Yesterday it was announced that Texas Stars assistant coach Doug Lidster will, as everyone thought all along, indeed join Willie Desjardins and the Vancouver Canucks.
Along with Glen Gulutzan. Who is still there. What a merry reunion in Vancouver. Listening to some Canucks fans it sounds like Gully could be in control of their power play again, or so some believe.
So the Texas Stars need a new hire to help Laxdal out, and they wasted no time in announcing Karl Taylor today in one final bit of movement as the off-season comes to a stand still…
Taylor and Laxdal are very familiar with each other from time spent in the ECHL and the WHL. Taylor coached the Reading Royals from 2005-2008 and Ontario Reign from 2008-2011. He moved to assist with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves in 2011-12. After taking a year off, he assisted with the Winterhawks as they went to their third straight WHL finals series against Laxdal’s Oil Kings.
The release from the Stars…
FRISCO, Texas – Dallas Stars General Manager Jim Nill announced today that the club has appointed Karl Taylor to serve as assistant coach for the Texas Stars, Dallas’ development affiliate in the American Hockey League (AHL).
Taylor, 43, recently finished his first season as assistant coach of the Portland Winterhawks in the Western Hockey League (WHL). As assistant coach, Taylor helped Portland to a 54-13-5 record, finishing second in the WHL with 113 points during the regular season. In the postseason, Portland advanced to the WHL Finals as the 2014 WHL Western Conference champions, where they lost to the Edmonton Oil Kings in seven games.
Prior to joining Portland in 2013, Taylor spent the 2011-12 season as assistant coach with the Chicago Wolves (AHL). During his time in Chicago, the club won the Midwest Division posting a 42-27-7 record during the regular season. Before moving to the AHL, Taylor spent six seasons as a head coach in the ECHL from 2005-11 with the Reading Royals (2005-08) and the Ontario Reign (2008-11), posting an all-time record of 208-181-44 with the two clubs.
Taylor will work under newly appointed head coach Derek Laxdal.