Arizona Coyotes hire Blaine Forsythe as assistant coach

The Arizona Coyotes have added Blaine Forsythe to their coaching staff as an assistant coach, the club announced Wednesday morning.

Forsythe, 47, joins the Coyotes after spending the previous 17 seasons with the Washington Capitals, with whom he was responsible for coaching the team’s centers and power play units.

With the Coyotes, Forsythe will serve on head coach Andre Tourigny’s staff alongside fellow assistant coaches John Madden and Mario Duhamel. He replaces Cory Stillman, who left the Coyotes for personal reasons midway through the 2022–23 season.

“We are very pleased to add Blaine to our coaching staff,” Coyotes general manager Bill Armstrong said. “He is an experienced and knowledgeable coach who has done a tremendous job running the power play for many years. He will be a valuable addition to André’s staff.”

We're so excited to welcome Blaine Forsythe to the coaching staff as an Assistant Coach! Read more ⤵️ #PackLove

— Arizona Coyotes (@ArizonaCoyotes) July 12, 2023

Before joining the Capitals in 2006, Forsythe spent eight seasons working in the Western Hockey League with his hometown Calgary Hitmen. He served as assistant general manager for all eight years and was also an assistant coach in the last four.

Forsythe will be tasked with running a revamped Coyotes power play that will undoubtedly include new acquisitions Jason Zucker and Sean Durzi, as well as club standbys Clayton Keller, Nick Schmaltz, Matias Maccelli, and Lawson Crouse. The Capitals regularly had one of the NHL’s top power plays during Forsythe’s tenure.

The Capitals won the Stanley Cup in 2018 with Forsythe behind the bench as a member of Barry Trotz’s coaching staff. Forsythe served under six different head coaches during his long tenure in Washington.

Tourigny joined the Coyotes as head coach before the 2021–22 season. Under his tutelage, the Coyotes’ top players have made steady improvements and the club has taken regular steps forward in the standings.

In addition to Zucker and Durzi, the Coyotes have added Nick Bjugstad, Alex Kerfoot, Travis Dermott, Troy Stecher, and Alex Galchenyuk to their lineup this summer, while they’ve also reportedly been in pursuit of top UFA defenseman Matt Dumba.