‘The sky’s the limit’ for Madden Daneault, says longtime coach

Jarmolicz knows Daneault about as well as anyone outside his family. He has coached him for the past two seasons and has known him since Daneault was seven, when Jarmolicz was coaching his older brothers.

“It’s been a pretty fun progression to be a part of,” Jarmolicz told RocketFAN. “He’s really coming into a complete player with a lot of high-end checklists. There’s a lot of things that he can do that guys can’t do.”

And if there is one characteristic that jumps out above everything else.

“His competitiveness, for sure,” Jarmolicz said when asked what he notices first about Daneault’s game.

That competitive edge, Jarmolicz believes, is difficult to teach.

“He’s got all that from a very young age. That’s why he’s become such a great player, because he just outworks everybody. And when a good player like that outworks everybody, the sky’s the limit.”

Daneault certainly produced at an impressive rate last season, scoring 64 goals for Red Deer’s U15 team. But Jarmolicz says the young forward’s value extends well beyond his scoring ability.

“When you watch him play against his age group, he’s the alpha,” he said. “He just asserts dominance amongst everybody in his peer group.”

That doesn’t mean Daneault is a player who hunts goals at the expense of his teammates.

In fact, Jarmolicz says the opposite is true.

“He’s not a selfish player by any means,” he said. “He’s the kind of guy you want on your line because he’ll find you if you’re available.”

Daneault’s biggest strength may be his ability to see the game differently.

Jarmolicz describes him as a player who can make plays in traffic that others simply don’t see coming.

“You’ve got to be ready for the puck when you’re on the ice with him because he finds things that you don’t even see until you watch the replay,” Jarmolicz said.

That vision will now be tested against players several years older and stronger.

Jarmolicz believes Daneault’s time with the Rockets will teach him how to protect the puck better, use his body and understand the physical demands of the WHL.

“He’s going to learn more and more about body position amongst puck possession stuff,” Jarmolicz said. “He’s going to learn how to be able to protect pucks and use his body in different spots to make plays at that level.”

There will also be a learning curve when it comes to defending and playing within a more sophisticated team structure.

“He’s going to have to learn how to check and everything at that level too and the system stuff,” Jarmolicz said. “I’m excited to watch his cerebral game about the game kind of progress this year too.”

And when Daneault returns to Red Deer, Jarmolicz intends to make sure those lessons don’t disappear.

“I’m going to be bouncing ideas off of him from what he learned in Kelowna because it’s just going to make everybody better,” he said.

The arrangement will require some adjustment for everyone. Daneault will go from WHL arenas and older competition back to U18 hockey in Red Deer.

Jarmolicz expects that transition to be manageable.

“He craves that,” he said of Daneault’s desire to play in front of an enthusiastic crowd. “He wants that atmosphere.”

More importantly, Jarmolicz sees the unusual arrangement as an opportunity, not just for Daneault, but for the Red Deer program.

“It’s fantastic for him, and it’s fantastic for our team,” he said. “It really is a silver lining.”

With Daneault away in Kelowna, other Red Deer players will have opportunities to move into bigger roles.

“It’s just going to allow more kids to come up and play at this level,” Jarmolicz said. “So it’s actually great for Red Deer minor hockey as a whole.”

For Jarmolicz, though, the biggest benefit is seeing a player he has known since childhood take another step toward his ultimate goal.

“To help these kids get to that point where they can get paid to play the game that they love and to be a part of a step in their journey, it’s pretty cool to be a part of that for sure,” he said.

Daneault has already taken the first step.

Now, 34 WHL games could provide the next one.

by Regan Bartel

‘The sky’s the limit’ for Madden Daneault, says longtime coach

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