By Kris Smith
The Stars Canadian Coach has been working at full speed since he returned to the club in April and with nine signings already announced, he has been hard at work to secure more with the player market evolving constantly.
In his first season at the club, LeFebvre coached a team that was always dangerous going forward and discussed the advantages of that, but also how he adapted in his second year to keep the wins coming.
He said: “I think the first year, we were a very openly attacking side, we led the league in goals but also gave up a lot of goals, so we were very comfortable playing a lot of 5-4 and 6-5 games.
“We had that 11-9 game against Edinburgh that was absolute chaos because we played a really open-attacking style and we were not afraid to trade chances.
“In the second year, we clamped down a little bit, we did not score as many goals obviously but we did not give up as many either and we saw that in the playoffs as we shut out Glasgow (then Braehead) at the time and we only gave up the one-goal in the first leg.
“So, overall, we were probably better defensively in the second year but now the game is played in such a way that it is so open, with a big open style of free-flowing hockey.
“We need guys who can attack off the rush and play those five-man attacks inside the zone, we also want to be responsible defensively and clamp down on things, making it harder for teams to play inside our zone, because we want to break out with the puck quickly.
“Our best defence is going to be our best offence really because if we have the puck then obviously the other team cannot score.
“So, puck possession is going to be very key to us, which means it will be kind of a mix for us between the first and second seasons, but the game has also moved forward, which makes it more of blend.”
As his search for new players continues, LeFebvre also explained how he wants his team to be a hellish side to play against in every single game and give no team an easy night when they come up against his squad.
Marc said: “I want those hard-nose players who are not afraid to go to the net and like I said a few weeks ago, I prefer to have players who I maybe have to tell to calm down a little bit, because I would rather have that guy who is playing on the line or goes over the line sometimes, than someone who I have to try and get motivated every day.
“We want guys who play hard every night and the players we are currently looking at, we want them to bring that attitude into every game because we want to make the DIA a tough place to play and be a tough side to play against when we go on the road as well.
“We want the other teams to know that they are in a fight every night when they are playing Dundee, so we are looking for a lot of players who can play with physicality but also provide offence as well.”
