed my time there, and I still keep in touch with those guys, so I think it's going to go a little bit like that, and I'll get to know these guys and watch them blossom into great hockey players."