OverDrive - Quenneville on the Ducks' winning start, the emerging talent and coaching views of Anaheim

Episode Date: November 24, 2025

Anaheim Ducks head coach Joel Quenneville joined OverDrive to discuss the Ducks' excellent start to the season, the identity of the roster, the emerging talent of team and how to build, the lessened practices in the league, the coaching view of the team and more.

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Here is the head coach of the Anaheim Ducks. Back on Overdrive, here's Joel Quinville. How you doing, Joel? Doing great, guys. Thanks for having me. Absolutely. It's a great out here. You're right about the weather here.

We've got a beautiful day. Yeah, it must be pretty sweet to be 14, 7, and 1, and you wake up in Anaheim. You're not complaining. Yeah, it's a good start. Absolutely. Well, you guys are young, and I'm curious, you know, how much of this was expected and take us back to camp and kind of what the marching orders were for this team

and I'm sure they've met what the expectations were but how great a ride has it been so far? It's been a great start. I think coming in there this summer there when we got the opportunity here it was amazing how many people were saying out of all the teams in the game right now this is probably

the place with the most young guys that are looking like they could be good players and the depth of the organization and ready to go to that next step was in place. I thought they made a big jump last year. And this year we wanted to make sure that we create an identity right from the get-go here that, hey, we're going to be hard to play against, but more important, we want to make sure that we're the most competitive team we can be. And I think that's been in place.

Guys are having fun. We've got a good mixture of young and old guys. The veteran guys are helping out the young guys. Younger guys are excited about being here every day. and having a nice environment where we're competitive, we're producing, we're trying to get points out of every game. But I like the balance of our team. I like our speed.

I like creativity. We can be better in certain areas. We can't rely on the goalies all year long the way we have so far and expect that to continue. So we've got to help them out a little bit. But I think so far, so good as far as what we wanted initially start off with, and that was being a competitive team and having the puck and trying to keep the puck as long as we can.

So, Q, I watched you guys play the other night against Ottawa, and, you know, what is the ceiling for some of these young players you had? You mentioned you've got the Criders, Coulins, you know, Strom, the veteran guys that are helping, the Goudis, guys like that, that are helping out, but what is the ceiling for a kid like Carlson or Gochia, even Seneca? I mean, that kid's 19 and he looks like a rock star already. you, when you look at them, do you have to be patient with them and just kind of let them

find their way, or it seems like they've arrived already? Well, there are a couple of reasons. I mean, Leo is going to be a real special player in the game. Beckett, Senakea, he's going to be, he's a pretty amazing player, too. He likes to try things, and I think some of those things are better served than junior, and he's learning as he's going along here that certain plays you can make there and not here. But he does have great patience, and he does have good play recognition.

I think he's growing leaps and bounds here as he started the year, knowing that, hey, a certain way we play without the puck, but have that freedom with it. I think he's got a lot of freedom the way he plays in his game. You know, I mean, all the guys, I think, you know, Cutter's got great speed. I think our team has depth as far as speed goes, size goes, creativity. We've got our deer complimenting the offense of our team game.

I think we can be better collectively adding to our defense. You know, Jackson McComb makes plays. We've got a lot of guys in the back. Zellie, he likes to go up in the attack. But just you mentioned Ottawa the other night. If they ever play a good game in here against us and that, you know, that game was on the line. It was one of those games that you're sitting there.

Oh, at the end of it, this is a game we've got to get points out of it. We lost a big point late in the game. But I was sitting there saying these. of why they give you nothing they played a real strong team game and um but shows you the you know the league is this year is uh very competitive boston was in the day before and uh you know it was very comparable game when you got to fight for everything and i think that's probably how the league is going to play out all year kew what's the one biggest thing that young guys have to do to transition from being just young talented players to get to a championship level team i mean

you had Sharp and Taze and Kane in Chicago where they were just young talented guys and they became champions. Like if you could point to one thing that happened in all of them as a group, what would it be? What is that competitiveness and just all-around game? What's the one thing that has to happen for your guys to take that next step? I think being consistent in your game, that predictability where the coach feels comfortable putting you out there in all situations, latent games, and they have that trust. And, you know, you're going to get stronger over the course of your career

and knowing that in that first year these guys can out muscle in their puck area but learn to keep yourself in the play in those situations where you can influence it and get a chance to get it back as opposed to just watching and thinking that you can go on the offensive side of things. So I think that they add that to their game

then they're going to have the puck way more and then that plays to what their strengths are because they're gifted offensively but try to make sure that that's a part of the game that stabilize that and add to your game and have a little bit more predictability in one being in all situations and you're on on the ice.

With Ducks head coach, Joel Quinville, you just mentioned a moment ago watching, you know, Ottawa play and how well they played and how, you know, there's parity in the league, so to speak, and we've been discussing it a lot. Obviously, you focus, you're hyper-focused on your own team. Is it too early to start trying to figure out what else is going on around the league,

around your division? How often do you allow yourself to get out of, you know, the bubble of Anaheim and try to get a read on what else is going on in the league? Right now it's almost like you're thinking of your next game and then you look, Mike jump ahead and say who's their next opponent, but we don't even have time. I mean, we're so busy right now. Our schedule was hectic. We've got the first time we probably had to breathe all beginning of the season here.

