Of the 20 players who dressed for the Kings on the night of their second Stanley Cup celebration earlier this month, 11 were drafted and developed by the organization. There were first round picks like Drew Doughty, Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown and Tanner Pearson, second round selections like Tyler Toffoli and Kyle Clifford, a steal in the third in Jonathan Quick and fourth rounders like Dwight King and the biggest playoff hero of them all, Alec Martinez. And while L.A. would require and benefit from upgrades via trade – Jeff Carter, Marian Gaborik, Mike Richards most prominently – the foundations of their success are rooted in their fruitful draft and development scheme. The Leafs, absent from the playoffs for eight of the past nine seasons and long-starved of consistent homegrown talent, are scratching and clawing to try to get to that point (someday). Earlier this week, Dave Morrison, Torontos director of amateur scouting, detailed a draft process that appears to be slowly moving in the right direction. Development is the other and usually forgotten side of the coin. Spurring that effort for the Leafs is Jim Hughes, who spoke with TSN.ca about the challenges and trials of development and what the organization is doing to improve the process. SIEGEL: Whats the process when a player gets drafted by the organization? Whats that process like of taking him as a teenager and trying to get him to the NHL? How do you do that? HUGHES: Usually year one, we allow the kid to do his thing. We meet the coaches. We make sure the kids in good shape [and] hes in a good spot and we usually dont press their buttons. We dont have a sense of urgency with a kid at an early stage, but as he develops into year two, into year three, we turn the heat up, we turn the urgency up. A guy like Freddy Gauthier for instance; last year, we let him work through some stuff. We give him the details of what he needs to do to be successful in terms of making the World Junior team. We give him some bullet point details in terms of being physical, stopping on loose pucks, blocking shots, winning faceoffs, playing with some urgency. We give him some details in terms of what he needs to do in year one. In year two, our demands will be a lot greater. Well be pressing the button a little bit harder. Well be trying to push him up the mountain, challenging him, both mentally and physically. We try to expedite the process, all the while knowing that theres got to be some patience in the mix as well. SIEGEL: Is that a constant conversation that youre having with him? HUGHES: Sometimes its a weekly, sometimes it might be monthly, sometimes its when its necessary, sometimes we stay out of their way. If the kids in a good spot [and] the coaches are delighted with the player we might stay out of their way a little bit. If the coach says [the prospect] needs a kick in the ass and hes doing just enough to get by in practice then we might step in and poke him a little bit and poke him a little bit. All were doing is were a support to the coaching staff; were a support to the management team. If the kids playing in U.S. college hockey, or the kids playing in the Quebec league, were just there for support, pretty much providing the same message that his staff is providing and if we have to poke him we will. SIEGEL: I wanted to ask you about that process with the prospects team. How does the coordination work? What if you have a prospect in a situation that you dont deem to be advantageous? Lets say for two weeks hes not getting any power-play time or something along those lines. How do you work with the teams to put the prospect in a position to succeed? HUGHES: Well, well get in early and eyeball the coach and find out what his opinions were of the player, find out what the plan is, what the process is with the player, where hes going to start; he might start as a third-line left wing and then the coach says hell work his way into a second-line position in year two. They usually have a plan and a method to the madness. In a lot of ways we put the onus and responsibility back on the player. For instance, Ive had a player say to me well, the coach doesnt like me and before he can get the whole sentence out I stop him in his tracks and I say the coach wants to win and if the coach thinks that you can help him win the coach will play you. So we always challenge the kid to have a great first shift. Why? Because hell give you a second one. Have a great second shift, hell give you a third one. Because thats the way life works. They have to earn the right and theyve got to compete for their job and theyve got to battle. So usually we dont go to the staff, well go back to the player. Well go back to the player and put it on the