Lowry expected to get nod as Royals coach

Former NHLER led Calgary Hitmen to WHL final in 2008-09

The Victoria Royals will put into place the final piece of their on-ice management team this morning when the Western Hockey League club announces its new head coach.

The Times Colonist has learned former NHLer Dave Lowry is the new bench boss.
Lowry did not return calls Wednesday evening but was said to be en route to the B.C. capital.

Royals GM Cam Hope interviewed several people for the open head-coaching position, including Lowry and other former WHL coaches Mark Holick, Kris Knoblauch and Cory Clouston.

“I have no comment,” said former Brandon Wheat Kings coach Clouston, when reached Wednesday.

In an interview earlier this summer, Lowry expressed qualified interest in the Royals’ coaching vacancy. His son and 2011 NHL draft pick, Joel Lowry, played two seasons for the Victoria Grizzlies of the B.C. Hockey League.

Lowry was assistant coach of the NHL Calgary Flames before being let go at the end of last season. He played in the NHL from 1985 to 2004 and has one season of WHL head coaching experience in taking the 2008-09 Calgary Hitmen to a torrid 59-9-4 record and the league final.

Hope, the former New York Rangers assistant general manager who was named Royals GM on July 6, would not confirm the name of the new head coach.

“I interviewed extensively, either face-to-face or by phone, more than 10 people,” said Hope. “There were so many good candidates and we spent a lot of hours on this. We wanted to make sure this would be our right guy.”

Marc Habscheid vacated the Royals head coaching and GM positions on June 22, saying he would pursue non-hockey opportunities with the company that owns the Royals.

The 44-year-old Holick was in the pro ranks the last two seasons as assistant coach of the Syracuse Crunch of the American Hockey League, which this summer switched its NHL affiliation from Anaheim to Tampa Bay.

With that comes a new broom as Rob Zettler was hired this week as assistant coach of the Crunch. In the three seasons previous to his Syracuse stint, head-coach Holick guided the Kootenay Ice of the WHL to an overall 120-75-21, including 43-24-5 in 2009-10 which earned him the Dunc McCallum Award as WHL coach of the year.

Island fans would better recall Holick as a visiting coach from this BCHL seasons behind the bench with the Vernon Vipers in 2006-07, South Surrey Eagles from 1996 to 2002 where he won the Royal Bank Cup Canadian Junior A title in 1998, Langley in 1995-96 and hometown Penticton in 1994-95.

Knoblauch was let go following last season as head coach of the Kootenay Ice after leading them to the 2011 WHL title.

Former ECHL Victoria Salmon Kings head coach and GM Mark Morrison, now assistant coach of the Winnipeg Jets' AHL affiliate, said earlier he is content in St. John’s.