Coyotes hire Blaine Forsythe as assistant coach

The Arizona Coyotes added longtime Washington Capitals assistant coach Blaine Forsythe to their staff, naming him as an assistant to head coach Andre Tourigny. It’s a multi-year deal for the veteran coach, per the team.

Forsythe, 47, brings quite the track record to the rebuilding Coyotes. He’s served as an assistant coach with the Capitals, his only NHL coaching home, for the past 14 seasons, making significant contributions to the team’s power-play success. His tenure with the Capitals began in the 2006-07 season when he joined as a video coach before taking on the role of amateur scout in 2008-09. However, Forsythe’s true calling was in coaching, and he rejoined the Capitals coaching staff in the 2009-10 season, helping the team capture multiple Presidents’ Trophies, division titles and a Stanley Cup championship in the meantime.

During his time in Washington, the Capitals power-play boasted a success rate of 21.8% over the years, leading all NHL teams since 2009. He was let go, along with most of Washington’s coaching staff, after the Capitals and former head coach Peter Laviolette agreed to part ways after the end of last season.

Forsythe also worked closely with Washington’s center corps, helping get the best out of players like Evgeny Kuznetsov while in their primes. Now, he’ll work closely with young Coyotes centers like Barrett Hayton and Jack McBain, trying to develop them into long-term top-nine threats.