Zach Werenski won the Norris Trophy on Tuesday. Two days later, the player anointed as the NHL’s best all-around defenseman was on the ice at a Detroit-area rink under the watch of Jonathan Sigalet, his skills coach.The way Sigalet understands his client, the recognition was already an afterthought.“He just wants to be the best,” Sigalet said. “There’s guys who are just perpetually chasing to be the best version of themselves, to be the best on the team, to be the best in the league. I think that’s Zach.”Sigalet and Werenski have worked together for the past three seasons. The Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman was a point-per-game player in each of the past two seasons for the first time in his career.It may not be a coincidence.‘Intimidating experience’The 2022-23 season was one to forget for Werenski. The defenseman played a career-low 13 games because of a shoulder injury. It was not the way he wanted to start a six-year, $57.5 million contract.Werenski’s valley, however, encouraged him to explore development options during his rehab. Upon the recommendation of a Columbus teammate, who had been working with Sigalet, Werenski got on the ice with the skills coach. He felt at ease.Sigalet didn’t necessarily feel the same way.Sigalet, like Werenski, was an offensive defenseman. The comparison ended there. Sigalet appeared in one career game with the Boston Bruins.“At that point, he’s probably the best player I’ve been on the ice with,” Sigalet recalled. “So it’s a little bit sink or swim for me as a guy who played one game in the NHL as a player. You’re trying to take a guy who’s making nine-and-a-half million and trying to teach him how to do things or look at things a little differently. So it’s a pretty humbling and sometimes intimidating experience.”Boston Bruins winger Morgan Geekie is another of Sigalet’s clients. He hired Sigalet when he was with the Seattle Kraken, feeling unfulfilled with his career.That was not the case with Werenski.By the time he hired Sigalet, Werenski had 245 points in 416 games. He was averaging 23:14 of ice time per appearance. He was a top-flight defenseman because of his skating, smarts, puck touches, stickwork and poise. He needed a skills coach the way Shakespeare needed an English tutor.Sigalet, as such, saw no purpose in reworking his game. His goal was for Werenski to be more efficient with his skating angles, which would allow Werenski to express his skill set more effectively.“How can we just make his life a little bit easier? He makes a play, he’s ready for the next play,” Sigalet said. “Whether the original play’s successful or not, he’s set up for both outcomes to react accordingly. Nothing crazy. He could always skate. He could always shoot. He could always do all those things. Just working on those little techniques, little things, through video, little suggestions, little nudges. Just to try to make his life a little easier.”Sigalet targeted surfing, the technique defensemen use to tighten gaps up the ice and encourage turnovers, as part of his program. It’s not easy, especially for a strong-side defenseman.“It’s a more severe angle,” Sigalet explained. “It’s easier to get stuck going north. If you mistime it, misangle it, the guy will jump past you and you’re exposed more. When you’re coming from the weak side, it’s a little flatter angle. A little easier to pick up and get connected to that guy.”The way Sigalet saw it, Werenski’s skating could make him an excellent strong-side surfer. If things went sideways, Werenski could recover to defend against the rush. If he succeeded, he could confront the puck carrier, force a turnover and go on the attack.“Now he can create a turnover further up the ice,” Sigalet said. “Go spend more time in the O-zone, where he’s a pretty elite talent.”Golden playSigalet was watching the Olympic gold-medal game when Werenski started a breakout deep in the defensive zone. Sigalet’s nerves spiked when Werenski made a backhand outlet pass to Jack Hughes that Cale Makar challenged.But once Hughes chipped the puck past Makar, it didn’t take long for Werenski to track it down. Nathan MacKinnon may have misjudged the timing of Werenski’s arrival.“He’s got that type of speed where sometimes you don’t appreciate how fast he’s going when you’re on the ice. It can be hard to read,” Sigalet said. “Then to get it through to Jack … I was hoping maybe Jack could slide it back, because he was open at the other side of the net. That would have been even nicer.”Makar, Quinn Hughes and Lane Hutson are among Werenski’s peers. They finished right behind Werenski (81 points) in blue-line scoring. They make their mark with explosive skating and whirring feet. Werenski is a Rolls-Royce compared to the Ferraris.“Just an effortless smoothness to him,” Sigalet said. “I think a lot of players around the league, when they watch him, they appreciate how effortless things look. Their peers really admire guys that make things look easy. He has that quality where it looks like he’s never trying too hard. But he really is.”Sigalet separates his clients into two categories. There are players like Geekie who feel like they’re capable of more. Then there’s Werenski, who does not require much to reach his peak.“Zach’s been a fantastic player before I ever stood on the ice with him,” Sigalet said. “We’re just working on the margins and the little details around the edges just to give him an extra little tool or two to use throughout the season.”