players shoulders because again, its about winning and if the coach thinks that you can contribute and help him win then he will play you. And thats sort of the mission statement that we usually use with these kids. Now, if theres obviously an issue down the road and weve got to talk to the coaching staff and its not a right mix or its not a right match then well deal with that down the road. But usually we can talk these things out with the player. SIEGEL: How quickly do you understand what type of personality that you have as far as some guys respond to a kick in the ass, some guys need to be coddled; is that something that you can pick up on year one as to how to interact with the player to get him to where he needs to be? HUGHES: Yeah, thats a good question. I think what we do is we try to get to know the personality, try to get to know the person, find out if hes approachable, find out if hes a little bit distant and how we can warm up to him and sort of present our messages politely. And then at some point it might be a very direct, very harsh message. Theres different ways, depending on the kid and basically where hes at in the process. But I like to believe that we tell the kid the truth – the good, the bad and the ugly. The only way were going to make forward progress is by giving them the information, telling them the truth. This is what youre doing great. This is what your skill-sets are. This is what you need to improve on. And basically be really honest with them in terms of the dos and the donts and what we like and basically what needs to be tweaked and what needs to be changed. SIEGEL: But is there an added element in Toronto? I wanted to ask you specifically in the case of Nazem. Nazem comes up, theres all this hype; its Toronto at its finest. How do you navigate through those waters when theres so many external factors outside of your control pulling the kid in different directions? HUGHES: Nazem was more patience. And its almost a trial by error. Its almost one step forward, maybe one step back, two steps forward and it was a process of two, three years. It was a maturity thing. It wasnt a lack of passion. It wasnt a youve got to work on your skill-sets. It wasnt about hey, does Nazem love the game? We already knew that. That was more of the personality and just talking him through things and trying to nurture him and trying to get him to see things maybe differently than the way hes living or doing on the ice. That was a tedious one. Some guys move up the ladder a little bit faster. A guy like Josh Leivo we drafted at 178 pounds and hes a dog on the bone. And we said son, youve got an NHL stick, youve got soft hands, youve got an NHL brain, but youre weak as [expletive]. And he went to work. He got in the MCC and he went from 178 [pounds] to 198 [pounds] and hes chiseled and strong. And he did that work. He did the work. Hes responsible for the work. We just gave him the information and said this is whats in front of you and this is what you need to do and he did it. SIEGEL: You mentioned patience; how do you balance that with the different personalities, like not looking at one guy and saying why arent you getting there faster like this other guy? HUGHES: I can give you an example of a guy thats got a workload thats intense and hes got a passion level thats intense is Connor Brown. I just spoke to him earlier today. His weight is moving in the right direction. He was with [strength coach Anthony] Belza this morning, him and five other players were at the MCC this morning. Hes putting weight on and its man-strength that we call it and its just going to take time. This doesnt happen overnight. So hes got the workload, hes got the passion, hes got the dedication, the desire, but if the man-strength is going to come its going to come when hes 21, 22. Hes a late bloomer and in a lot of ways weve just got to understand that this kid is doing everything in his power. Hes eating five meals a day. Hes eating the right foods. He goes to bed at night. Hes got a good lifestyle. Hes got good habits. And we just need to know that hes moving in the right direction and its just going to take a little bit of time. Its going to take some time, but we know that the process is moving in the right direction. Hes probably a perfect example of a kid that I dont think we can speed it up anymore. Its human nature. Hes going from a skinny, scrawny kid to becoming a man. SIEGEL: And hes part of a group of prospects that you have that look like theyre really moving in the right direction. Youve been in the job now five years; is there something that youve learned about it – maybe watching other teams or doing it yourself – as to how to make that process of development work? HUGHES: I think some