Familiarity Among Many Positives for New LA Kings’ Goalie Development Coach, Matt Millar

With the absence left by Dusty Imoo this summer, it’s an understatement to say that the Los Angeles Kings have some big shoes to fill.

While last season may not have been much to write home about on the ice, few can deny the bright future the Kings have between the pipes. This is especially with Jack Campbell (10-14-1, 2.30 GAA) and Cal Petersen (5-4-1, 2.61 GAA), who both played admirably in Jonathan Quick’s absence during the 2018-19 campaign.

Speaking of Quick, he still is the No. 1 man in goal for the silver-and-black, but the aforementioned Campbell and Petersen, among others, may have something to say about that shortly down the road. This is thanks in large part to the work of the aforementioned Dusty Imoo, who has been with the club since 2015. But now with Imoo having left the organization for China’s HC Kunlun Red Star of the KHL, the Kings were in search of a new goalie development coach.

That search ended with a familiar face in Matt Millar.

For many coaches entering a new role, the fear of the unknown can certainly play a factor. This is not the case for Millar, though, who has worked with the Kings at their summer development camps for the past few summers. During these times, Millar has worked closely with his predecessor as well as the Kings’ longtime goaltending coach, Bill Ranford.

I recently had the opportunity to speak with Millar about his new role and how his existing relationship with the team will serve as an advantage.

“I think it’ll be a great advantage for myself and for the goalies,” Millar said. “As for Bill [Ranford], I know what he wants in how he teaches and how Dusty [Imoo] has developed these young guys in [the AHL] and helped them find success at the NHL level. I’d like to do that as well.”

Like in Millar’s case, few, if any, should expect the fear of the unknown to play a factor from the perspective of his goaltenders.

“It was good for me to be around Bill and Dusty to learn from both of them but it’s also given me a great opportunity to have an existing relationship with some of the goaltenders, Cal [Petersen], Matt [Villalta] and Cole [Kehler],” Millar continued. “Those guys will be my direct focus as well as Quickie and Jack Campbell. So, the relationship I’ve had with those guys is huge and, like Dusty did, helping the others get ready for the NHL. The Kings have given me a chance to coach [at development camps], so hopefully, this will be a seamless transition.”

As for when the Kings had chosen him as their new goalie development coach, Millar was quick to point out that the organization’s netminders were especially excited by the news.

“It was pretty easy for me to go in and make phone calls to the goalies I had just skated with that week,” Millar said. “It was fresh in their memories that I had been there and skated with them, so they were very excited to have me selected as the goaltending development coach, to be able to reach out to guys like Cal [Petersen] and spend time with him, someone who knew who I was. So, being [around the Kings] for six years and seeing guys on a daily basis like [General Manager] Rob Blake and [Director of Player Development] Glen Murray, the guys that are on the management side of things, that allowed for that transition to happen so smoothly.”

As for what he learned from Ranford and Imoo, Matt Millar’s educational use wasn’t limited to the Kings organization. In fact, Millar’s resume includes serving as an assistant coach in the developmental United States Hockey League with the Dubuque Fighting Saints, the international ranks with USA Hockey and seven seasons in the college ranks, all with his alma mater, Bethel College in St. Paul, MN.

“I was able to apply what I learned from Dusty and Bill at those levels, so I really believe in what they’re teaching and how they’re developing relationships with their goaltenders because I was able to do that at those levels,” Millar explained. “I had such a variety of goalies that I worked with since I rarely worked with the same goalie two years in a row. So, it allowed me the ability to have a solid relationship with the goaltender off the ice first and spend time getting to know them and then going on the ice as well. The lessons I learned there were from working with a lot of different people: first, a lot of different goalies, then, a lot of different head coaches and assistant coaches. Another lesson was really being flexible and how to support the goalies and the staff as a goaltending consultant who would come in and out, especially in the USHL, being there full-time and developing relationships with other staff members. What I’ve learned from other coaches will help me be a better goaltending coach as I know the game of hockey better.”

