Minnesota Wild: What Turned Erik Haula Around?
Halfway through the 2015-16 season Minnesota Wild forward Erik Haula had struggled to find his game and it looked like he might not find it. Then things changed and Haula would go on to have his best season in the NHL propelling the Wild to their 4th straight playoff berth. How did it happen?
When describing what type of season each of the players on the Minnesota Wild roster had last season, almost every one of them had what could be called a “down” year. That makes sense considering the Wild had such a rollercoaster of a season in which they barely made the playoffs. Still one player stands out as having bucked the “down” label to have a career year that was anything but down.
Erik Haula’s season in 2015-16 did not begin as a career year. As a matter of fact it was on pace to possibly be his worst in three seasons in the NHL. Haula struggled out of the gate only notching 3 goals and 3 assists by January 1st. His struggles had become so bad that then Head Coach Mike Yeo had made him a healthy scratch for three straight games. Yeo in a Pioneer Press article from December 20th explained that “This is nothing against Haula. We thought very hard about him coming into (Monday’s) game, but we decided to go with the same lineup,”
That lineup included Jarret Stoll who was recently claimed off waivers and was pointed to as the reason for Haula’s absence from the lineup. Many speculated that Stoll’s addition was the only reason for Haula’s benching, but there was no denying that his play just was not up to par with what was needed to stay a regular in the lineup. It looked as if Haula was headed for a second straight sub 10 goal season, and an uncertain future with the organization. Then Mike Yeo was fired as Head Coach, and something happened.
From February 15th, John Tochetti’s first game as Interim Head Coach, to the end of the season Haula would score 9 goals and 12 assists. That’s double the production he had under Mike Yeo. So what had happened to change Haula’s season so drastically? He simply started to have fun again and was allowed the freedom to explore his offensive game potential.
On April 2nd after recording a 10-game point streak Haula told the Star Tribune’s Michael Rand that Torchetti’s positivity had gone a long way in turning his game around. He explained that “He’s done a great job, I feel like, with everybody. It’s been a lot of fun. He’s an energetic guy on the bench and a little bit different from what we had earlier maybe.”
“I kind of tried to prove everybody wrong. I went into every day just worrying about getting better and trying to put the work in.” – Erik Haula on Being Drafted in the 7th Round
Combine Torchetti’s positivity and confidence with Haula’s competitive spirit and you can see where the young Finn finally had an environment to grow as a player. Since coming over from Finland to play at Shattuck-St. Mary’s, Haula has a worked to prove himself. He explains to Rand that after being drafted in the 7th round out of the University of Minnesota “I was disappointed in that. I kind of tried to prove everybody wrong. I went into every day just worrying about getting better and trying to put the work in.” When a player has that type of deep motivation it only takes the right environment to spark excellent results.
The coaching change also had another effect on Haula outside of his confidence being raised, it allowed him to explore what he can do on offensively. One of the biggest complaints about the Wild under Mike Yeo is that they were so rigidly tied to his defense first system that many players could not reach their offensive potential. Haula like many players was not free to explore what offense they could muster because Yeo was constantly on them about their positioning on the ice.
The freedom to move where he wanted to in the offensive zone was huge for Haula as he explained to Mike Max of WCCO “I’ve still got to remember what my role is and have it in the back of my head that I can play offense as well and can make those plays in the offensive zone.” Under Torchetti Haula now understood what his role was, and that he had the latitude to make offensive plays. Haula goes further with Max saying “Usually playing well on offense is the best defense.”
Next: Minnesota Wild Fifteen Greatest Players: #11 Andrew Brunette
Turning last season around has given Haula something he has not had in his young NHL career…the freedom to relax heading into this offseason. His increased confidence and offensive output should continue under Bruce Boudreau. Also his career year in goals, assists, and points should offer him some relief and optimism for a great season next year. For someone who is as driven to compete as Haula, next season promises to be a great thing to watch for the Wild organization and the fans.