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14 Former ECHL Coaches On NHL Staffs

Published on October 3, 2007 under ECHL (ECHL) News Release


PRINCETON, N.J. - When the National Hockey League season opens on Wednesday there will be 14 coaches with an ECHL background working behind the benches of teams in the NHL including Peter Laviolette, who is head coach of the Carolina Hurricanes. It is the third consecutive season that the ECHL has been represented with 11 or more coaches.

The Premier 'AA' Hockey League, the ECHL has affiliations with 26 of the 30 teams in the National Hockey League, marking the 11th consecutive season that the league has had affiliations with at least 20 teams in the NHL.

There have been 329 former ECHL players who have gone on to play in the NHL after playing in the ECHL, including 73 who have made their NHL debut in the last two seasons. There have been 184 former ECHL players who have played their first game in the NHL in the past five seasons and 107 former ECHL players have skated in the NHL in 2006-07.

Laviolette, who began his coaching career with Wheeling, became the first former ECHL coach to have his name engraved on the Stanley Cup after leading the Carolina Hurricanes to the NHL championship in 2005-06. Laviolette was also head coach of the 2006 United States Olympic Men's Ice Hockey team. Carolina's majority owner is Peter Karmanos, Jr., who is part owner of the Florida Everblades, who are the ECHL affiliate of the Hurricanes.

Jim Playfair, who was ECHL Coach of the Year in 1994-95, is associate coach with the Calgary Flames, whose ECHL affiliate is the Las Vegas Wranglers.

Dave Farrish is an assistant coach with Anaheim and became the second former ECHL coach to have his named engraved on the Stanley Cup in 2007. He coached Louisiana from 2000-04 and Pensacola in 2004-05 and his winning percentage of .699 (237-94-29) is the highest among coaches who coached more than one season in the ECHL. In 2001-02, Farrish was named ECHL Coach of the Year after Louisiana finished 56-12-4 and set league records for wins, points (116) and winning percentage (.806). The Augusta Lynx are the ECHL affiliate of the Ducks.

John Torchetti and Ryan Stewart are assistant coaches with the Chicago Blackhawks, whose ECHL affiliate is the Pensacola Ice Pilots. Torchetti, who began his coaching career as an assistant coach with the Greensboro Monarchs, helped the Carolina Thunderbirds win the inaugural ECHL Championship, scoring 10 points (5g-5a) in 11 playoff games, while Stewart was a player and general manager in Greenville.

Claude Noel, who is the only coach to be named Coach of the Year in both the ECHL (2002-03) and the American Hockey League (2003-04), is an assistant coach with the Columbus Blue Jackets, whose ECHL affiliate is the Dayton Bombers. He coached Toledo to the Brabham Cup championship in 2002-03 and was voted by his peers to be a coach in the ECHL All-Star Game. Noel began his career in the ECHL as head coach of the Roanoke Valley Rebels in the ECHL in 1990-91 and was head coach of the Dayton Bombers in the ECHL from 1991-93.

Peter Horachek, who coached Louisville in 1990-91 and Trenton in 2001-02, is an assistant coach with the Nashville Predators, whose ECHL affiliate is the Cincinnati Cyclones.

Charlie Huddy, who coached Huntington in 1996-97, is an assistant coach for Edmonton, whose ECHL affiliate is the Stockton Thunder.

Jamie Kompon, who played for Hampton Roads in 1989-90 and for Cincinnati and Winston-Salem in 1990-91, is an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Kings, whose ECHL affiliate is the Reading Royals.

Daniel Lacroix, who helped Atlantic City advance to the conference finals in its inaugural season, is an assistant coach with the New York Islanders, whose ECHL affiliate is the Utah Grizzlies.

Brian McCutcheon, who was ECHL Coach of the Year with Columbus (Ohio) in 1996-97, is associate head coach with the Buffalo Sabres.

Barry Smith, who was assistant coach in Erie from 1992-95 and head coach in 1995-96 and assistant coach for Baton Rouge in 1997-2000, is an assistant coach for the Vancouver Canucks, whose ECHL affiliate is the Victoria Salmon Kings.

Matt Shaw, who was head coach of Mobile in 1997-98, is the video consultant for the Minnesota Wild, whose ECHL affiliate is the Texas Wildcatters.

Geoff Ward, who began his coaching career in the ECHL, is an assistant coach for the Boston Bruins, whose ECHL affiliate is the Johnstown Chiefs.

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