IceCaps manager Jason King headed to coach AHL team in U.S.
King has been a player, coach, and the IceCaps' director of hockey operations
A fixture of the St. John's IceCaps is taking the next step in his hockey career by leaving the team for a coaching job with an AHL team in New York state.
"It feels great, it's an opportunity I've aspired to do," said Jason King, the IceCaps' director of hockey operations, about the move to become an assistant coach with the Utica Comets.
The Corner Brook born-and-raised King stepped into the management role last season, after being both a coach and player on the team. Prior to that, King played in the NHL with the Vancouver Canucks and Anaheim Ducks.
"I had a great chance this year to work on the management side and sit back and really analyze the game," he told CBC Radio's Corner Brook Morning Show.
"Right now, I feel my passion is to get back into coaching."
Not an easy job to land
King said the fact that the IceCaps are no longer the Montreal Canadiens' farm team — that designation moves to Laval beginning in the 2017-18 season — didn't mean he was forced to look elsewhere for employment.
"It was in the back of my mind, I'm not going to lie to you about that, but it wasn't overly a big concern for me," he said.
"There's always a lot of insecurity in hockey when it comes to job positioning."
King said the Comets reached out to gauge his interest in a return to coaching, and he couldn't pass it up.
"These positions in coaching, especially at the pro level, are not easy to get into, and they're not easy always to land the job. Obviously, once they showed interest in me, I pursued it as much as I could."
King said the remaining management team with the IceCaps are working hard to make sure hockey continues in St. John's after the move to Laval.
The last five years spent in St. John's was the longest King, his wife and two sons had spent in one place in his hockey career.
While they are accustomed to frequent moves, he said it's hard to leave his home province behind.
"It's a special place for us, no question. We hope at some point to get back, and the IceCaps organization definitely holds a special spot in my heart for sure."
With files from The Corner Brook Morning Show