Traverse City notebook: Letestu enjoying new view behind bench

Mark Letestu has spent plenty of time on hockey benches over the years.
The longtime pro skated in 567 NHL games, not to mention 255 AHL contests, so he's pretty used to the speed of the game at its highest level.
Yet this weekend, he's been in for a new view. Hired this summer as a development coach for the Blue Jackets, Letestu has been behind the bench running the defensive pairs at the NHL Prospects Tournament in Traverse City, Mich.

"It's a totally different perspective, right?" Letestu said after the Jackets improved to 2-0 in Traverse City with a win Friday night over Dallas. "Trying to actually watch the game and understand what's going on, it happens quick from the bench. To be fair, the six guys that I've had there on any given day, the D almost run themselves. They seem to be the smartest guys on the bench. They haven't had to work me too hard."
Letestu said that, yet his voice was a bit hoarse Friday night as he spoke. The reason? He's been quite vocal in his new role.
"I can't turn it off," he said with a chuckle. "I was like that as a player, just hollering. It keeps me in the game. It's one of those things where you're just trying to help the guys."
So far, the Jackets have been solid on the back end with Letestu in charge, giving up just three goals in each game while earning wins over Toronto and Dallas. That's a solid number in a tournament that trends toward offense, as teams haven't been skating together for too long, systems are fresh in players' minds, and high-level draft picks are mixed in with free agent invites.
So what does a longtime NHL forward have to say to defensemen during a game? The defensive pair rotation is relatively simple -- there isn't lot of line matching, as the front office wants to get a good evaluation of each player so the pairs simply just roll quite often -- but Letestu said he does have things he can add given his long pro career.
"There are still some things, especially being a center, on down low play," the 36-year-old said. "The great thing about this tournament and the organization, the resources that are here, the guys in the front office that have played D, the stuff they see, I'm not doing it myself as far as giving them stuff to work on or think about. There's so many people here that have the experience and to lean on them is an awesome resource for any coach."
Cleveland Monsters assistant coach Trent Vogelhuber has run the bench each game, while the forward coaches have alternated through two games -- European development coach Jarkko Ruutu was in charge for the opener, while Letestu's fellow new hire Derek Dorsett was there on Friday night.
Letestu, Ruutu and Dorsett all played more than 500 NHL games, but it's fair to say moving behind the bench is another thing to add to the resume.
"The biggest difference is as a player you're just responsible for yourself," Letestu said. "When you're coaching, you have no control. As a player, I had control over how my game went -- or at least I thought I did. As a coach, you can prepare them, you give them all the guidance you can, but ultimately it's up to the players."

Identity established

As we said earlier, there isn't a ton of time for strategy to be established in Traverse City.
Teams will work on the basics of systems, but it's not like they can drill too much into the players in just a few practices before the tournament begins.
So when the Blue Jackets got together this past week, there were a few tactical points to discuss. But the bigger message the players seem to have received was more about mind-set than X's and O's.
"Our motto is just being the hardest-working team and not being outworked," 2021 first-round draft pick Cole Sillinger said. "Whether that is laying an extra body or tracking back to cause a turnover, whatever it may be, our motto is never being outworked."
According to Letestu, that was by design, and so far it has led to a pair of wins to start the tournament.
"There's some nonnegotiables, right, as a Blue Jacket," he said. "If you watched the team in the past few years, there is a work ethic, there is a certain standard of effort. Yeah, there is some systematic stuff, but it's expected to be rusty. But the competition level and the work ethic, there's no rust there. You're expected to make mistakes on the aggressive side and working hard. And to the room's credit, everyone that has been a part of that has brought that."

Greaves' good start

If there's one position in the sport where timing is important, it would be in net, where the bullets come flying fast and furious on goalies.
So for Jet Greaves, the first two games in Traverse City have to be encouraging. He hadn't played a live competitive game since the spring of 2020 before the event, as the Barrie Colts netminder saw his entire 2020-21 season wiped away when the OHL couldn't play because of Covid protocols.
Yet he's looked good in his first look at live ammunition in a while. The most important stat is 2-0 -- his record -- and he's stopped 48 of 54 shots. It's only a .889 save percentage, but the games are titled toward offense -- his GAA of 2.97 is third among the nine goalies to play thus far -- and he's made key saves at key times.
"It's just about taking the game as it comes," he said. "We know there are lots of good players on our team and theirs. We know there's going to be chances and plays made. For me it's just about doing what I do and trusting what I do and hopefully the results take care of themselves."
Greaves has signed to play with Cleveland this year, where highly touted Russian prospect Daniil Tarasov will likely be the starter. From there, Greaves and Cam Johnson will be in the mix for time, but he's excited to be off and running on a first pro season.
"It's a lot of fun just being out there playing games again," he said. "Guys are doing a real good job in front of me winning battles and defending. We're all having fun."

News and Notes

• According to Instagram, the high stick that felled forward Tristan Mullin late in Friday night's win over Dallas led to a missing tooth and some stitches, but he appeared not too much worse for wear and practiced Sunday morning.
• After an off day Saturday, the Blue Jackets are slated to get back on the field Sunday evening at 6 p.m. with a game against host Detroit. The game will be streamed live on BlueJackets.com.