Tucson Roadrunners Assistant Coach Zack Stortini stopped by Roadrunners Happy Hour on his drive home to Tucson from practice in Chandler on Tuesday, November 8, to discuss the season so far and look ahead to the Roadrunners six-game home stand. Join Adrian Denny, Brett Fera, and Kim Cota-Robles every Tuesday at 5 p.m. on FOX Sports 1450AM and the iHeartRadio app. A podcast version of the full episode, including why Roadrunners practice was up the I-10 in Chandler, can be found on the iHeartRadio App or by listening below.
Listen to “Zack Stortini Part of Two Worlds” on Spreaker.
Q: Zack, a good day of practice today after a great road trip that saw the team go 3-1 against San Jose and Calgary, how was it up at the Ice Den in Chandler?
A: It was a great day of practice, a hard workday for the guys. It’s been two days in a row now of being on the ice and getting better. We have a great group, (Roadrunners Head Coach) Steve Potvin and (Roadrunners Assistant Coach) John Slaney are very detail-oriented, and make sure that we’re getting the most out of the guys each and every day. The guys reciprocate with hard work and have fun doing it. It’s very exciting to be around.
Q: We’re 6-2-0-0 to start the season, with six of those eight games being on the road. How has your first year with us been so far alongside our returning staff of Steve Potvin and John Slaney?
A: What an incredible group, both John and Steve have been together for many years and they’re so welcoming. I can’t be more appreciative to them for that. The team we have this year is an incredible group, a great mix of size, speed, skill, toughness, we’ve been able to win in different ways. You look at the games we’ve had, we find ways to win and different ways to win each and every night.
Q: How has the transition from being a player to being a coach been for you?
A: It’s a situation where there aren’t a lot of coaching jobs open at one time, but I was very lucky to transition right away to a Junior Assistant Coach role in my hometown of Sudbury, Ontario. Then only a couple years later, I got the opportunity to come here to Tucson and move up from the OHL to the AHL. The interview process with Steve and the management of the Roadrunners and Arizona Coyotes was a great conversation, and I’m very lucky to have been given the opportunity to coach here.
Q: Steve Potvin has ties to Sudbury as well, and you had a conversation with him up there…
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