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According to Jay Janower on twitter.
This comes as no surprise. It's been in the works for weeks. Great hire. He knows the WHL, the players & has 12 winning seasons in his 14 seasons. He also has liked tough hockey so I'm hoping to see the team add some more size & grit to the lineup.
I like it. I know people will point out his playoff record and joke about that but it is really irrelevant. This team isn't a contender. And they won't be anytime soon. And no coach would magically change that fact. Molleken is a teacher and good with working with young players. This team needs both those qualities desperately.
I do feel McGill was the best candidate available but he stated early on (after leaving the Ice) he preferred exploring pro coaching opportunities. So I don't know how serious negotiations were between both parties.
Molleken has a breadth of knowledge across the WHL, AHL and NHL and he seems to be a players coach and good with young players, so hopefully that will help. The problem is that a coach alone won't improve this team and it'll take bigger changes to make this team consistently competitive. I just hope they don't ruin Benson's development while they are figuring it out. They might even finally admit where the real faults with the franchise actually lie. Here's a hint: it has little to do with the venue, or the PNE and everything to do with being unable to assess and develop talent.