The Kings’ coaching staff for the upcoming campaign was solidified Tuesday, with new bench boss Peter Laviolette bringing in a pair of fresh faces and the team promoting an assistant from its top minor-league affiliate.
In addition to the previously confirmed hire of Phil Housley as associate coach, Laviolette will rely on Ray Whitney in Whitney’s first NHL coaching gig as well as Chris Hajt, who was the associate coach for the Ontario Reign and part of their staff for the past nine seasons.
Housley will be Laviolette’s associate coach, as he was with the New York Rangers for two seasons after working under Laviolette in Nashville. Hajt will run the defense, a role he filled under Housley with the Buffalo Sabres. Whitney will work with the attackers and power-play units.
Assistant coach Derik Johnson will remain in his supervisory role while Mike Buckley will stay on as the Kings’ goalie coach.
The changes also signified an end to the tenures of Newell Brown and Matt Greene. Greene will likely go back to a player development role, while Brown, whose stints with the Kings and Ducks have been subpar, will not return despite having a year remaining on his contract.
Housley, 62, not only has NHL head coaching experience with Buffalo but he was a Hall of Fame defenseman that was as innovative as he was successful during his playing career. That has brought a level of credibility to a coaching career that saw him and Laviolette reach the Stanley Cup Final with the Predators and win the Presidents’ Trophy with the Rangers.
Hajt, 47, was also part of the Manchester Monarchs staff when they were the Kings’ American Hockey League affiliate, winning the Calder Cup in 2015 with current marquee King Adrian Kempe in his first minor pro season.
Whitney, 54, won the Stanley Cup as a player in 2006 with Carolina, where Laviolette was his coach. He was also part of the Phoenix Coyotes squad that opposed the Kings in the 2012 Western Conference finals.
After being a pro scout for the Hurricanes and coaching in the Junior Coyotes program, Whitney now joins the top-level coaching ranks. Whitney scored 1,064 points, 423 of which came on the power play, in 1,330 career games.