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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, 156^th overall, in 1984 draft. Scored 25 goals in 148-game NHL career. Played college hockey at University of Michigan.