Jason King has found a new home in the NHL, joining the Minnesota Wild as an assistant coach.
The 41-year-old from Corner Brook was let go by the Vancouver Canucks, where he'd been an assistant coach since 2020, at the end of the season. That put him on the hunt for a new job.
"You start to network, you start to put your resumé out, try and put as many feelers [out] and get your name out there as much as you can, which is never an easy process," he said.los angeles kings team
"It's not always easy to land a job to get back in the NHL. There's not that many opportunities."
After interviews with a few teams, King said Minnesota made sense for him professionally and personally.
"It happened really, really fast and as a family, we jumped on it, it just seemed like a good opportunity, a great fit," he said.
"That was a big thing for me, making sure you work with good people in an environment where you can have fun, have success and their ultimate goal is to win. So, to me, it was a no-brainer."
King will focus on coaching the Wild's power play. He did the same in Vancouver, where he led the Canucks to the ninth-best power play in the league over the past two seasons.
It's a role that builds on his skills as a player, he said.
King played in 59 NHL games and put up 23 points. Most came with the Canucks during the 2003-04 season alongside Henrik and Daniel Sedin, both now in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
The trio were nicknamed the Mattress Line — two twins and a King.
But even before his playing days were over, King said he had thoughts about coaching.
"There was always something that was in the back of my head that, 'Hey, I really want to get into coaching, I really want to give back and, hopefully, I can help other players achieve the things I was able to achieve,'" he said.
"To be an assistant coach in the NHL was always kind of like a deep-down goal that I had when I finished playing," minnesota wild apparel near me
His playing career eventually took him to Sweden and Germany. He got four games in the NHL in 2007-08 with the Anaheim Ducks.
Hockey came full circle in 2011.
He came home to Newfoundland and played with the St. John's IceCaps of the American Hockey Leagueou joue le wild du minnesota. He went directly into a coaching role after that.
"Not many guys can walk away from playing and get right into a pro coaching, assistant coaching, role," said King.san jose sharks joueur
"I learned so much at the AHL level, which I think has gotten me to here.… It was huge for me. I'm sure I wouldn't be where I'm at right now if I wasn't given that opportunity and tried to make the best of it."
King has already started his work in Minnesota, where he's been getting up to speed with his new team at the Wild's summer development camp.
He said he's now got to pack up everything in Vancouver and move his family to the U.S., but he's got the support of his wife and two sons.
"As awesome as it is to be in this lifestyle, family is always first and foremost and as long as they're happy, I can continue," said King.
"But I'm blessed that they're there backing me wholeheartedly along the way."
He's thankful for the support from his home province as well, but now, King is hoping for success with his new team — and maybe even a Stanley Cup.
"At some point it would be amazing to bring that trophy back to where the roots started."
Read more from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador
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