Behind the Bench - Episode 2: Notre Dame Prep Head Coach Taylor Nelson

hello Asha fans Dylan pescator the broadcaster back here for another preseason interview here on behind the bench episode two here with Notre Dame head coach Taylor Nelson coach this is your first year as Notre Dame head coach how was it getting the news that you were going to go from assistant coach to now you're the head coach of the division one team for Notre Dame Prep oh it was exciting uh this is one more historical programs in a a lot of history behind it uh I couldn't be more grateful to the athletic department um Mike man our athletic director bried dragonetti our principal for uh entrusting me to uh continue the tradition that you know many great coaches ahead of me have uh started so looking forward to continuing the traditions and uh hopefully adding some new ones here now you had a ton of experience coaching especially in Arizona high school hockey between your assistant coach time at Notre Dame you were also the head coach over at broy uh back in 2015 in the 16 season so how would you describe yourself as a coach uh as a head coach at least yeah so uh I think I'm a little bit of old school a little bit of new school you know we had this conversation amongst our coaching staff the other day we were talking about power play and you know when I grew up as a kid and when I first started coaching you never thought about putting another forward at the point it was always 2D and you I got Javi Zubia and aan suvin who are running our power play like no we we got to go with one D1 for and so a little little old school school there um or sorry new school there but uh old school wise you know uh I'm I'm a coach that if you want to earn ice time for me you got to block shots so there won't be a team in aser that blocks more shots in know they D this year um grinding in the corners um you know battling for your team you know that that's the quickest way to earn ice time for me I think we got a physical team this year probably the most physical team we've had in my six years here which I don't know if that bodess well for our Fair Play points Sy season but uh you know if if it means we we finally get to celebrate in mold Arena this year then I I'll I'll give up a few Fair Play points to get a little Swagger and confidence in us so now you've been in mullet the past two years in the championship especially last year facing off with Centennial under coach missio another year in the in the championship game how would you sum up how last year went for you guys as a whole how do you look back at last season I mean we understand how fortunate we are and how blessed we are that we've uh we've been in that state title game four years in a row uh we've gotten to play in mullet two years in a row which just an unreal experience you know props Kenny and Asha for you know putting that all on um so we you know we can't say it's been been bad for us it's been good Seasons obviously we're hunting for a great season trying to finish a job this year and um you know hopefully be celebrating at M as opposed to what we've done the last two years and um we we're looking forward to a good year this year now at the high school game you're going to have players move on through graduation and probably and you know by the Numbers the best player in division one probably the past few years was Reed gramlick with Notre Dame he moves on to graduation onto a higher level of hockey how do you kind of describe the four years that you got to spend with him and what a talent he was for your high school for the past four years oh yeah that kid was a highlight reel every time he touched the ice um unbelievable player once you know once every you know four or five year type of player that comes to your program uh you know he got a breakway in overtime against Centennial and 10 times out of 10 that's the guy who you want with the puck on his stick and overtime with breakway um and know we're we're gonna miss him you know he's a big piece that uh we're gonna have to fill this year so for your offense let's talk about those guys who you're going to have to fill the roles with how about Drew jaswin who took a big step last year he was your number two Center probably going to be on that first line this year what have you seen from him in the first few practices in the seaing tournament and what kind of player is he going to be in his senior year for you guys uh he he he's a big big time player he's a he's a leader on and off the ice um you know we're fortunate enough that in not Dame we're a part of the athletic department so over the summer our boys got to be in the weight room with our strength and conditioning coach coach Derry and every Monday Wednesday Thursday after school they were in there working out and after the first work work out I got a call from coach Derry and he goes do you know who your captain is and I go you know I we haven't announced anything but I I think we know he goes no I know who your captain is I want to know if you know who it is I was like well you tell me coach he goes it's Drew jaswin no one outw works at K in the weit room um when he's in there the intensity level comes up and uh when he's at those workouts guys that don't usually show up to the workouts show up they're there um so Drew's an unbelievable kid he's picked up right where he left off from last year um I have a special relationship with Drew um I'm sitting in my office I'm a Peacher at St John the 23rd I started here eight years ago when I started here Drew Jasmine was a fifth grader so I've gotten to see him go from a little fifth grader into a man and uh he's got some high aspirations this year you know we had a senior Retreat and we all talked about what our goals were and obviously the main goal is to finish a job this year and Drew's goal is you know be four in points so he's on the mission and he's ready to go Drew jzn you're captain now for Notre Dame that's a big role for him how about your other uh forwards offensively I know you got a few guys returning but who else should we look forward to in terms of your top six forward wise yeah so we got uh Sano Zone he's gonna be huge for us uh last year in the scene tournament he uh injured his knee and he was out till about mid October beginning of November so he missed quite a few games at the beginning of the season he's he's healthy he's ready to go he's going to be dangerous uh another one is Tate Mickey Tate Mickey he's a gamer you know his freshman year he's in the State final game and he scores the fourth goal against DV that should have been enough um obviously we all know the story there last year we're down 3-2 with about five minutes left in the game and he buries the game tying goal to send us overtime that he's playing with a chip on his shoulder you know he uh tried out for the Triple A Junior coyotes and was one of the last ones cut and he's out the pr some people are wrong this year so uh that's a guy you might