By Thomas Drance (The Athletic)
For first-year Abbotsford Canucks bench boss Manny Malhotra, this summer has been a whirlwind.
Since the organization hired the former Vancouver Canucks centre, who appeared in over 1,000 NHL games between the regular season and playoffs, and has spent the past eight years working as an assistant coach with the Canucks and the Toronto Maple Leafs organizations, Malhotra has been busy studying for the next challenge in his career.
Malhotra is an experienced hockey guy, but he’s never previously served as a head coach at the professional level.
“It’s been kind of like going back to school and learning a whole new subject,” Malhotra says with a laugh. “It’s been a ton of fun.”
It’s also been a ton of work. At the American League level, the Canucks have modified how they do business under Patrik Allvin and Jim Rutherford’s leadership. The high-salaried American League veterans who dotted the Abbotsford roster during the club’s inaugural seasons in the Fraser Valley have made way for younger, more developmental and more financially sustainable lineups over the past few seasons.
Despite that, outgoing head coach Jeremy Colliton and his staff were able to make the Calder Cup playoffs in consecutive seasons in an uncapped league.
That staff has now departed. After contract talks between the Canucks and Colliton fell apart, the experienced bench boss landed on Sheldon Keefe’s staff in New Jersey as an assistant. Longtime defensive coach Gary Agnew opted to retire. Well-regarded American League assistant Jeff Ulmer landed a job as an NHL-level assistant coach in San Jose.
Building up a new coaching staff, watching video to prepare and integrating himself with Rick Tocchet’s Canucks staff have been major preoccupations for Malhotra as he’s prepared for this new role.
“Since I took the job a large part of my time has been spent on restaffing, going over resumes and meeting with people and talking to people and trying to find the right fit,” Malhotra says.
“It’s been an interesting experience for me going through that interview process, making sure you’re asking the right questions. There’s definitely been some guys that have stood out for one reason or another, from the relatability standpoint, and in terms of their hockey acumen and their ability to present that and present ideas.”
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