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Yzerman Fills Out His Staff

August 16, 2019, 7:54 PM ET [5 Comments]
Bob Duff
Detroit Red Wings Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Finally making public moves that had been expected for several weeks now, the Detroit Red Wings quietly updated their hockey operations page on the team website to indicate the hiring of several new scouts, as well as some internal promotions.

Jiri Fischer was promoted from development coach to associate director of player personnel. Shawn Horcoff added assistant director of player personnel to his title as director of player development. Kris Draper is the new director of amateur scouting, replacing the departed Tyler Wright.

Former minor league player Kyle MacKinnon was added to the team’s pro scouting staff, as was Chris Yzerman, younger brother of GM Steve Yzerman. The younger Yzerman previously worked as a scout for his brother with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Ryan Rezmierski and Jesse Wallin were named chief amateur scouts. Rezmierski spent the past eight seasons as an amateur scout for the Nashville Predators and previously worked from 2004-11 as director of player personnel for USA Hockey’s national under-17 and under-18 teams.

Wallin was a Red Wings first round draft pick in 1996 and played 49 games for the Wings from 1999-2003. He was a scout for the St. Louis Blues.

Rob Rassey left the Harvard coaching staff to join the Wings as an amateur scout. Former Saskatoon Blades assistant coach Bryce Thoma and ex-Toledo Walleye defenseman Kevin Gibson, the son of former Detroit Tigers outfielder Kirk Gibson, were also added to the amateur scouting staff.

Thomas Karlsson, formerly with the Arizona Cardinals, was added to the team’s European scouting staff. Phil Osaer was named head of goaltending scouting and development. Osaer was a goalie scout for the Lightning and he played goal for Ferris State, the same NCAA school where Wings coach Jeff Blashill was a goaltender.

On the coaching staff, video coach Adam Nightingale has been promoted to assistant coach and will be on the bench, so L.J. Scarpace was hired away from the Carolina Hurricanes to assume the role of video coach.

Mike Kadar was let go as strength coach. In his place, Mike Barwis was hired as Director of Sports Science and Human Performance.

Numbers Up
Frans Nielsen has opted to surrender No. 51 to returning Wings veteran Valtteri Filppula. Nielsen has opted to take No. 81 instead.



Other number news for the Wings will see Patrik Nemeth don No. 22, Adam Erne don No. 73 and Taro Hirose will take No. 67.

That Didn’t Take Long
Erne, the newest member of the Wings, agreed to a one-year, one-way contract with an AAV of $1.05 million.

The Wings acquired Erne from the Lightning earlier this week.

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