New Jersey Devils hire Jeremy Colliton as assistant, finalize coaching staff

Colliton is only 39 years old but brings plenty of experience, and a solid track record, to the table.

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The New Jersey Devils took care of some housekeeping on Tuesday, hiring Jeremy Colliton as an assistant coach to finalize this year’s staff under Sheldon Keefe.

There were no other changes as Ryan McGill, Sergei Brylin, and Chris Taylor all were retained as assistants while Dave Rogalski stays on as the team’s goaltending coach.

Colliton most recently served as the bench boss for the Abbotsford Canucks. They posted a 40-25-7 record this season and had a strong campaign across the board.

The Canucks finished tied for 7th in wins while only five of the other 31 teams scored more goals. They also played with great discipline; just six clubs spent less time in the penalty box.

Important to note, youngsters like Nils Hoglander and Vasily Podkolzin flourished under Colliton over parts of two seasons and had nothing but good things to say about his impact.

Excerpt from The Province:

Höglander, for instance, spent the second half of the 2022-23 season in the AHL, in what could have been a devastating demotion for a young player who had been in the NHL for two-and-a-half seasons at that point.

But it wasn’t. Höglander praised Colliton’s help.

This season, Podkolzin was demoted at the end of training camp and didn’t make it back to the NHL until well into the second half of the season. But he became a solid player under Colliton’s guidance.

And he was effusive Thursday morning, before his own Stanley Cup playoff debut, for the role that Colliton has played in his own career.

“Helped me in a dark part of my career, when everything seemed negative,” Podkolzin told Postmedia. “He meant a lot to me. Tried to help me find a positive.”

Colliton getting the most out of young talent is obviously a huge plus heading into a job with the Devils.

They have a young core as well as plenty of forwards (Alex Holtz, Nolan Foote, etc.) looking to push their way up the depth chart and take the next step at the NHL level. There’s plenty of evidence Colliton can help do that.