of it is trial by error. We tweak things. But weve always been brutally honest with the kids – good, bad and ugly. Weve been positive with the kids. Weve been direct with them in terms of they need to inspire and they need to empower themselves. We go after the mind just as much as we go after the physical part of it. The brain muscle sometimes is neglected. So we talk about the mindset, we talk about the passion and loving the game and empowering yourself. Dont wait for the coach to empower you; you empower yourself. You treat yourself like its your own business. You run it like its your own business. You run it like its your own business. And you make it what you want it to be. We try to stimulate them from an intellectual standpoint, just as much as we do it from a physical standpoint. And weve got a great team of people that are involved with this process. We have Belza and [skating coach] Barbara [Underhill]; they instantly made the Greg McKeggs better. Greg McKegg needed to work on his skating so hes with Belza working on the physical side of things and then he gets out with Barbara and works on the mechanical side of things. So youre running it up the ladder side by side and between the two all of sudden we dont really talk about Greg McKeggs skating anymore because weve got the people in place that are doing their jobs and making this thing work. Then weve got Bobby Carpenter and weve got Steve Staios that are in the player development department as well. We all have our own style and yet were all saying the same things. We talk to him from a mental standpoint. We talk to him about a physical standpoint. Were here to nurture them, teach them and grow them. And again, some guys are more serious about it than others and thats basically what separates the junior players and the AHL players from the guys that eventually become NHL players. SIEGEL: I think the mental side is interesting and it ties in with what I want to ask you next. You look at someone like Carter Ashton; you watch him with the Marlies and hes dominant at times. And then when he comes up to the NHL and he looks like hes trying to find his way a little bit more. How do you take a player whos right on the cusp and get them into the NHL? HUGHES: More touches; exposure to the power-play; playing with high-end players at the American League level which is going to slow his brain down when he has the puck. Everything doesnt have to be a mad race; have some puck poise. And when youre playing with a Spencer Abbott or you play him with a Peter Holland, they possess it and they want to give it and they want to go. So naturally when you put Carter with [one of those guys] then hes going to get the touches and hes got to be creative because they want to be creative. Its not a dump-and-chase, get it out, get it in; theyre forced to make plays. So just that experience and having that puck-time is part of the maturation for Carter in terms of moving himself from an American League player to a National League player. Hes probably stuck between the two leagues right now because hes got some really good qualities; he cares about his teammates; hes physical; he can skate; he can get up and down the rink; hes got a high-compete load. And hes just got to find that balance of not losing the aggressiveness, but learning how to slow it down when he has the puck a little bit. Its training your mind, slowing it down in your brain is basically that attachment that hes learning to do right now. Because he made some beautiful plays at the American League level this year, now hes just got to take it and bring it into the National League with him. SIEGEL: More generally speaking, do you think you have a system in place now where you can take more of these prospects and get them to the NHL? How do you take the development system that you have and keep making it better to get more of these guys to that point? HUGHES: Thats where [Steve Spott], [Derek King], [Gord Dineen], thats where they come in. Stuart Percy is a great example of playing 20 minutes per night, playing in all situations – playing on the power-play, playing on the penalty kill – playing in almost 20 playoff games and that experience is invaluable; youve got to earn the right to play in those games. And so our American League coaches are giving these guys every opportunity to earn the right to win positions and to be on the ice in critical situations. Stuarts a perfect example of that. [Petter] Granberg was a big piece of that puzzle as well. Were talking about the player development and nurturing them through their junior careers or college careers and then we work with them through the summers and then Spotter and his crew grab them in the winter and expose them to situations and get them