Former Edmonton Oilers' captain Jason Smith named Oil Kings head coach
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He never thought he would be back a month later. But there he was Thursday, introduced as the new WHL Oil Kings' junior head coach, replacing Luke Pierce, whose contract wasn't renewed after the rebuilding team lost to Prince Albert in seven games of the first playoff round this spring.
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It's not his first rodeo as a junior coach; he was head man in Kelowna, where he's living now, for three seasons(2016-2019) and also had a stint as ex-Oiler Mark Lamb's right-hand man on the bench in Prince George for one year before joining Philadelphia Flyers organization as an assistant to Ian Laperriere on their AHL farm team at Lehigh Valley, Pa. for four years.
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'I'm extremely excited to come here to a place where I have comfort, where I know people in the city away from the rink,' said Smith, who had his former Oiler coach Craig MacTavish and 2006 playoff hero Fernando Pisani in the crowd at his press conference at Rogers Place, a building he never played in (Rexall Place was his stomping grounds) but he knows from his days as a WHL junior coach.
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He was happy working for the Flyers organization, looking after their minor-league D corps, sending Cam York and Egor Zamula to the bigs, but when they moved on from Laperriere this summer and named assistant John Snowden head man, Smith wanted a change of scenery, and the Oil Kings came calling.
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'I decided it was time for a change for myself…a new challenge, a new change in life (as a coach). It's exciting to be back west. I'm looking to help these young players grow and win games,' said Smith, who was traded to the Flyers on July 1, 2007, along with Joffrey Lupul for Joni Pitkanen and Geoff Sanderson and immediately became Philly's captain for a season before finishing his 1,008-game NHL career in Ottawa with the Senators.
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Even though Smith was a long way removed from the Dub, coaching pro in Pennsylvania, he wasn't totally divorced from the junior league.
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