TAMPA, Fla. — After bidding farewell to assistant coach Jeff Blashill, the Tampa Bay Lightning searched for a new assistant coach. A few weeks after Blashill’s departure to become the Chicago Blackhawks’ head coach, the Lightning announced a replacement. Today, June 6, the team’s Vice President and General Manager, Julien BriseBois, announced that they have hired Stanley Cup Champion and Florida native Dan Hinote to work under Jon Cooper.
Hinote, 48, was the Colorado Eagles’ head coach in the American Hockey League (AHL) during this season, when the team saw an exponential regular season. Working under the Colorado Avalanche organization, the team with which he won a Stanley Cup in 2001, Hinote foresaw the Eagles achieving the best record in the Western Conference, going 43-21-5 with 94 points.
The team led the AHL in goals scored, with 250, and was ranked fourth in goals against (185). In this year’s postseason campaign, the Eagles fell short to the Abbotsford Canucks in the best-of-five Division Finals.
Hailing from Leesburg, Florida, Hinote began his coaching journey with the Columbus Blue Jackets during the 2010-11 season. After the 2014 season, he moved on to be a pro scout all the way up until 2018.
From that point forward, he went international for the Team USA National Team Development Program as an associate coach for their U17/U18 teams. He helped the U18 team win a Bronze Medal at the 2018 IIHF U18 World Championship, and after that, went back to the National level.
From the 2020-24 seasons, Hinote was assistant coach for the Nashville Predators, where he led the Music City team to three Stanley Cup Playoff appearances. Hinote was notably an NHL player who earned a Stanley Cup with the Avalanche back in 2001. He first began playing in the National during the 1999-2000 season with the ‘Avs, while also playing for the Hershey Bears in the AHL.
After spending nine years in the NHL, Hinote skated in 503 contests, racking up 90 points from 38 goals and 52 assists as a winger. The former player will be making a return to the NHL stage next season as an assistant bench boss for a new team, the Lightning, under head coach and two-time Stanley Cup Champion, Jon Cooper.
ITR 44: We Have A Champion…Again – Inside The Rink
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