Adam Oates watches a lot of hockey. Maybe he even watches the most hockey.
“I don’t think anybody watches more hockey than me,” Oates remarked, laughing. “It’s impossible.”
Oates, a former Blues and Hall of Fame forward turned personal skills coach, currently has over 30 NHL customers, and he says he watches every game for all of them. Among them are Blues forwards Brayden Schenn and Pavel Buchnevich.
Of course, there’s Robert Thomas, who will be the Blues’ only representative at his first All-Star Game this weekend in Toronto. Thomas led the Blues with 17 goals and 35 assists over 49 games this season.
As Thomas has racked up numbers at a career-best pace, Oates has been watching.
Thomas is a relatively new Oates protege, and Oates said he wasn’t sure how Thomas wound up in his possession – in addition to Schenn and Buchnevich, Matthew Tkachuk also utilises Oates. Oates also represents Nathan MacKinnon, Nikita Kucherov, and Connor McDavid, so it’s very guaranteed that this season’s Hart Trophy winner is one of his clients.
“Guys that I work with, they’re just looking for 1% more,” he stated. “How can I improve a little, right? That’s what I’ve always desired when I played, so I truly appreciate it. Make me better, that’s all. We are all pretty dedicated. We want to stay in the game. We want to win. We aspire to achieve success. That’s what I’ve always done: attempt to make them a little better.
Oates isn’t there to completely alter a player’s game; rather, he’s there to accentuate the greatest aspects of what they do and tidy up little details. When Oates takes on a new client, such as Thomas, he will observe a few video games to check for habits.
“I like to think I know the game pretty good and I know what everybody wants on a particular time of play, a particular decision,” Oates said. “I think so.” “Whether the coach wants the guy to get the puck out, you’re going to battle the (defenseman) net-front, win a faceoff, shoot a puck, pass a puck, all the things that happen every single shift.”
Thomas also seems to be fashioned from the same fabric as Oates was when he
Oates, as you may recall, was part of the powerful Hull and Oates duo in St. Louis with Brett Hull. Hull scored the goals. Oates set him up. Thomas is an equally excellent passer who possesses exceptional vision, puck protection skills, and passing ability.
“Those are my favourite players,” Oates exclaimed with a laugh.
Thomas’ DNA will always make him a pass-first guy. This is why the Blues selected him in the first round of the 2017 draft. It explains why he had such a successful junior career. That is why he made the NHL as a teenager. It’s why the Blues agreed to an eight-year, $65 million contract with him.
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