So it's a, you know, you've got a couple days up. You can reflect more knowing that, you know, the guys can get a breath of fresh air too. but we haven't really had any real meaningful practices in the last two weeks, so we're going to get back on the ice tomorrow and then kind of reflect and kind of grind them in certain areas that we've got to make sure that we've got to get this as an important part that we've got to correct and then see how it transfers into the games. But you've really got to just do that video and the conversations with the guys

who shore up the mistakes or certain areas where you want to be more, I guess, consistent. So that's part of it. But, you know, the year is going by so fast. And it's, you know, you're just preparing for the next team, and that's what your awareness is. But I'm going to say the league trends right now, I think everybody's excited about trying to make the Olympic team where they're trying to stay healthy

and trying to stay in the race because it's what a race. That's not the first time we've heard. We've had no time to practice. What does that mean? Just guys are tired too much. any games and is that sports science people saying don't put them on the ice what is the reason for no practice because they're tired i don't think you're going to get anything out of it i mean uh i i think that uh you know being a former player and we felt when we're in a playoff runs and

you know less is more and not even going on putting their skates on you get way more bang for your buck taking the day off either having a morning skate or getting ready for the game um you You know, I think that's the, is what we're trying to do in those busy schedules. But, I mean, you still got to get out there at certain times and trying to get something out of it when you're out there. But at the same time, I find, like, you know, three days in between. We gave them two days off. So that was a, I don't think anybody heard of the two days off right now this time of the season. But, you know, so that's where we're in the middle of that one right now.

So, Q, when you talk about, you know, rest in the guys, is it a scenario where, You know, you're teaching or you're coaching, but through video on a day off or anything like that. If they're not on the ice, is it something where you can pull somebody in before a game or whatever and say, hey, this is what we're teaching. This is what we're talking about because the league seems, and I've seen a lot of games, the league seems very scrambling, like the systems aren't as tight. You mentioned Ottawa. They're a team that is very stingy, but there's a lot of teams that are a little bit looser early on in this first 20 games.

Have you noticed maybe the league a little bit more scrambling because of the lack of practice time? Could be. I mean, I would, you know, I like to, I use the term loosely with the way we're playing sometimes starting games, and we get a little more predictable as we go along here. But I think there's a number of different systems that teams play, and you don't see all these teams, and you're only focused on the last game, and it's almost like, okay, what are we got to do tonight, change the way we play? We don't like changing the way we play.

just making awareness of what our opponents are going to do them are going to do. So it's a game-to-game situation where you're trying to reinforce certain areas. You know, some days we might not go on the ice, but we'll bring them in, and they'll have video, and we can go over. Maybe they get in the gym and get a workout in as well, but they don't have to go on the ice all the time. I think we have meetings regularly. I think everybody systematically is up to date on what we're trying to do

or what we're trying to fix. and so I think that I'll get back to you know let's keep it simple that's what we are our foundation is simple it's always going to be best trust your instincts is next and then go from there but the standard of being competitive that's that's got to be all out so that's the part that we make sure that day is sustained what do you think of the guys on the bench with the iPads I watch that sometimes and I'm like what the hell are they looking at like what like do you think that's how helpful the iPads on the bench for the players to be looking at or what? It's a great question.

I don't like looking at it very much. I might ask my assistant coaches, what do they think? I know certain teams, they're extensively looking at it. Sometimes you can say, oh, the players looking for an excuse. Some guys are, you know, and how they're different levels of how they look at the game, and you're going to say, well, okay, maybe you're looking for something that you see that on the special teams with a guy stick positioning or this or that. Hey, I'm not, I'm going to reserve my judgment on it.

I'm going to let them look at it if they want to look at it. I don't need to look at it. I don't want to look at it. I'm, you know, we're moving ahead and keeping focused on the game. But certain guys, I mean, hey, they use it, and some teams really use it a lot. And it's a good tool for them, you know, just like, you know, my video meetings. I can't run a video meeting. I have, you know, I don't even, I can't even circle a guy.

the drawing on the board when we're doing it. I get a point with a stick. So anyways, I can explain something I got a pad there and I'll point, go here from there, and then hopefully they get it. Wow, they seem to be. They seem to be getting it so far. We'll get you out of here with a question about

your GM where you guys, Pat Verbeek and yourself, you played one year in Hartford. I think it was his first year in Hartford, your last year in Hartford. And I love hockey D.B. Because you can find stats. He had 28, 89 penalty minutes that year, Pat, for Beak, and nine fights. What's that relationship been like when you were teammates and now you're working together?

Yeah, we played some games together, too, in Jersey when he was really young. I think he might have been 18 when Beaker came to Jersey. And, hey, Beaker is a competitive guy. He doesn't think any, and he doesn't care how big you are or what he's got to do to go to where he's got to go to have some success. You get in the way, you might have some trouble dealing with them. But I like the word relentless when describing players. Beaker was one of those guys. It has the same type of an attack with his managerial way.

He positions himself in that department. You know, I think he's done a great job of building the team the way he has, been patient in the right areas. And now it's starting to, you know, the traction that they got from last year and what we want to go to this year. I feel fortunate to be a part of it, and knowing that his enthusiasm, you can feel it every day. Well, you guys are off to a great start,

and we're obviously tracking it. We'll see where it goes for you, but congrats on a great start, and good luck the rest of the way, and as always, we appreciate you doing this. My pleasure. Thanks having me, guys. Have a great day. You got it, Joel Quinville of the Anaheim Ducks.

It's beginning to sound a lot like Christmas. With IHart the Holidays, non-stop Christmas music 24-7, all your festive favorites, unwrap the magic of the season, one song at a time. Ask your smart speaker to play IHart the Holidays on IHartRadio. Download the free app today.

Gifted to you by Sleep Country.