the quality minutes in the right situations. And again, thats how you expedite the process and thats how were trying to get as many guys to graduate from the American League to the NHL. Some need more time than others, but its a multitude of people all pulling rope the same way and thats sort of the way weve been operating over the past [few] years. SIEGEL: Can you feel that youve got some kids that might be able to make that step, if not the step next year to the Marlies? HUGHES: I think so. Youve got [Matt] Finn coming and youve got Brown and youve got Tommy Nilsson coming and weve got [Andreas] Johnson doing a good job over in Sweden. Weve got Percy coming. Weve got Granberg thats ready. Weve got a lot of guys pushing so its really creating a good, competitive environment. And the cream will rise to the top. These guys will work as hard at their trade to get to that highest level. Fake Yeezy . He just didnt expect them to be this good. Darrun Hilliard scored 19 points to lead No. 6 Villanova to a dominating 77-59 victory over Georgetown on Saturday, preserving the Wildcats hopes of a No. Fake Shoes Free Shipping . Brooks replaces right-hander Yordano Ventura, who left his last outing with a sore elbow. Ventura is expected to miss one start. Brooks has made one relief appearance for the Royals this season, allowing six runs in two innings in a May 3 loss to Detroit. https://www.fakeshoes.net/. After a first half in which he thought "the lid was on the basket," the Toronto Raptors coach watched his squad mount a second half surge to defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers 98-91. Wholesake Fake Nike Air Force 1 . - Because they didnt go into Beast Mode, the Seattle Seahawks found themselves in Spin Mode. Replica Shoes . The Spanish champions decision not to sign a defender during the January transfer window may have backfired after Valencia took advantage of a lethargic, uninspired effort by its hosts at the Camp Nou, where former Spain coach Luis Aragones -- who previously coached the Catalan side -- was honoured after his death on Saturday.LAS VEGAS -- The diagonal scar on the bridge of Alexis Daviss nose seems par for the course for a UFC fighter. The story behind the mark predates cage-fighting, however. "It was from when I was a kid, actually," the Canadian bantamweight admitted with a smile. "I was playing around with my sister. I say she pushed me, but she says I tripped." The 29-year-old from Port Colborne, Ont., who fights out of San Jose, has had her share of fight cuts that have morphed into scars. But they are hidden nicely by her eyebrows. The other good news is blood does not bother Davis. In fact, it can spur her into action as in a November 2013 win over Liz Carmouche when she turned it up a notch after being cut over her eye. "It kind of wakes you up a little bit more. Youre like, Yup, that was a good shot. Now its my turn," said Davis. Suffice to say, theres more to the soft-spoken Davis than meets the eye. That seems to have escaped the bookmakers, who have made unbeaten champion (Rowdy) Ronda Rousey a prohibitive favourite to dispatch Davis -- ranked No. 2 among 135-pound contenders -- in the co-main event of UFC 175 on Saturday night at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. Middleweight champion Chris Weidman takes on former light-heavyweight title-holder Lyoto (The Dragon) Machida in the main event. Rousey (9-0) ranged from a 9-1 to 14-1 favourite as of Friday. The UFC had her as a 10-1 favourite. The bookies clearly havent been to Daviss home, which comes complete with fold-up wrestling mats stashed in the living room. When youre an elite UFC fighter and married to a fellow black belt in jiu-jitsu, you like to be able to put a theory in action when something new and exciting pops into your mind. Davis (16-5) met husband-to-be Flavio Meier three years ago at his gym in California. An accomplished black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu (his titles include the 2011 Pan-American championship for black belts) and taekwondo, he is a head instructor at the Institute of Martial Arts in San Jose. Meier, who moved to the U.S. from Brazil in 1999, says it was love at first sight -- for him. "But I had to work a little bit for her," he said. That was three years ago. They married a year ago, with Meiers three boys -- now aged four, 10 and 13 -- from a previous marriage coming as part of the package. "Its another side of her that a lot of people dont know," he said. "How caring and what a great person she is. The kids love her." The 39-year-old Meier says Daviss healthy lifestyle and work ethic are great examples for the kids. The whole family trains at the gym -- even the four-year-old takes a kids class. "Hes got a dangerous