In today’s media availability with the new General Manager of the Carolina Hurricanes, Eric Tulsky, team reporter Walt Ruff came away with a couple of news items. Inside the organization, Tulsky acknowledged he would have to hire someone toward the top of the management hierarchy given that he was an internal hire and that the coaching staff of the Chicago Wolves is still being deliberated upon.
Darren Yorke is poised to take on the full responsibilities as Assistant General Manager of the Hurricanes organization after sharing the role with Tulsky over the last two seasons. Carolina may look to fill the position of Director of Player Personnel which has been vacant since Yorke left the role after the 2019-20 NHL season.
For the Wolves, Tulsky is expected to procure an additional coach to Bob Nardella’s staff for the 2024-25 AHL season. As things currently stand, Nardella will retain his role as head coach of Chicago with the team also retaining Dave Barr as an assistant coach and Stan Dubicki as the team’s goaltending coach.
Other notes:
- Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that the Anaheim Ducks are interested in hiring Rich Clune as an assistant coach for the 2024-25 NHL season. Clune has been serving in a similar role with the Toronto Marlies of the AHL after being promoted from his previous position as Development Coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs on November 29th. Nevertheless, there has been nothing indicating that Clune is interested in the position in Anaheim, as he spent the last seven years of his playing career with the Maple Leafs organization.
- The AHL affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms has extended head coach Ian Laperrière through the 2025-26 AHL season per a team announcement. Laperrière has spent the last three years as head coach for the Phantoms while coaching the team to a 98-92-30 record and has qualified for the Calder Cup playoffs in back-to-back seasons. Outside of the progress he has seen with the Phantoms, Laperrière has also helped graduate Tyson Foerster, Cam York, and Bobby Brink to the NHL level in recent years.
- Top professional scout Rob Murphy will be headed to another nation’s capital city as Bruce Garrioch of TSN reports he will be leaving the Ottawa Senators organization to join the professional scouting department of the Washington Capitals. Murphy has been a respected scout in the NHL for nearly the last two decades having performed similar duties with the Phoenix Coyotes and spending three years as the Director of Scouting for the Buffalo Sabres from 2014-2017.
Clune is interested, don’t kid yourself. An NHL gig? Come on!!