Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Coaches

Charlotte Checkers, Hartford Wolf Pack Make Coaching Hires

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

A pair of AHL teams have announced coaching hires, including a trio of former NHLers going behind the bench. The Charlotte Checkers, the AHL affiliate of the Florida Panthers, announced the hirings of Jared Staal and Bobby Sanguinetti as assistant coaches on the staff of Head Coach Geordie Kinnear. The two newest hires also join former teammate Zac Dalpe on Kinnear’s staff. Heading up north, the Hartford Wolf Pack have hired Jamie Tardif as an assistant coach and named Casey Torres as Player Development Assistant. Hartford currently serves as the AHL affiliate of the New York Rangers.

Tardif, 37, comes to the Wolfpack via the Soo Greyhounds of the OHL, where he served as an assistant coach since 2018-19. A former player himself, Tardif’s first coaching experience interestingly enough came as a Player/Assistant Coach with the ECHL’s Quad City Mallards in 2017-18, his last season as a player. Though he played just two games, Tardif was an NHLer nonetheless as a member of the 2012-13 Boston Bruins. Torres, a former scout with the Peterborough Petes of the OHL and the Pittsburgh Penguins, joined the Wolf Pack last season as an assistant coach. Now in a different role, Torres’ diverse experience in hockey should serve well in this position.

Staal, 32, and Sanguinetti, 34, represent interesting hires, joining the coaching staff of a team they each spent a large portion of their playing career with. The two former teammates now join forces again to work under one of their former bosses: Kinnear an assistant coach with the Checkers during the pair’s time on the Checkers. Sanguinetti joins the coaching ranks for the first time, finishing his playing career after the 2019-20 season, which he spent in Germany.

This won’t be Staal’s first coaching gig, however, as he spent the previous three years with the Orlando Solar Bears of the ECHL, the first two as an assistant coach and the most recent as an associate coach. Though neither player has any coaching or executive experience with Charlotte, their history playing for the team and under the current head coach should serve them well and bring a sense of familiarity that could ease the transition and help them and the team hit the ground running.

Mike Babcock Retiring From Coaching

at CDT | by 19 Comments

A day after the news broke that Mike Babcock had resigned as the Head Coach of the University of Saskatchewan’s men’s hockey team, Babcock himself is providing some more clarity as to why he made that decision. In an interview today on 650 CKOM radio in Saskatchewan, Babcock discussed his decision and his future plans. When asked if he would seek an NHL opportunity if a team approached, Babcock said “[n]o, that’s sure not the plan.”

The former NHL bench boss elaborated, saying he had discussed his plans with his wife, noting that they had decided to retire when they both turned 60, and with Mike at age 59, “[b]asically, that’s what it is.” While Babcock reiterated that future opportunities for him are not in his family plans, he didn’t close the door with absolute certainty, adding “[i]f things change, I guess they change, but surely that’s not the plan.” Babcock’s tenure with Saskatchewan was brief, albeit successful, coaching the Huskies to a playoff berth. A Saskatchewan native, Babcock said the opportunity to be close to home and family was “a spectacular experience.”

Considered one of the premier head coaches of his generation, Babcock amassed a record of 700-418-19-164 over 1,301 career regular season NHL games between the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, the Detroit Red Wings, and the Toronto Maple Leafs. Perhaps most impressive, all but three of Babcock’s teams made it to the playoffs under his watch, leading to a 90-74 record in those playoffs, including three appearances in the Stanley Cup Finals and a championship with the 2007-08 Detroit Red Wings. Babcock last coached in the NHL during the 2019-20 season before he was let go by the Maple Leafs after a 9-10-4 start to the season. As recently as the 2020 offseason, he had been a candidate of interest for available NHL head coaching positions. If this is indeed the end of the road for Babcock, Hall of Fame debates are very likely part of his near future.

