Former Abbotsford Canucks head coach Jeremy Colliton got a new NHL job today.
The 39-year-old is joining Sheldon Keefe’s staff as an assistant coach with the New Jersey Devils. This is the second NHL job for Colliton as he was previously the head coach of the Chicago Blackhawks.
Colliton was the youngest head coach in the entire league when promoted by the Blackhawks. He led the team to the postseason in the 2019-20 season before losing to the Vegas Golden Knights in the opening round.
We have named Jeremy Colliton as an assistant coach.
Welcome to the team, Coach!
š°: https://t.co/zTqpMkDF0L pic.twitter.com/CSnETRhxwg
— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) June 11, 2024
The Devils just hired Keefe, who was fired by the Toronto Maple Leafs following the team’s first-round playoff loss this year. The team massively underperformed last season despite having one of the best young cores in the NHL.
Colliton had been leading the Canucks AHL team for the past two seasons, taking over after former head coach Trent Cull was promoted to the big leagues. Colliton led the team to the postseason in each of those two seasons, losing in the Division Semifinals both times.
The coach also was an assistant for Team Canada at the 2022 Winter Olympics. He did serve as head coach for a single game after regular head coach Claude Julien was injured, leading the team to a 5-1 victory over Team Germany at the start of the tournament.
Before his coaching days, Colliton enjoyed a solid playing career that included a gold medal at the World Juniors and 57 NHL games played.
The Canucks hired former centre Manny Malhotra to replace Colliton behind the bench in Abbotsford. He played parts of three seasons with the Canucks on the dominant teams of the early 2010s, including the one that lost in Game 7 of the 2011 Stanley Cup Final.
It’ll be Malhotra’s first head coaching job, although he does have extensive NHL experience as an assistant and skills coach.
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