Avalanche add former Kraken head coach Dave Hakstol as assistant to boost power play

DENVER (AP) – The Colorado Avalanche added former Seattle head coach Dave Hakstol to their staff Tuesday as an assistant to boost a power-play unit that struggled in the postseason.

Hakstol joins an Avalanche staff under coach Jared Bednar that includes Nolan Pratt, goaltending coach Jussi Parkkila and assistant/video coach Brett Heimlich.

The 56-year-old Hakstol will direct a power play that features Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar but scuffled against Dallas in the first round of the playoffs. The team was 3 of 22 on the man advantage in a series that went seven games.

Colorado also allowed seven goals in the Stars series while short-handed. After the season, the team parted ways with assistant coach Ray Bennett, who was in charge of the power play.

Hakstol served as the first head coach in Kraken history and was in charge from 2021-24. His team made the postseason in 2023 and eliminated the Avalanche in the first round of a series that went seven games. He finished 107-112-27 with Seattle.

“Dave brings a wealth of knowledge and experience behind the bench and will be a great fit on Jared’s staff,” Avalanche general manager Chris MacFarland said in a statement. “He has an extensive coaching background with a lot of success and will be a valuable addition to our team.”

Hakstol also was the head coach in Philadelphia for parts of four seasons and went 134-101-42.

Before the NHL, Hakstol spent 11 seasons as the head coach at the University of North Dakota, leading the team to seven Frozen Four appearances.

In international competitions, he won a pair of silver medals as an assistant coach with Team Canada at the IIHF World Championship in 2017 and 2019. The 2017 squad featured MacKinnon and the 2019 team had Avalanche goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood.

“This is a proud organization with a lot of talented players,” Hakstol said. “I look forward to being a part of this special group and can’t wait to get to work and help the team in any way that I can.”