armbar," joked Davis. Meier says he finds it a lot easier competing himself than watching his wife fight. "I get nervous. I dont show her but I do get nerves a lot," he said. When it comes to jiu-jitsu, both say the other is better. "He always says that I beat him up but he beats me up all the time," said Davis, who has a black belt in both Brazilian and Japanese jiu-jitsu. "Im not saying this in bias because shes my wife, but to me she is the best in the world in jiu-jitsu," said Meier. "In MMA, for sure." The 27-year-old Rousey, however, is the UFCs resident rock star. At the UFCs media day Thursday, more than a dozen reporters and four cameras were waiting in front of Rouseys chair in advance of the start. There was one Canadian reporter in front of Daviss station. Davis has no complaints. The spotlight is new to her and, while not averse to it, she is still getting used to it. "Im just a girl from a small town," she said. "Its crazy the different steps Ive taken in my life and how far Ive come. All the way to California now. Im in a video game. How cool is that? Its increedible, its almost like unreal to me.dddddddddddd But its great. I love it." Davis has enjoyed every stop of her MMA journey. "Lifes an adventure," she said. "Its taken me to a lot of places and Ive met great people." In Rousey, she is meeting a finisher. The champion has never gone the distance and her average fight time over her night-fight career is just two minutes 44 seconds. Rousey has used her judo takedown successfully in 12 of 17 attempts in the UFC for a 70.6 per cent success rate (the average UFC takedown rate is 41 per cent.) On the Davis side of the balance, the Canadian has never been submitted in 21 fights. She has outlanded her five previous opponents and scores well in the clinch. Asked about the showdown, former UFC lightweight and welterweight champion B.J. Penn lists off Rouseys strengths and successes. "What Alexis should have is a lot of hunger to be that woman and thats how she can get the job done," he said. A veteran of the sport, Davis had compiled a 9-4 record before Rousey made her pro MMA debut in March 2011. Davis made her pro debut in April 2007, losing by TKO to fellow Canadian Sarah Kaufman. Davis lost again to Kaufman, now ranked fifth among UFC bantamweight contenders, by majority decision in Strikeforce in March 2012. She says the second Kaufman showcased the old Alexis Davis -- "Im just going out there and Im just going to bang and I dont care what happens. You kind of take a lot of shots that way." Davis has won five fights in a row since, coinciding with her move to California and ability to take advantage of a larger and more diverse pool of training partners. She worked with Cesar Gracie before settling at the Institute of Martial Arts, owned by eight-time jiu-jitsu world champion Caio Terra who will be in her corner Saturday along with Meier. Davis added two-hour trips twice a week to Sacramento to her training camp this time, to work on her wrestling with Uriah Fabers Team Alpha Male. The thought is wrestling may help control the explosive throws of Rousey, who won Olympic bronze in judo. "They always say that wrestling is like the anti-judo," said Davis. But Davis, who speaks of Rousey with real respect, says its hard to prepare for the champion because Rousey evolves every time she fights. "Its like a whole new Ronda were seeing every time," said Davis. While Rousey is known for her armbar, she has good standup and stopped Sara McMann with a knee to the body. "I want the fight to go to the ground," said Davis. "I just want it to go on my terms." But she says she is comfortable wherever the fight goes. Davis has worked hard on her standup game and has good kicks, although she says she sometimes forgets to use them. The five-foot-six Canadian believes the fight will either end in the first round or go five rounds. The two women have shown plenty of mutual respect, exchanging a warm handshake after posing in front of the media Thursday. Rousey and Davis are the only female fighters to go 3-0 in the UFC. But while Rousey has made movies ("The Expendables 3," "Entourage" and "Fast and Furious 7"), earned ESPY Award nominations and appeared on the cover of ESPN The Magazine, Davis has flown under the radar. Asked whether she has treated herself with any of her UFC fight paycheques, Davis admits only to buying a new TV. "Were kind of saving up," she said. "Id like to eventually buy a house." A win Saturday would make Davis only the third Canadian to hold a UFC title, following Carlos (Ronin) Newton and Georges St-Pierre. It would also change her world. Despite the lopsided odds, Meier says bet on it. "Saturday shes going to shock the world," he said. "I know this for sure." ' ' '