by Jared Shafran | AHL On The Beat
Ontario Reign head coach Marco Sturm has spent two and a half years at his current post, guiding the Los Angeles Kings’ top affiliate in the American Hockey League.
And while he’s admitted there was a bit of a learning curve at first as someone who had never played or coached in the AHL before, the Reign and Kings are both starting to see the fruits of his labor and coaching style pay off.
The Kings have a clear objective for their AHL club: develop players for the NHL in a competitive environment as one of the top teams in the league.
Sturm has his group competing in the league’s upper echelon; Ontario’s record during 2024 showcased that, with the team closing out the calendar year with an 8-1-0-1 mark in December. In 69 games during 2024, the Reign went 44-21-0-4, a points percentage of .667.
In other words, Ontario effectively won two out of every three games they competed in. Sturm believes that no matter the roster turnover, injuries, or any other obstacles they may face, they’ll win games as long as they’re “playing the right way.” And that’s his goal for each individual on the roster: to play each night in a way that will yield results for both the team and themselves.
“What I learned in the past as a coach is the game management part of it, the puck management, is very important,” Sturm said. “Maybe a lot of coaches don’t address it as much as I do, but I was like that as a player and I kind of carried it over as a coach as well. I’m a big believer in that.”
The former left-winger who played 938 games during a 14-year NHL career also said that he believes in structure, and sometimes it takes time to install that when a coach takes over a new team – but players must buy in for it to work.
“For sure at the start I’d say there were some doubts, but at the end of the day, it worked,” Sturm said. “I feel like now they really buy into that. They can see it; they can feel that if you play the right way, the way I’m asking for, it will give them success. There will be times that other teams will be better, and that’s OK too, but as long as we play our game the way I want to see them play and the way we are capable, I think they will be fine.”
Ontario benefits from a unique organizational structure that sees the Reign’s players and hockey operations staff live in Los Angeles’ South Bay and practice at Toyota Sports Performance Center in El Segundo, the same facility as the Kings. It allows players from both teams to stay close off the ice, especially those who may be up and down throughout the season.
When players get an opportunity with the Kings, there’s a whole room of familiar faces they are comfortable with. But they can still do things away from the rink with their friends from down the hall in the Reign locker room, with players forming tight bonds no matter the roster they’re playing for on any given day.
“The whole organization does a great job, starting at the top with Rob Blake and his staff,” Sturm said. “I think what we have here is very unique. You have one of the best places in the league to play, the best organization, the way we live, and the way the guys hang out off the ice really close by the practice rink.”
Sturm spent four seasons as an assistant coach with the Kings under Todd McLellan before joining the Reign and was able to take that experience with him now that he’s in the AHL. The logical path for many is to work their way up, but he’s glad he got to do it the other way around.
“I kind of went backward, but I think it really helped me,” Sturm said. “Because I remember so many times when Todd was going nuts about certain players. We have to make sure in the AHL, as a coaching staff, that we’re going to do the right thing, we’re going to teach them the right way so that when they get called up there’s no questions. They should fill in and play the game because they know everything already. I think I took a lot of things out of that, and it really helped me over here on this side to help, not just the players but also all the Kings coaching staff as well.”
With all that in mind, Sturm’s goal is to make sure that it’s not just their peers who players are familiar with when they earn the chance to play in the NHL, but also the systems and the way the Kings play.
“I wanted to translate what we have off the ice so that’s why we’re very similar, the style we play, the system we play,” Sturm said. “And I wanted to continue that because of the interaction we have with the players and just try to make it as easy as possible for them. I wanted to give the guys the best opportunity I can and that’s playing almost the same way as the Kings. I’m a big believer in that and so far, I think it’s worked pretty well.”
Sturm’s way of playing helped the Reign win two playoff rounds last spring, with the team advancing to the Pacific Division Finals where they were bested by Coachella Valley, the eventual Western Conference champion.
And the list of players contributing to the Kings lineup on a nightly basis who were trained and mentored by Sturm is growing weekly. A glance at LA’s lineup on Wednesday night against the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers featured eight dressed individuals who played under Sturm with the Reign before becoming full-time NHL’ers, not to mention the four others who have appeared in NHL games with the Kings this season.
Sturm touched on a number of those players who have cracked the Kings roster.
On forward Alex Turcotte, who has become an important part of LA’s nightly lineup: “Turc was a guy we always felt for because of his injuries in the past, but he’s developed really well since I’ve been here. He’s handled his game management way better than in the past. He’s a very energetic guy who brings it in the game. There were other guys better than him playing-wise last year, but he always found a way to respond in certain games, certain areas. That’s why I’m not really surprised at all that he’s making such a big impact in the NHL. Good for him, he stayed with it through tough times and it’s nice to see.”
On Brandt Clarke, who played 63 games with Ontario in the regular season and playoffs: “Clarke is a totally different type of player, different personality, and I think he’s different than all the other prospects we have. We wanted to clean up his defensive play and he played a lot of minutes. Even when he was tired, we wanted him to play good defensive hockey, because the offensive side, he has it. There’s so many things you can’t teach with this kid but on the other side he just had to learn a few more things and I thought he was better and better every month. This year I think he fit right in, he’s playing a lot of minutes. And the things we were touching on last year, he carried it over with the Kings. Clarkie’s so smart and he reminds me of Dewey (Drew Doughty)… They’re very competitive, they want to be the best every time, not just in every game, but in every drill, they’re so competitive.”
On Jacob Moverare, who has earned his spot playing with another former Reign blueliner, Jordan Spence: “Tuna (Moverare) is always a coach’s favorite for us because you always know what you’re going to get out of him. I think it just took Jimmy and DJ (Kings head coach Jim Hiller and assistant D.J. Smith) a little bit longer because they didn’t really know him, but now they know the real Mo, who is reliable every night, who is steady, who can play against big guys, can play against grinders, you name it. He will give you an honest effort every night and we all love him as a person, he’s a very humble guy and he’s definitely nice to have in the locker room. The toughest thing for a young kid going up is they’re afraid of some veterans and older guys because they’ve been there. At the end of the day we just want them to play the game and have fun and I think Spenny is definitely having more fun with Mo because of their past. Them playing together in [Ontario] is definitely helping them right now.”
On Akil Thomas, who has made the jump to being a full-time NHL’er this season: “It’s so nice to see because I felt like after his injury, he had to start all over again and I went through that process with him on his road to the NHL. It’s just great to see the strides he made with us, the playoffs, and now with the Kings. He should be a role model for a lot of young players in this organization and he’s a very driven, hard-working kid who has worked himself up the big league and I give him a lot of credit.”
On rookie forwards Samuel Helenius and Andre Lee: “These guys had a really good season last year, especially the playoffs, they took it to another level. In the summer I thought maybe we’d have another big year for them, maybe on their way to the Kings, but both of them came out on fire at training camp and that for me was the biggest surprise. I knew they were capable, but I didn’t know they would be capable to play at a high level that fast. I think my job is not just developing those young players, what I’m always looking for is that I always want them to play the right way. If there’s anything the players learn from me, it’s that playing the right way will give you the most success no matter what league you’re in.”
Although the Reign haven’t been as hot in January as they were the month prior in December, the team earned a 6-1 win over Calgary, the top team in the Pacific Division, on Tuesday night. Just past the halfway mark of the season, Ontario is 22-13-1-1, tied for third in the division.
The Reign resume their schedule on Friday night in Bakersfield before returning home for a battle with the Coachella Valley Firebirds on Saturday evening.
