Scott Arniel's four-decade journey in the NHL has put him into the uniforms of three different teams and behind the bench for four others, but it has now come full circle.
He was drafted as an 18-year-old rookie by the first iteration of the Winnipeg Jets, chosen with the first pick in the second round — 22nd overall — in 1981. He immediately started playing for the team, along with a fellow member of that draft class, Dale Hawerchuk, who was chosen first overall.
"A lot of firsts have happened here," the 61-year-old from Kingston, Ont., said Monday during his first news conference as the Jets head coach. "I met my wife here, my kids were raised here, and I got to obviously play my first professional games here.
"And I got to retire here at the end at the end of my [playing] career, but it was also the start of my coaching career. I got to cut my teeth here."
Arniel was named head coach on Friday in a news release, but Monday was the first time he met the media as bench boss.
"This is an extremely special day for me. I'm so excited for this honour," he said, thanking the ownership and management group "for having the belief that I can get the job done."
He then took a moment to give a shout out to his mom in Kingston, who will soon turn 90 and was watching the event's livestream back home.
"She just wishes that we'd have more Winnipeg Jet games on in Kingston instead of the Toronto Maple Leafs."
Arniel served as Jets associate coach for the past two seasons, being mentored by head coach Rick Bowness. His promotion comes almost three weeks after Bowness announced his retirement.
Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff said two other candidates were interviewed — a much smaller net than what was cast when Bowness was hired.
"It wasn't like we were looking to reinvent this team. We weren't looking to take it from one kind of a coach to another," he said.
"We were looking to know that the foundation we had in place was going to continue to be built upon. Sometimes the best options are within."
It's Arniel's second go as an NHL head coach. He served in that role for the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2010.
Before that, he had a successful stint as head coach for the Manitoba Moose.
Arniel caught the attention of Columbus after leading the Moose to the AHL's best regular season record in 2008-09 and a berth in the Calder Cup finals, which earned him coach of the year honours.
But after only 1½ seasons in Columbus, Arniel was fired in January 2012.
He's learned a lot from many great coaches, management teams and players since then, he said.
"It's helped me to kind of reshape how I want to coach. It's all part of that next step."best dallas jewelry stores
He filled in for Bowness three times over the past two seasons in Winnipeg, posting a 15-7-3 record, including 10-5-2 this season.
That has boosted his confidence in what he can do as a coach, Arniel said.
"Two years ago we started to build the foundation of how we wanted to look, how we wanted to play," he said, referring to when he, Bowness and the other new staff put their stamp on the team, most visibly by stripping Blake Wheeler of the captaincy.ottawa senators goalies all time
"There was a lot of work to be done. We've had to change the culture. We had to work on the leadership. We had to raise the standards here with our hockey club and … what we did this year was special."
The team finished in fourth place overall in the 32-team NHL and set franchise records for road wins (25), winning streak (eight games, twice), and points streak (14 games). Their 52 wins matched the franchise record set in 2017-18.
But their playoff run was cut short in the first round. The Jets were pushed from the post-season by Colorado in just five games.
"There's some things that we obviously have to improve on, but at the same time, we've made some great strides, and I really believe the best days are ahead of us," Arniel said. "We want to become an elite team always."
The Jets have been criticized for playing it safe and sticking with the status quo by hiring Arniel. That sits fine with Cheveldayoff.
If the status quo is 52 wins, "I'd be pretty darn happy," he said. "He's sitting here today because he's earned this opportunity."
Ultimately, the goal is to win the Stanley Cup — something Arniel said he's been chasing his whole life.
He intends to spend the summer looking at video of the NHL's top teams to see what can be incorporated into the Jets' system, particularly focusing on the team's anemic power play.
But more immediately, the team has not just one, but two associate coach positions to fill. Aside from Arniel's spot, the team has also parted ways with Brad Lauer, who has been there since 2022, Cheveldayoff announced on Monday.evgeny kuznetsov carolina hurricanes
"I'll start the process probably as soon as I get out of here, and start talking to people," Arniel said. "There's lots of interest. I think people recognize that we have a really good situation here, a real good hockey club."
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