want to stay out of his way this year um and you know if you're looking for who's gonna lead the Saints in points the favorites are probably Sam borzone and Drew Jasmine but Tate Mickey's a dark horse there you know he he could not wouldn't surprise me at all if he's our guy um and then we got you know Justin Kaplan Roberto Gomez uh Landon wood you know we got a lot of guys that are going to step up yeah losing re and Cody ball were big losses but I think I think we're going to be okay offensively in terms of your defense you really don't lose anybody uh when you look back at maybe the top de pairing that's going to be in the in division one this year Adam Kaplan Madden Hogan hour you bring back Chase Kaplan and another kid and Jack Wilson who had a good year how do you look at your defensive corpse for this year I mean you know I watched a lot of hockey last weekend in the steam tournament and it's there's no question about it Pinnacle and Mountain Ridge offensively are they're good to go they're they're built strong offensively defensively I I think we have the best defensive unit in the state um is a core you know you mentioned Matt and Hogan hour we actually named him Drew's assistant last weekend um you know Drew Drew is a quiet kid he's gonna lead by example he's not gonna call guys out or speak up a whole lot Madden will take care of that for us uh he's also very offensive um and that's you know another way we're going to generate offense you we've played seven games so far four last weekend we went to Vegas the weekend before and all but one of our defenseman has scored so far this year so defensively we'll be looking for them to help us out up front um Adam Kaplan probably one of the best stay-at-home defenseman in the league he doesn't get beat a whole lot and when he does get beat he's the first one back um he's not the most physical defenseman but he keeps guys in front of him he's going to do a great job Chase Kaplan just like Madden is going to leave this offensively uh him and Madden have the green light if they come around the net and no one's moving nothing's open they got the green light to go they just have to be the first ones back uh Jack Wilson you know I talked a whole lot about him last year before the State final last year was his first full year as a defenseman uh his freshman year we needed some help at D3 and we moved them back to defense he picked it up really quick and brought him up Blaster to the D1 team and yeah this Growing Pains but he figured it out and uh he's in for a big year as well and we're adding uh two or three more defenseman into our lineup this year that are going to make Rd just that much stronger so defensively I I think that's our our strongest point when you return everybody everybody knows everyone the chemistry is there you don't have to build that in the first few games of the seating tournament how about on your back end goal tending the past four years you have you've had Matthew gayan who's in there he's your rock he started every game his junior year basically every game his senior year as well how are you going to replace him in net just like Reed Graham like it's tough to replace a Matthew um you know we got Kaden right taking the net for us it's his his net now and uh you know Kaden was the first guy I met with when I got named the head coach and you know I kind of told him it's it's me and him kind of vers everyone a lot of people are going to be doubting him you know he's been backing up Maddie the last couple years missio you know I'm replacing missio who's taking our team to the state finals four years in a row you know him and I we're we're going to have a special bond this year and um we're out to prove some people wrong he's he's had a great preseason um he had a shut out last weekend against Bas Perry should have had two uh we were up six nothing against Flag Staff with about three minutes left and I won't throw our senior under the bus but one of them said the word shut out and I just looked at him he goes we're playing too well coach we're not going to give one up and then a minute later we gave one up and so you know should have had two shut outs last weekend but he keeps getting stronger and stronger each each game and we're looking forward to having him in that and the guys are um the guys are rallying around Kaden and that that's a good thing we're we're in we're in a good spot right now do you go through all your three offensive defensive goal tending here's a fun question for you to end it La last year you had three klain on the team depending on the week of course Justin Adam and Chase now you're getting a fourth coming up in Colin will all I don't know if you've made your D1 roster yet will we see all four on the ice at one time and well I know it's kind of a nightmare for a broadcaster but it could be pretty fun oh yeah so our D1 roster isn't quite set yet we still have our D3 team playing this weekend and there's two or three guys that could potentially you know make that D1 roster uh but definitely I think you know we were joking around about it the other day practice I think at some point maybe senior night we'll we'll throw all four Kaplin it would require us to move the forward uh I think Chase would love to move the forward um and then we joked that we'd put probably Madden Hogan hour up there as well because he's he's an honorary chap he hangs out with those you know four more than anyone so uh that might be some fun so he might have to convince Kenny that you know made that last game of the regular season that put Notre Dame on there so Dylan can uh struggle with all four captains on the ice that that would have to be a first name scenario I'd have to go first name for all those players coach I really appreciate it season starts in just a week or so depending on uh when you guys play When the schedule comes out what's like the sentence what's the mindset right now how excited are you personally to get the real game started oh I'm I could not be more excited you know the last two years coming in the season we've had a trip on our shoulder you know we uh we're on a mission to finish you know that's that's been our message the last you know three weeks you know we're all in everyone understands they have a job they have a role and you know we can't have any passengers you know just watching they everyone's got to contribute in one way or another um if we're we're finally going to get this job done so I'm excited we got you know I think a lot of people you know rightfully so the favorites this year are pinnacle pinnacle is loaded Mountain Ridge is right there too so a little pressures come off us and we're okay with that and but same time I think we're in to some people off guard this year with how good and how ready we are so coach excited to see you guys play When the season starts in the 20 game regular season and then the playoffs as well thank you so much for the time and we'll catch up soon thanks dlan appreciate it