His presence at summer development camps may have helped with his familiarity with the Kings, but this wasn’t Millar’s only experience with the organization.

A native of nearby El Segundo, Millar spent a lot of time with the Kings growing up as his father, Peter, was the club’s equipment manager from 1989 to 2006. With that being said, it seems serendipitous that Millar would be joining the same club his father had worked for, the same club that made him, for all intents and purposes, the envy of so many hockey fans.

So, was it safe to assume that Millar has been a Kings fan all this time?

You bet.

“I’ve definitely been a Kings fan,” Millar stated matter-of-factly. “I think that came from following my dad around, going to the Great Western Forum, going to the STAPLES Center, going to the Toyota [Sports] Center where the Kings practice. Just being around those guys added an extra layer of interest and passion for the team and now a lot of the guys I watched growing up are now part of the organization.

“For me, it was kind of a dream come true, to be a bit cliche, as it wasn’t really on my radar to come back and work for the Kings. Then, when I got a call from Bill saying to send your resume and kind of go through the process, I had hoped it would happen but as soon as it happened, it became a surreal moment: one of my dreams of coaching pro hockey came true but also getting to do it in my hometown, 10 minutes from where I grew up.”

As for the situation he’s entering, Millar knows that there’s plenty of work to do. In the same breath, the Kings’ new development coach is cognizant of just how solid the organization’s depth in goal already is. I had asked Millar how he felt about the club’s future in goal.

“Extremely optimistic,” Millar emphasized. “With the track record [the Kings have] had and the ability to develop goaltenders, I think the future is exceptionally bright.”

Fortunately, when I had asked him about the club’s present situation in goal, Millar’s optimism didn’t waver.

“Jonathan [Quick] is going to have a fantastic season,” stressed Millar. “Being around the Kings this summer and watching how hard [the goalies] have worked for Jonathan all the way down to the youngest guy, Matt [Villalta], they’ve put in an extremely high and hard level of work. I think they’re really ready for this season and it’s going to be very exciting to see what they’re capable of doing this year.

“It’s important for myself and Bill to communicate and have a clear message for the goalies so that whoever finds himself playing on a certain night will be prepared and that they’re playing the type of hockey that’s going to help the Kings or the Reign, whoever it would be in which hockey games and that being the backbone of a team and having detail inhabit that Bill wants and to carry that message down to the AHL level.

“With the clear message that Bill and I are going to give to the goalies, they’re going to know what’s expected of them every night and that’s going to be giving our team a chance to win, plus stealing a game here and there down the road.”

So, with the expectations for the netminders established, Millar closed by touching on the expectations he has for himself entering his maiden season with the Kings.

“To continue the work that Bill has been doing and what Dusty’s done last season,” stated Millar. “There’s a lot of foundation that’s been laid down and a lot of progress that they’ve made and expect moving forward. So, the expectation for me is to continue the work that Dusty did, to build relationships with the players at [the pro] level.”

Along with Petersen, Villalta, and Kehler, the Kings’ goaltending depth chart includes former Mississauga Steelhead Jacob Ingham, who was drafted by the club in 2018 (6th round, 175th overall) and Lukas Parik who was drafted in 2019 (3rd round, 87th overall). Both Ingham and Parik will be joining Villalta at 2019 Rookie Faceoff from Sept 7-10 in Irvine, hosted by the Anaheim Ducks.

In professional sports, change is inevitable, especially when organizations struggle to perform up to their potential. In other cases, though, change is embraced, proverbially, with open arms. Matt Millar’s arrival to the Kings organization fits the latter sentiment.

Certainly, the Kings and their fans will miss Dusty Imoo — and justifiably so — but with his successor’s experience, background and enthusiasm, a change at such an important juncture could not be more welcomed than it is with Matt Millar.

Stay with us at Calisportsnews.com as we will keep you up-to-date on all things Los Angeles Kings and the rest of the SoCal sports teams! All Cali, All the time

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