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Devils hire head coaches for their AHL and ECHL affiliates

The New Jersey Devils have filled out their minor league coaching ranks hiring new head coaches for both the AHL Albany Devils and the ECHL Trenton Devils. Taking the reins in Albany will be Rick Kowalsky, as he’s earning a promotion up after coaching the Trenton Devils last season. Kowalsky brings on former Devils defenseman Tommy Albelin as his assistant coach.

Moving up into the top position in Trenton is another former Devils defenseman Kevin Dean. Dean was an assistant coach with John MacLean in AHL Lowell last year and now he’ll be running the Devils second-tier minor league team in Trenton. With MacLean moving up to take the top job with the Devils, the entire organization’s coaching ranks get shuffled around to give two guys their first shots at head coaching jobs.

If you’re the kind of fan that figures if times get tough for New Jersey at all and John MacLean might run afoul of Lou Lamoriello late in the season (as has been known to happen), Lamoriello has Larry Robinson working as MacLean’s assistant and he’s got enough experience behind the bench for the Devils as it is. The Devils other assistant coach Adam Oates doesn’t figure to be a threat to be a head coach neither does goaltending coach Chris Terreri. With the number of former players taking coaching jobs in New Jersey, you could argue they could ice a better team of coaches than some NHL teams could with players.