Offseason Notes: Stastny, Babcock, Kraken Hires

at CDT | by 4 Comments

The Carolina Hurricanes solidified their situation down the middle with the addition of veteran center Paul Stastny on a one-year, $1.5MM deal. With the departure of Vincent Trocheck to the New York Rangers, the Hurricanes’ center corps is relatively unsettled. Armed with an eight-year, $4.82MM AAV contract, 2018 third-overall pick Jesperi Kotkaniemi will likely receive the first crack at replacing Trocheck as the Hurricanes’ second-line center. But if Kotkaniemi struggles in that role, look for Stastny to fill in and provide his usual steady production. With that possibility in mind, it seems this Stastny signing, while for a relatively cheap cap number, is actually quite important to the Hurricanes’ success next season.

It appears that Stastny understands that reality as well. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports on his 32 Thoughts Podcast that Stastny “took less money” than he was being offered from elsewhere in order to sign in Carolina. One possible suitor for Stastny that was presumably offering more money that Friedman specifically names is the Vegas Golden Knights. Stastny’s fit with the Golden Knights is less obvious, as the team already has Jack Eichel, William Karlsson, and Nicolas Roy entrenched as the top-three centers, and Chandler Stephenson waiting in the wings to play center in case of an injury. So, based on this reporting, it seems Stastny prioritized fit over maximizing his contract’s value as a free agent, which indicates how important he could be to the Hurricanes if Kotkaniemi fails to take a step forward in his development.

Now, for some other notes regarding offseason news across hockey:

  • Former Detroit Red Wings, Anaheim Ducks, and Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock resigned today from his post as head coach of the University of Saskatchewan’s men’s hockey team. Babcock, who last coached in the NHL in 2019-20 and was once considered one of the top coaches in the game, spent a season under the helm for the Huskies and went 14-9. Babcock’s name last surfaced in the mix for NHL jobs in 2020, when he reportedly interviewed for the then-vacant Washington Capitals head coaching job.
  • The Seattle Kraken announced some notable additions to their hockey operations staff today, hiring former San Jose Sharks head of amateur scouting Doug Wilson Jr. as an amateur scout, and former NHLer Frans Nielsen as a player development consultant. The Kraken are loaded with picks for the 2023 draft class, so adding an experienced scout like Wilson will only help in their efforts to build a contender. Additionally, Nielsen brings nearly 1,000 NHL games of experience to the Kraken’s development team and should especially help with their crop of young centers headlined by Shane Wright and Matthew Beniers.

Carolina Hurricanes Name Brock Sheahan AHL Head Coach

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Per a team release, the Carolina Hurricanes have named Brock Sheahan the head coach of their AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves.

Sheahan, 38, becomes a professional hockey coach for the first time. He got his coaching start with Notre Dame in 2013-14 as an assistant coach, serving just one season. For four seasons from 2014 to 2018, he spent time as an assistant and associate coach for the College of the Holy Cross before getting a job with the USHL’s Chicago Steel for 2018-19.

The Steel promoted him to their head coaching role during the 2019-20 season and he never looked back. Sheahan guided the 2020-21 Chicago Steel to a Clark Cup championship, working with current NHL prospects such as Sean Farrell, Matt Coronato, Mackie Samoskevich, and Josh Doan.

The Wolves themselves are coming off a Calder Cup-winning season, spearheaded by high-end veteran firepower and elite goaltending. It was enough to get their previous head coach, Ryan Warsofsky, an assistant job with the San Jose Sharks. Sheahan will need to keep the team’s structure intact after an offseason that’s seen a lot of turnover at all spots in the Hurricanes organization.

New Jersey Devils Promote Sergei Brylin

at CDT | by 2 Comments

The New Jersey Devils have named Sergei Brylin assistant coach for the upcoming season, promoting him from his minor league position. The long-time NHL forward has spent his entire coaching career with the Devils organization to this point, joining the Albany Devils in 2012 as a consultant and working his way up.

That wasn’t his first time with the team though, as Brylin spent all 13 seasons as a player with New Jersey, suiting up 765 times and winning the Stanley Cup on three different occasions. His rise to the coaching staff could have been predicted quite some time ago, though it will finally happen for the hardworking assistant.

