Stanley does a lot of summer training with Latta and the sessions have been helpful to Stanley in realizing what it takes to becoming a pro.
"He's been a big influence, especially when I got older," Stanley said. "He provided some tips and we talk all the time after games. He's busy with own hockey during the season but in the summer we hang out a lot and work together; he makes time for me and my family.
"[Latta] helps with both the on- and off-ice things and he pushes me hard."
Stanley represented Team Bobby Orr at the CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game in Vancouver in January, and the left-handed shooter was paired with Sergachev.
"I think [Sergachev] makes me look a lot better," Stanley said. "Sometimes he'll yell something in Russian and he tries to teach me, but I forget. I know when he gets fired up because he comes back to the bench and says stuff in Russian. We laugh at him and brush it off."
Sergachev is No. 8 on NHL Central Scouting's final ranking of North American skaters.
"You could never work hard enough [on the ice] and at [being] a good teammate," Latta said. "He grew up a lot last summer and really decided to dedicate himself to the game. He's not going to be a skilled guy in the NHL and he understands that, so he needs to continue to work hard."
Because he is a big player, Stanley knows he must continue to improve his skating and foot speed since puck retrieval and turning quickly will be imperative at the next level.
"I think the first thing is taking care of my own end, playing sound defense and moving pucks quickly to get them onto the sticks of my forwards," Stanley said. "Then it's trying to join the rush and be that fourth guy. I think playing well defensively, and being physical and hard to play against, are important."