In his two decades of coaching, Dave Snuggerud has learned how to sculpt young talent.

As the head coach at Chaska, Snuggerud has plenty of clay to work with, including Division I prospects in sophomore defender Mike Koster and freshman forward Shane Lavelle.

All six of the Hawks’ leading scorers are underclassmen, led by Koster’s seven goals and 16 points. So how does Snuggerud, a six-year NHL veteran, manage to wrangle in all that talent?

He lets them fail first.

“We allow them to make mistakes,” Snuggerud said after the Hawks handed Princeton its first loss of the season on Thursday night at the Schwan’s Super Rink in Blaine. “They make mistakes constantly, and when they do that, it’s part of the game,” Snuggerud continued with a wry smile.

The Hawks (8-3-0) made few mistakes in Thursday’s win, routing the Tigers 6-0 while pouring 31 shots on net.

Junior forward Landry Kuss scored two goals, while Koster, Lavelle, Will Magnuson and Ethan Benz all added goals in the victory.

“We played hard, we started fast and that’s how we got the win,” Lavelle said after the game, in which he also recorded an assist.

Senior goaltender Owen Othoudt made 25 saves in the loss for the Tigers (5-1-0).

Lavelle’s own speed helped spark the Hawks early on, and he said that quick starts are essential to the Hawks’ success.

“I think it’s a major key in winning games,” Lavelle said. “We started fast, played fast and the tempo for the game.”

Despite the convincing win, Chaska players routinely returned to their bench ready to implore Snuggerud for his advice on subjects ranging from zone coverage to taking specific angles when chasing the puck.

Snuggerud’s patience in the way he responds to these questions is the result of spending so many years behind the bench and playing at the sport’s highest level, and from his ongoing coaching position with the Chaska/Chanhassen Peewee AA team. 

“I’ve been coaching for 20 years, all different levels,” Snuggerud said. “I just noticed it does no good for yourself or for the kids if you’re screaming and hollering.”

Snuggerud says that his mission at the helm of the Hawks is to cultivate bonds with his players, and that simply screeching at a player does not make that bond stronger.

“The job of our coaches is to build relationships in order to teach,” Snuggerud explained. “We just don’t learn much if we’re getting screamed at all the time.”