Sam Zajac learning to let Leeds Chiefs evolve over time

Leeds Chiefs player-coach Sam Zajac   Picture courtesy of Mark Ferriss.Leeds Chiefs player-coach Sam Zajac   Picture courtesy of Mark Ferriss.
Leeds Chiefs player-coach Sam Zajac Picture courtesy of Mark Ferriss. | Freelance
ONE THING that Sam Zajac was prepared to do throughout his first season in charge at Leeds Chiefs was to embrace the learning process.

A first-time coach, for a brand new team in the first season of a newly-formed league meant the 30-year-old defenceman was not embarking on any kind of ordinary journey.

Over the years, Zajac has obviously played for a number of different coaches, both at Elite League and in the second tier.

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As would any player who entertains ideas of one day moving into coaching themselves, Zajac will have taken a little bit of something from each of those coaches over time, helping ensure he was well-prepared for when it was time for him to take charge of his own team.

CHANGES: Several new faces are expected among the Leeds Chiefs ine-up for the 2020-21 NIHL National league season. Picture courtesy of Mark Ferriss.CHANGES: Several new faces are expected among the Leeds Chiefs ine-up for the 2020-21 NIHL National league season. Picture courtesy of Mark Ferriss.
CHANGES: Several new faces are expected among the Leeds Chiefs ine-up for the 2020-21 NIHL National league season. Picture courtesy of Mark Ferriss. | Dean,Rose..

That opportunity was handed to him just over a year ago when he beat off fierce competition to be chosen as the Chiefs’ first coach by team owners Planet Ice.

The learning didn’t suddenly stop for Zajac, however,who was happy to continue his education on the job, taking on board how rival teams played and how they were led by their coaches.

Throughout the Chiefs’ debut campaign, Zajac made no secret of the high regard he held some of his coaching rivals, in particular Tom Watkins, his former coach at Telford Tigers, as well as Peterborough Phantoms’ Slava Koulikov.

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And by the time the curtain came down on the first season of NIHL National, Zajac admits he had quickly adapted to the demands expected in the UK second tier, by taking his lead, on occasion, from some of those rivals.

Player-coach Sam Zajac had to learn quickly on the job during Leeds Chiefs' debut season in NIHL National. Picture: Dean Woolley,Player-coach Sam Zajac had to learn quickly on the job during Leeds Chiefs' debut season in NIHL National. Picture: Dean Woolley,
Player-coach Sam Zajac had to learn quickly on the job during Leeds Chiefs' debut season in NIHL National. Picture: Dean Woolley,

“You do look around the other teams in the league, teams that have been around a lot longer, you see what works for them and, in some cases, try and implement something similar with your own team,” said Zajac.

“You do learn from others – set plays, face-offs, power play structure, the set breakouts. You see things that maybe work well and others that don’t and you try and tweak things to how you think they will suit the players you’ve got.

“We did try and do that as the season went on, we tried a lot of different looks on the special teams, some worked better than others but we were flexible with it and that’s something that we’re going to look at again next season.”

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As previously stated, Zajac will retain a decent core of the line-up that finished the 2019-20 campaign for him, but there will be changes in key areas.

While the wait goes on for the English Ice Hockey Association to provide clarity on when the 2010-21 season will start – something largely determined by the latest Government advice – some of the recruiting process is on hold for Zajac and his rivals, with signing news across the division in short supply. Other than himself, no signings have been announced by Zajac and the Chiefs in regard to next season, although the player-coach says he has got about 70 per cent of his roster in place.

“There are going to be quite a few different faces,” he added. “Especially when you look at the power play and special teams in terms of what works and what doesn’t.

“Special teams is definitely an area that we need to improve and I feel that, so far, we’ve got the players in here that are going to be dangerous in those situations.

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“At the same time, though, we don’t want to get away from the identity that we started to create at the end of last season, the way that we wanted to play.

“We want to build on that and not go back to the drawing board again.”

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