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Ward Hired By Flames

Geoff Ward will be plying his trade in new environs next season. The veteran coach, who spent the last three seasons with John Hynes behind the Devils’ bench, will be in Calgary next year. The Flames announced today that Ward has joined new Calgary coach Bill Peters’ staff.

The news was first broken by SportsNet’s Elliotte Friedman.

As in New Jersey, Ward will run the Flames’ power play. Calgary’s power play was ranked 28th (17.5% efficiency according to George Johnson of calgaryflames.com) while the Devils were tenth at 20.8%.

Ward will join fellow new hire, Ryan Huska – who was promoted within the organization from the Stockton Heat of the AHL – on Peters’ staff.

Ward coached seven years in Boston under Claude Julien and won a Stanley Cup there in 2011, as well as an Eastern Conference championship in 2013. According to Johnson he then went to Germany, coaching in the DEL where he won a championship with Mannheim. He then joined the Devils back in the NHL.

Some of the quotes that Johnson got from Peters regarding Ward are that he is “(r)eal excited about both these hires. High-end coaches. Geoff’s got 10 years experience in the league. He won the Stanley Cup with Boston in 2011 on a real good coaching staff. Just his reputation around the league is strong. Very good with the powerplay. His eye for in-game corrections but also post-game on video with things your team needs to improve on, he’s excellent.”

Peters told Johnson that Ward is a “(c)areer coach, excelled on multiple levels and represented Germany internationally, done a good job there.” He went on, “(r)eal good relationship with players. Real good conduit between the coaching staff and the dressing room, in my opinion.” Johnson also quoted him as saying that he was “very innovative” and “creative in his work.”

Peters then confirmed to Johnson that Ward will be running the power play unit. He said: “(r)eally excited when I met with Geoff and we went over our (PP) personnel and what he’s going to be able to to with the group.” He then told Johnson “(s)o he’s gonna run it but I’m going to have some input, as well.”

Some of that personnel includes Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan and Matthew Tkachuk. Not bad there.

The next question becomes, where do the Devils go from here? Do they promote someone like Rick Kowalsky from Binghamton and give him a chance at the NHL-level, or do they go outside of the organization?

The Devils’ power play has been no slouch, as evidenced by the 20.8% efficiency rate that George Johnson referenced. With guys like Taylor Hall and Will Butcher able to strike with the man advantage, the Devils will need someone to fill Ward’s shoes. Hopefully, they can do just that.

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Devils Name New Assistant Coaches

The Devils announced via their official website today (June 17) that they have hired Geoff Ward and Alain Nasreddine as new assistant coaches under head coach John Hynes.

The move further restructures the coaching staff and adds a new element behind the bench. According to the Devils’ press release, Ward spent last season with the Adler Mannheim Eagles of the German Ice Hockey League and Nasreddine was an assistant under Hynes with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League.

Ward, at 53 years-old is the better traveled of the two. He has been coaching for 22 years, including seven years as an assistant with the Boston Bruins. During his time there, the Bruins won a Stanley Cup (2011) and reached a Stanley Cup Final (2013). Prior to his time with the B’s, he was a member of the Edmonton Oilers organization. He coached their AHL affiliate at the time, the Hamilton Bulldogs, for more than two seasons, being named co-winner of the Louis A. R. Pieri Memorial Award as AHL coach of the year in 2003 along with former Devils coach and current Bruins bench boss Claude Julien, who was also coaching with the Bulldogs at that time. He also coached Hamilton to the Calder Cup Finals in 2003, losing to the Houston Aeros. He was promoted to Edmonton’s development coach in 2005-06.

His coaching career began in 1992-93 when he was named an assistant coach with the Ontario Hockey League’s Niagara Falls Thunder. He was then named head coach of the Kitchener Rangers of the OHL in 1994-95 and served in that position until 1997-98. He then moved on to the Guelph Storm of the OHL in 1998-99. In 1999-2000, he spent time with the Arkansas Riverblades of the ECHL. In addition to last season’s stint in Germany, he also coached in the German League in 2000-01 and 2006-07.

Nasreddine is the younger of the two assistants at age 39. The Montreal native’s coaching career includes five seasons with Hynes in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. A former defenseman, the Baby Pens allowed the fewest goals in the AHL four times under his watch. They also won the Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy as AHL regular season champions in 2010-11 while he was on staff.

He played his junior hockey with the Drummondville Voltigeurs and the Chicoutimi Sagueneens of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and played 74 games in the NHL (with Chicago, Montreal, the Islanders and Pittsburgh). His pro playing career spanned fifteen years from 1995-96 to 2009-10. He was drafted by the Florida Panthers 135th overall in the sixth round of the 1993 NHL Entry Draft. Playing in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, he made appearances in the 2004 and 2008 Calder Cup Finals and was the team’s captain in 2004-05 and 2005-06. As a player he won a QMJHL President’s Cup with Chicoutimi as league champions in 1993-94 and advanced to the Memorial Cup.

Although it is kind of disappointing that the team could not find a role for Scott Stevens on the staff (he was a coach who got the most out of his defense, in particular helping Adam Larsson develop into a full-time NHL-caliber defenseman), many fans can understand that both Hynes and new General Manager Ray Shero wanted to go with their own guys behind the bench. Stevens is a three-time Stanley Cup champ with the Devils and was a highly respected player during his playing days and took that into his coaching career. The former Devils captain could have been a good asset to the new coaching staff. Despite that, there is a decent amount of experience between the two men who will be behind the bench next season when it comes to winning, including Ward capturing a Stanley Cup with Boston in 2011.

It is now clear that this is Hynes and Shero’s team and the Devils’ future development will hinge on their moves. Patience by ownership and management will also be a key, as the coaching staff is very young and will need time to grow with their players. The team will certainly have a new look this coming season, something that was to be expected after the last few seasons.