“If I’m not coaching, I’m going to go out and work my tail off and make sure I’m as familiar as I can be with this younger age group around the country, not only for this draft, but for future drafts. I thought it was a great opportunity to do that.
“I was excited about the opportunity to get out on the road and grind and really get to know all the players around North America and even the world.”
At the same time, Upton did not want his coaching skill set to become stagnant. An avid reader, Upton dove into leadership topics. He picked up the phone to call coaches he knew and ask questions about systems.
And, just as he did in preparation for the draft, Upton hit the road.
“I got to go and spend some time with some Division I staffs around the country — learn from them, watch their practices, sit in on the meetings,” he said.
Although he did not necessarily know who they would be, Upton felt an obligation to his future players.
“My biggest goal for last year with not coaching is that I knew I still had to develop,” he said. “I don’t think, as coaches, we should demand for our players to develop and not be open-minded and evolving and changing and developing ourselves.
“For me, I want to coach in the NHL one day,” he said. “So, I knew I couldn’t possibly be the same coach as I was when our team got shut down 12 months from now.
“I needed to be better. I needed a way to develop, but I didn’t have the luxury of coaching games in the USHL.”
The results seem to indicate the efforts worked as planned.
Madison went 30-29-3-0 for fifth out of eight teams in the Eastern Conference, but was ready to perform at any even higher level in the Clark Cup Playoffs.
By winning seven of 10 games, the Capitols made their way to the Final where they beat the Sioux City Musketeers in the first game of the best-of-five series. They went on to lose the next three, two by one goal, including one in overtime, but the growth and progress shown was a testament to all the hard work Upton had put in the season prior.
Story from Red Line Editorial, Inc.
Photo from Madison Capitals Twitter
