[Charlie O’Connor] Ristolainen a déclaré qu’il aurait aimé avoir Tortorella comme entraîneur-chef quand il avait 18 ans. Il a l’impression que son jeu a fait de grands progrès sous lui, notamment en termes de jeux meurtriers et de travail en zone défensive.
Ristolainen said he wishes he had Tortorella as his head coach when he was 18. Feels like his game has taken big strides under him, particularly in terms of killing plays and d zone work.
— Charlie O'Connor (@charlieo_conn) December 17, 2023
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GimmickyBulb
9 Comments
Risto was noticeable good last night.. his play has been earning his pay.
Tortorella’s Hall of Fame resume is going to say “Turned Rasmus Ristolainen into a defensively responsible player” right above the part where it says “Won the 2004 Stanley Cup.”
Risto turnaround season is up there as one of the top highlights this year so far
If risto can change for the better. We all can !
I wish Torts’ contract wasn’t only 4 years. Feels like last year was wasted by Fletcher giving him a dud team.
Torts deserves a ton of credit. He came in and the team suddenly has heart again. They have some good players, but not like some other teams, and they’re hanging with the best teams in the game. They’re winning 1-0 and 2-1 games.
I’ve wanted a coach like Torts for a long time. A team that doesn’t play responsible team defense goes nowhere in the playoffs. We’re not a cup team yet, but if they keep playing like this and we get Gauthier and Michkov, they’re gonna be a force.
Good for Risto taking to coaching and changing the way he plays the game. On some level, it must be hard to accept you’ve been doing things wrong your whole career and change is needed.
Also credit to Brad Shaw whose work with the D and PK has been huge.
Risto is having his first positive Fenwick season since 2018, and his best Corsi since then as well.
I love the progress Risto has made. What is really cool to think about is how all our young Dmen will have a coach like Torts to teach them and help them learn the right things. Risto, Sanheim, York all look significantly better this year than last.