After five successful seasons at the helm of the Western Hockey League’s Victoria Royals, head coach Dave Lowry is headed back to the NHL.
The Royals announced Tuesday that two-time WHL coach of the year Lowry, 52, has accepted a job as an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Kings, marking his return to the league he last coached in as an assistant with the Calgary Flames in the 2011-12 season.
“We are thankful for the time that Dave was behind the bench for our club,” Royals president and general manager Cameron Hope said in a release. “It was just a matter of time before he moved back to the NHL. Dave set a high standard and was an important part of building our program to where it is today. We thank the entire Lowry family for their commitment to our franchise, and wish Dave success as he takes another step in his career.”
Lowry, who lives in the off-season in Calgary, led Victoria to the league’s best regular season record two seasons ago and the Royals made the playoffs every year under his guidance. He departs as the franchise’s all-time winningest coach, amassing a regular season record of 199-112-13-9.
Speculation had Lowry possibly joining the coaching staff of the Vancouver Canucks under new head coach Travis Green, but those rumours were never substantiated.
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