The faces behind the bench of the Soo Greyhounds this season will be very different than they were just a few months ago, when the 2021-22 Ontario Hockey League season wrapped up.
After associate coach Jordan Smith accepted a job with the American Hockey League’s Springfield Thunderbirds earlier this month, the Hounds announced today that assistant coach Jamie Tardif is also off to pro hockey this season.
Tardif has been hired by the New York Rangers to join the coaching staff of its AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack.
The process moved relatively quickly.
“He had conversations with them a couple of weeks ago and it progressed from there,” said Greyhounds general manager Kyle Raftis.
Raftis added that the decision to leave wasn’t an easy one for Tardif.
“He went back and forth a little bit, but at the end of the day, he was excited about it,” Raftis added.
The 37-year-old joined the Greyhounds prior to the 2018-19 season after the team hired John Dean as head coach.
Tardif spent four seasons with the Greyhounds and was set to enter the second year of a three-year extension. In a prepared statement, Tardif said he was “privileged” to be a part of the Greyhounds staff.
“My family and I will always have special ties to the Soo Greyhounds and Sault Ste. Marie because of this experience and the many incredible memories and friendships we have made,” said Tardif, who took on an active role in the minor hockey system in the Sault in addition to his work with the Greyhounds.
To fill Tardif’s role on the bench, the Greyhounds have hired Brent Hughes as an assistant coach.
The 40-year-old Toronto native most recently served as head coach of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League’s Espanola Express in 2020-21. He also spent time as an assistant coach with the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League’s Cape Breton Screaming Eagles.
Hughes was among the coaches interviewed when Smith was hired in Springfield.
“We were both really excited about the opportunity,” Raftis said, of Hughes taking on Tardif’s role.
“He checks a lot of boxes in terms of developing players,” the GM said. “He’s going to give us a good dynamic. A lot of times in the past, we’ve gone with guys that haven’t had a ton of coaching experience in that role, but he gives us a great blend of the skill side of things, can run a bench himself and he’s going to push out other coaches too, which is a good challenge and a good fit.”