Brylin joins Lindy Ruff’s staff alongside Andrew Brunette, Ryan McGill, Chris Taylor, and Dave Rogalski for 2022-23, a season that the head coach has already called a must-win. The Devils’ goal is now to make the playoffs, after turning the corner on their years-long rebuild. The team has made the postseason just once in the last ten years and actually saw their points percentage drop to a modern low of .384 in 2021-22. It’s time to turn that around, and Brylin will try to help as much as he can from the assistant position.

Snapshots: Miller, Ruff, DeBoer

at CDT | by 7 Comments

All summer there has been chatter about J.T. Miller and the Vancouver Canucks, with reports swinging between extension talks and trade speculation as the star forward approaches unrestricted free agency. Signed for just one more season, the Canucks have been clear that they would love to keep Miller but it has to be at a price they feel comfortable with.

On the latest Dropping the Gloves podcast with former NHL enforcer John Scott, Miller spoke about his situation and admitted that his camp and the Canucks are “not as close” as they would like to be at this point. Miller continued to suggest that he wants to stay in Vancouver if possible but understands that it might not be possible.

  • Lindy Ruff spoke with team reporter Amanda Stein about the New Jersey Devils offseason acquisitions, gushing about the addition of Ondrej Palat. Explaining that Palat will be “big-time” for the team, Ruff was clear with the goal for this year. Development time is over and the veteran coach must now “make sure that this team gets to the playoffs.”
  • In an interview with Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Sun, former Golden Knights head coach Pete DeBoer admitted that he was surprised to be fired this offseason. While the team missed the playoffs for the first time in their history, they still finished with a 43-31-8 record, despite missing several key players for a huge part of the season. In fact, DeBoer had a 98-50-12 regular season record with Vegas over parts of three seasons and reached the third round in both of the first two years. DeBoer is now with the Dallas Stars, while Bruce Cassidy will takeover the Golden Knights.

San Jose Sharks Announce 2022-23 Coaching Staff

at CDT | by 2 Comments

Today, the San Jose Sharks announced their full coaching staff for the 2022-23 season via a team release. In addition to the previously announced or reported hirings of David Quinn as head coach and Ryan Warsofsky as an assistant coach, the team has hired Scott Gordon as an assistant coach, Thomas Speer as their NHL goaltending coach, and Nick Gialdini as video coach.

Quinn spoke on the hires today:

I am thrilled to announce our coaching staff for the upcoming season. Scott brings an immeasurable amount of experience and knowledge of the game to our staff, and Ryan is a passionate individual who has proven himself as an up-and-coming head coach, winning the Calder Cup with the Chicago Wolves this past season. Thomas has a great track record with each of the goalies he has worked with, and Nick has earned the opportunity at the NHL level after having been with the Sharks organization for the last several years. We are excited to have each of them with us.

Gordon, 59, is a former AHL Coach of the Year winner in 2008 with the Providence Bruins. After that, he served as the head coach for the New York Islanders from 2008-09 before being replaced midseason in 2010-11 by Jack Capuano. Most recently, Gordon was the head coach of the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms from 2015 to 2021, including a stint as interim head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers in 2018-19.

Speer, 35, is a decorated goalie coach in the North American minors. Speer won back-to-back Kelly Cup championships with the ECHL’s Allen Americans in 2016 and 2017, and won a silver medal at the 2018 U18 World Junior Championship with the United States. For the past three seasons, Speer has been the goalie coach for the AHL’s Stockton Heat. He replaces Sharks legend Evgeni Nabokov in that role, who the Sharks noted has been promoted to Director of Goaltending.

Gialdini gets his first NHL job after spending the last six seasons as the video coach for San Jose’s AHL affiliate, the Barracuda. He’d also served as the team manager since 2019.

Florida Panthers Announce Coaching Staff

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

After adding Paul Maurice as the team’s new head coach earlier this summer, the Florida Panthers have rounded out their staff. Myles Fee, Jamie Kompon, and Sylvain Lefebvre will serve as assistants, joining Tuomo Ruutu and goaltending coach Robb Tallas on Maurice’s staff. The team also announced that Geordie Kinnear will continue as head coach of the Charlotte Checkers.

