Blue Jackets’ Scott Ford To Interview For NCAA Coaching Vacancy
The Columbus Blue Jackets have granted permission for assistant coach Scott Ford to interview for the vacant head coaching role at Brown University’s men’s hockey program, according to The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline.
Portzline added that there would be “further conversations” between GM Don Waddell and head coach Rick Bowness if Ford ends up offered the job. Ford’s name first came up regarding the role in a report from New England Hockey Journal’s Mark Divver.
Brown is currently without a permanent head coach after former bench boss Brendan Whittet stepped away from the program on Jan. 28 to take a family medical leave. The University noted as part of its announcement that when he returns from leave, “Whittet will transition into a new role in athletics administration.” Whittet became head coach at Brown in 2009-10 after a decade as an assistant coach at Dartmouth College. His most successful campaign came in 2012-13, when he led Brown to the finals of the ECAC tournament..
Ford, 46, is a Brown alumnus who captained the program in 2003-04 and was that year named his conference’s top defensive defenseman. He’s in his second season as an assistant coach in Columbus, brought there as a member of former head coach Dean Evason’s staff. He remained on staff after the Blue Jackets swapped head coaches and hired Bowness, but like many assistants who are holdovers from a prior bench boss, his future in Columbus is likely somewhat uncertain.
Seeing as Whittet remained in his position for well over a decade, it’s unlikely Ford will have an abundance of opportunities to become the head coach at his alma mater – a factor that could impact his interest in making the NHL-to-NCAA move. NCAA coaches often enjoy a significantly greater degree of job stability than NHL coaches, and especially assistant coaches. Not only does that mean the Brown head coaching role, once filled, is unlikely to become vacant again for quite some time, it also means an NHL coach with an uncertain future given the departure of his former boss could be particularly attracted to an NCAA vacancy. That, combined with the fact that Brown is Ford’s alma mater, give Ford all the reason to be interested in the head coaching role at Brown.
While it’s too early to tell whether Ford will ultimately land in Rhode Island, this is a storyline for Blue Jackets fans to look out for as the Olympic break continues.
Blue Jackets Hire Scott Ford, Mike Haviland As Assistant Coaches
The Blue Jackets have hired Scott Ford and Mike Haviland to serve as assistant coaches under new bench boss Dean Evason this season, the team announced Thursday.
They replace the outgoing Josef Boumedienne and Mark Recchi, who Aaron Portzline of The Athletic previously reported would not be returning. The club’s other two assistants from last season, Jared Boll and Steve McCarthy, will be back in 2024-25 as expected.
Ford, 44, will jump behind an NHL bench for the first time. The British Columbia native had spent the last eight seasons in the Predators organization as an assistant coach with their AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals.
Before transitioning to coaching, Ford played 522 AHL games across 10 seasons, 378 of which came with the Admirals. A burly right-shot defenseman in his playing days, Ford had played or coached for Milwaukee in parts of every season since 2008-09.
Ford also spent six seasons with Evason in Milwaukee as a player and coach. He played out the final three seasons of his career with the Admirals with Evason at the helm and began coaching as Evason’s assistant for three seasons before Evason departed in 2018 to take an assistant coaching role with the Wild.
Haviland, 57, brings considerably more coaching experience to the Columbus bench than his new colleague. He’s technically an internal promotion, having spent the last two seasons with their AHL affiliate in Cleveland as their associate coach.
Before that, the Middletown, New Jersey native was named the AHL’s Coach of the Year in 2007 with the Norfolk Admirals and later won the Stanley Cup with the Blackhawks as an assistant in 2010. Prior to joining Cleveland in 2022, Haviland spent seven years as the head coach of Colorado College.