Whether it’s an open management post or a coaching vacancy, breaking down the hiring trends in the NHL feels more like a genealogical exercise.
(For example, the oft-cited many branches of the Hartford Whalers family coaching tree.)
Familiarity is important: Who rode the bus together from Sudbury, Ontario, to Owen Sound decades ago or how about those friendships forged playing alongside each other in the NHL?
These are (some) things to consider as the Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek explores the pool of coaching candidates to fill the vacancy created when he did not bring back Dallas Eakins. Will Verbeek rely on his personal rolodex of hockey relationships or go outside the box?
With openings in Washington, Columbus and now in Calgary and the New York Rangers, there is plenty of competition for the best and brightest coaching prospects. Another factor: The Ducks will pick second at the draft next month in Nashville and that could slightly change their timetable to hire a coach.
“Now I’ve got some more work to do,” Verbeek said on a conference call last week, regarding the draft. “I’m optimistic I can get there with a new coach announcement before the draft but not holding my breath to it.”
Although this tweet from broadcaster and former NHL goaltender Darren Pang was in 2020, it still holds true today.
Coaching opportunities open up every year. Every year, there’s a different flavor. I get that. But there are so many successful, professional, motivated ass’t coaches that need to get their due. Brad Shaw. Kirk Muller. Lane Lambert are 3 off the top of my little noggin.
— Darren R Pang (@Panger40) August 23, 2020
And so, there are three distinct categories: Recently and not-so-recently unemployed NHL head coaches (hello, Orange County resident Travis Green), minor-league coaches awaiting their chances and experienced NHL assistants. This particular exercise will focus on five NHL assistant/associate coaches – in alphabetical order – the Ducks should think about interviewing.
(Or maybe they already have done so)
Jay Leach
Current position: Seattle Kraken assistant coach.
Previously, of note: Head coach Providence Bruins (AHL).
Age: 43.
Not surprisingly, Seattle’s playoff success has sparked even more interest in Leach, already considered an up-and-comer in the industry and the youngest coach on this list. With the Kraken, he is responsible for running the defense. He played 70 games in the NHL and had an extensive AHL run. With development front and center with the Ducks, Leach’s coaching track record with the Providence Bruins stands out. In Providence, he worked with now-NHLers Jake DeBrusk, Trent Frederic, Matt Grzelcyk and Connor Clifton (to name a few) at a critical stage of their early professional careers. Leach very briefly crossed paths with Ducks forward Frank Vatrano when Leach was an assistant with the Providence Bruins in the 2016-17 season. Fun fact(s): Leach played three games for the Long Beach Ice Dogs of the ECHL in the 2003-04 season, and 28 games with the San Jose Sharks in 2009-10, a teammate of now-Kings GM Rob Blake.
Kirk Muller
Current position: Calgary Flames associate coach.
Previously, of note: Carolina Hurricanes head coach, Montreal Canadiens assistant/associate coach.
Age: 57.
Most recently, Muller was in charge of the power-play unit and forward group in Calgary. Known as personable and relatable (those qualities were surely and greatly tested this past season with the Flames). He also has the kind of head coaching experience that the Ducks are looking for at this stage of the rebuild. Additionally, there is an on-ice connection to Verbeek. Verbeek and Muller were teammates in New Jersey and in Dallas, and, in fact, the night Verbeek set a then-record for the Devils for goals in a game (four), Muller had three himself in an 8-6 win over the Minnesota North Stars in the 1987-88 season.
Brad Shaw
Current position: Philadelphia Flyers associate coach.
Previously, of note: New York Islanders interim head coach (2005-06), Columbus Blue Jackets assistant coach, St. Louis Blues assistant/associate coach.
Age: 59.
OK, not every single candidate mentioned here is going to have a strong tie to Verbeek. But Shaw does check that box, having played with Verbeek with the Hartford Whalers. In his final season with the Blues, in 2015-16 – in which they lost to the San Jose Sharks in the conference final, Shaw coached a strong defense corps, which included Kevin Shattenkirk, Alex Pietrangelo, Jay Bouwmeester and Colton Parayko. In 2020, then-Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella lavished praise on Shaw, his assistant in Columbus, in an interview with Alison Lukan of The Athletic, saying: “He is one of the most intelligent coaches that I’ve ever met.”
Fun fact: Shaw coached the Mighty Ducks AHL affiliate, then in Cincinnati, for three seasons, starting in 2002-03, succeeding Mike Babcock.
Mike Vellucci
Current position: Pittsburgh Penguins assistant coach.
Previously, of note: Head coach Charlotte Checkers (won AHL championship in 2018-19).
Age: 56.
In Pittsburgh, Vellucci oversees the penalty kill and the forwards. What could be appealing – from the Ducks’ standpoint – is his long history of successful player development at the junior level and in the AHL. He was two-time coach of the year in the OHL (Plymouth Whalers) and AHL coach of the year in 2019. NHL teams have been interested enough in Vellucci to interview him for head coach openings, and he has been patient in his climb up the coaching ladder, a quality that would come in handy with the Ducks’ assignment.
Trent Yawney
Current position: Kings assistant coach.
Previously, of note: Chicago Blackhawks head coach, Syracuse Crunch/Norfolk Admirals head coach and Anaheim Ducks assistant coach.
Age 57.
Before stints in Edmonton and Los Angeles, Yawney had extensive familiarity with the Ducks’ organization having been on the coaching staff under Bruce Boudreau and Randy Carlyle. In Chicago’s organization, he worked with defensemen Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook. He was also the head coach of the Ducks’ AHL franchises in Syracuse and Norfolk, the latter a team which included a young goaltender named John Gibson. In the Ducks’ organization, he developed the likes of defensemen Brandon Montour, Shea Theodore, Josh Manson, Hampus Lindholm and Cam Fowler. What makes Yawney particularly appealing is that the Ducks are back in almost the same situation now with many promising young defensive prospects who will be working their way through the pipeline. If they can mature the way the previous generation did, the Ducks will be well on their way to turning the corner.
