Larry Robinson speaks about his new role with the San Jose Sharks

Larry Robinson has a new role within the San Jose Sharks franchise as director of player development. A huge responsibility at this point in the offseason with development camp complete and training camp only few weeks away.

“To have a young kid that you’ve worked with and seen grow have success; that’s what it’s all about,” -Larry Robinson

Robinson is excited about his new role with the players. Not only will he be working with the guys in San Jose, he will also be making an impact in  Worcester with the Sharks AHL affiliate. Robinson will be involved in making sure that everyone in Worcester is on the same page as everyone in San Jose. It is vital that both teams play the same type of hockey so that when a young player gets the chance to come up to the NHL, they know what coaches are talking about and can make the transition easily. Robinson will be a key player in making sure that the adjustment is an easy one for everyone involved.

When asked if his time alongside coach Todd McLellan was beneficial when taking on the new role, Robinson stated it was the only way he could have done it.

“You can’t just sit on the outside and expect to know what’s going on,” he said. “When you’re right in the thick of things, in the battlefield so to speak, you learn how they’re thinking, what they want, what they want of the players, what they expect of the players. It’s also a great experience for me because as long as I’ve been in the game, you never stop learning.”

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Robinson loves working with the younger players and teaching them a level of professionalism. In fact, he stated that it was probably his favorite part of the job. And any young player should be honored to have such a veteran of the game helping to mentor them. “To have a young kid that you’ve worked with and seen grow have success; that’s what it’s all about,” Robinson said.