Kompon’s addition was reported last month, as the veteran coach follows Maurice from Winnipeg to Florida. The long-time NHL coach has served in various roles with the St. Louis Blues, Los Angeles Kings, Chicago Blackhawks, and Winnipeg Jets, while also at one point sitting as the general manager and head coach of the Portland Winterhawks of the WHL.

Fee, meanwhile, has been a video coach with the Buffalo Sabres for the past two years, and previously served with the Checkers, New York Rangers, and Edmonton Oilers. He also happened to be the video coach for Team Europe at the 2016 World Cup, a group that had Maurice as an assistant under Ralph Krueger.

Lefebvre may actually be the most recognizable to hockey fans, given his long playing career that lasted nearly 1,000 games. He has been with the San Diego Gulls of the AHL for the last three seasons, and previously worked in the NHL with the Colorado Avalanche.

Chicago Blackhawks Add Derek Plante To Coaching Staff

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

A few days ago, we covered how University of Minnesota-Duluth associate coach Derek Plante was expected to join the Blackhawks’ coaching staff under new head coach Luke Richardson. Today, the move was made official, with the Blackhawks hiring Plante under the title of assistant coach.

This move marks Plante’s return to the Blackhawks organization, as he served as their development coach from 2015-16 through 2019-20, before returning to the University of Minnesota-Duluth. Under Plante’s stewardship, numerous Blackhawks prospects graduated to the NHL, including players such as Alex DeBrincat, Brandon Hagel, and Adam Boqvist.

At Minnesota-Duluth, Plante served as the top assistant on longtime head coach Scott Sandelin’s staff for the past two years. He also served as an assistant on his staff before his first tenure with the Blackhawks, coaching with them from 2009-10 to 2014-15. Minnesota-Duluth were NCAA tournament champions in 2011, with Plante on staff, and made the Frozen Four in 2021 with him on staff as well.

The addition of Plante to Richardson’s coaching staff lines up well with the Blackhawks organization’s current team direction and overall organizational plan. He has a development-focused background and a wealth of experience in a developmental role. In his prior NHL experience, his chief responsibility was developing the Blackhawks’ young talent and preparing them for the NHL. As an assistant coach, he’ll have quite a bit more to do, but on the rebuilding Blackhawks Plante’s underlying priority will be the same as before: player development.

The Blackhawks are trying to rebuild their organization around a new stable of young talent, and don’t plan on competing for Stanley Cups anytime soon. With his experience as an assistant coach at one of the top NCAA programs and his time as an NHL development coach, Plante is a strong choice for a coaching staff whose number-one immediate priority will likely be player development rather than winning as many games as possible.

New Jersey Devils Hire Ryan McGill

at CDT | by 2 Comments

We’re at the point of the offseason when teams are starting to round out their coaching staffs for next season, and the New Jersey Devils are the latest to make an addition. Ryan McGill will join Lindy Ruff’s staff for 2022-23.

McGill, 53, had been with the Vegas Golden Knights since their inception, serving as an assistant coach for the last five years in the desert. Credited with helping along the development of several young defensemen including Shea Theodore, Nicolas Hague, and Zach Whitecloud, he’ll now join a New Jersey team that is ready to take the next step.

A former NHL defenseman himself, he will have quite the group of proteges to work with over the coming years. Not only do the Devils have established names like Dougie Hamilton and John Marino locked in long-term but also an emerging talent in Jonas Siegenthaler and some of the best defensive prospects in the league, with Simon Nemec and Luke Hughes. The development of those two, in particular, make this an important hire to get right, and McGill is certainly not coming in with a lack of experience.

Before joining Vegas, he had spent a few years coaching in junior with the Kootenay Ice and Owen Sound Attack, but there was also a seven-year period where McGill served as a head coach in the AHL.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

scroll to top