Avalanche add former Kraken head coach Dave Hakstol as assistant to boost power play
Hakstol joins an Avalanche staff under coach Jared Bednar that includes Nolan Pratt, goaltending coach Jussi Parkkila and assistant/video coach Brett Heimlich.
Advertisement
The 56-year-old Hakstol will direct a power play that features Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar but scuffled against Dallas in the first round of the playoffs. The team was 3 of 22 on the man advantage in a series that went seven games.
Colorado also allowed seven goals in the Stars series while short-handed. After the season, the team parted ways with assistant coach Ray Bennett, who was in charge of the power play.
Hakstol served as the first head coach in Kraken history and was in charge from 2021-24. His team made the postseason in 2023 and eliminated the Avalanche in the first round of a series that went seven games. He finished 107-112-27 with Seattle.
'Dave brings a wealth of knowledge and experience behind the bench and will be a great fit on Jared's staff,' Avalanche general manager Chris MacFarland said in a statement. 'He has an extensive coaching background with a lot of success and will be a valuable addition to our team.'
Advertisement
Hakstol also was the head coach in Philadelphia for parts of four seasons and went 134-101-42.
Before the NHL, Hakstol spent 11 seasons as the head coach at the University of North Dakota, leading the team to seven Frozen Four appearances.
In international competitions, he won a pair of silver medals as an assistant coach with Team Canada at the IIHF World Championship in 2017 and 2019. The 2017 squad featured MacKinnon and the 2019 team had Avalanche goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood.
'This is a proud organization with a lot of talented players,' Hakstol said. 'I look forward to being a part of this special group and can't wait to get to work and help the team in any way that I can.'
___
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Pat Graham, The Associated Press
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
24 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Philadelphia's Paul George undergoes arthroscopic surgery on his left knee
At the top of the list of things the 76ers need to turn next season around is key players staying healthy. This is a bad start. Paul George underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee "to treat an injury sustained during a recent workout," the 76ers announced on Monday. That's a rather vague description of what was done, and the only timeline the 76ers gave was that George will be re-evaluated before training camp starts in September. Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports had a few more details. If that report is accurate, George should be good to go by the start of next season. However, nothing feels certain with George and his health. Advertisement George, who was attending games at the Las Vegas Summer League, played in just half of the 76ers' games last season due to knee and groin injuries. That followed the pattern in Philly, where Joel Embiid played in 19 games, Jared McCain played 23 games, and Tyrese Maxey played in 52 due to an assortment of injuries. When George did play, he averaged 16.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists a game, while shooting 35.8% from beyond the arc. Philly enters next season as the biggest question mark in the Eastern Conference (if not the NBA). On paper, the Embiid/George/Maxey core should lead one of the — if not THE — most talented team in the East, but can they be trusted to stay healthy and mesh under coach Nick Nurse? In a down Eastern Conference, this team has the potential to win the conference, but numerous questions lie in its way. Health is at the top of that list of questions. George's surgery may be nothing and something forgotten about by the time next season tips, but it feels like a bad omen. At least.
Yahoo
29 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Cal Raleigh to play for US in World Baseball Classic, joining Judge, Skenes and Witt
Seattle Mariners' Cal Raleigh rounds first base after hitting a grand slam against the Detroit Tigers in the ninth inning during a baseball game, Friday, July 11, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya) ATLANTA (AP) — Seattle catcher Cal Raleigh agreed to play for the U.S. team at next year's World Baseball Classic, joining captain Aaron Judge, Paul Skenes and Bobby Witt Jr. USA Baseball announced the decision Monday before Raleigh participated in the All-Star Home Run Derby. The 28-year-old entered the All-Star break leading the major leagues with 38 homers and 82 RBIs. Advertisement The 20-nation WBC will be played from March 5-17. Japan is defending champion. Also Monday, the World Baseball Softball Confederation said the baseball tournament at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics will be played from July 15-20 at Dodger Stadium. MLB is considering whether it can interrupt its 2028 season to allow major leagues to participate. There will be two groups of three teams during a preliminary round over three days, with two games per day. The group winners advance to the semifinals, while the other teams compete in a pair of quarterfinals. Semifinals will be played July 19, and gold and bronze medal games the next day. The softball tournament will be played from July 23-29 at OKC Softball Park in Oklahoma City. A five-day round-robin will be played on July 28 followed by the gold medal game the next day. ___ AP MLB:
Associated Press
30 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Cal Raleigh to play for US in World Baseball Classic, joining Judge, Skenes and Witt
ATLANTA (AP) — Seattle catcher Cal Raleigh agreed to play for the U.S. team at next year's World Baseball Classic, joining captain Aaron Judge, Paul Skenes and Bobby Witt Jr. USA Baseball announced the decision Monday before Raleigh participated in the All-Star Home Run Derby. The 28-year-old entered the All-Star break leading the major leagues with 38 homers and 82 RBIs. The 20-nation WBC will be played from March 5-17. Japan is defending champion. Also Monday, the World Baseball Softball Confederation said the baseball tournament at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics will be played from July 15-20 at Dodger Stadium. MLB is considering whether it can interrupt its 2028 season to allow major leagues to participate. There will be two groups of three teams during a preliminary round over three days, with two games per day. The group winners advance to the semifinals, while the other teams compete in a pair of quarterfinals. Semifinals will be played July 19, and gold and bronze medal games the next day. The softball tournament will be played from July 23-29 at OKC Softball Park in Oklahoma City. A five-day round-robin will be played on July 28 followed by the gold medal game the next day. ___ AP MLB:
