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BC
Icemen |
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1997
- 2002 |
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United
Hockey League (UHL) |
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Broome
County Veterans Memorial Arena |
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Icemen
Name Jones Coach
July
7, 1998
Press
& Sun Bulletin
Mike
Mangan, Staff Writer
Hoping
it’s the start of a prosperous coaching career, Brad Jones
accepted the BC Icemen’s head coaching position Monday, signing a
one-year contract. Terms
of the contract were not released.
Jones,
33, succeeds Al Hill, who resigned the position to take a pro
scouting job in Philadelphia Flyers organization.
“This
is going to be my first head job, and it’s something that I’ve
wanted to get involved in,” Jones said.
“It’s going to be great to stay with Binghamton, a town I
enjoy quite a bit.”
Jones
was an assistant coach and left wing/center last season under Hill,
tallying 37 goals and 28 assists in 55 games en route to a spot on
the United Hockey League all-star team.
Jones
played in 148 National Hockey League games throughout his career,
finishing with 25 goals and 31 assists in an NHL career that
included stops in Philadelphia, Los Angeles and Winnipeg.
Jones
stressed that this will not be a player/coach role.
“My
playing days are over,” he said.
“Last year took a toll on my body and I was really anxious
to get into coaching. It’s
something I’ve been preparing for for about four years now.”
Icemen
general manager Patrick Snyder didn’t bother to interview anyone
else for the head coaching vacancy.
“We
wanted Brad, and we felt he was the man for the job,” Snyder said. “We told him that if Al took the job with the Flyers, that
we were interested in him for the job.”
“It’s
his first head coaching job, and a number of coaches in this league
have quite a bit of experience, so it’s a great job for him.”
Jones’
decision to come back to the Icemen was not affected by Hill’s
decision to leave.
“The
big reason I came last year was the opportunity to coach,” Jones
said. “I would have
come back this year regardless of what happened with Hill.”
Jones
already knows what style of play he would like the Icemen to play,
hopefully one that can improve upon last season’s 25-40-9 record
and first round playoff exit.
“You
have to see what the personnel is going to be like, but I think we
can build a team that can be a very quick and play up-tempo
hockey,” Jones said. “It should be a team that is also strong defensively.
We have some good people in place but we will have to bring
other people that can provide the speed to play up-tempo hockey.”
At
A Glance
Replaces:
Al Hill, who took a pro scouting job with the Philadelphia Flyers.
Last
Season: Was an assistant coach and left winger/center for the
Icemen, scoring 37 goals, 28 assists in 55 games.
Named to United Hockey League all-star team.
Notables:
Was eighth pick of Winnipeg, 156th overall, in 1984
draft. Scored 25 goals
in 148-game NHL career. Played
college hockey at University of Michigan.
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