Peter DeBoer will demand structure and these non-negotiables from the NY Islanders

Taking the ice as Head Coach of the NY Islanders for the first time, things looked a bit different today at practice with Pete DeBoer at the helm. For the first time in a few years, the head coach is using a whistle, and the players were in different colored jerseys by position, different from the simple two colors used under Roy.

DeBoer will be demanding of his players

With three days of practice under DeBoer before Thursday's crucial game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, DeBoer began laying down the structure of his system. Though the Islanders will need some help to get into the playoffs, having these days off is incredibly valuable with a new head coach to make sure they get the job done on their behalf.

“We’re going to tweak some things,” DeBoer said after his first practice. “This is a good team. There are good people in there. They were doing a lot of good things for big parts of this year. So we just try and get that back on track.”

Aside from his structure that has taken him to at least the Conference Finals with each of the three other teams he has led, DeBoer has some non-negotiables that every player must follow if they want to continue seeing the ice.

“It's the details of the game,” DeBoer said. “Line changes, back-checking, effort, stopping in D-zone coverage. Willingness to take a turn and block a shot if it's your turn, just all the intangibles that go into playing winning hockey this time of year.”

While the Islanders are still pushing towards making the playoffs this season, this team will know what their head coach is looking for in their game, looking towards next season.