Monarchs name Hajt assistant coach

The Manchester Monarchs, the primary affiliate of the 2014 Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings, have named Chris Hajt as the club’s new assistant coach, Monarchs general manager Rob Blake announced today.

Hajt joins the staff of Mike Stothers, who was named head coach of the Monarchs on July 1.

Hajt, 36, joined the Guelph Storm (OHL) as an assistant coach during the 2008-09 season, and he most recently served as the team’s assistant general manager. The Storm made the playoffs in each of his six seasons with the team, including this past season when it won the Ontario Hockey League championship. Guelph represented the OHL at the 2014 Memorial Cup, losing in the championship game to the Edmonton Oil Kings.

A native of Saskatoon, Sask., Hajt was drafted in the second round (32nd overall) of the 1996 NHL Entry Draft by the Edmonton Oilers. He played parts of eight seasons (1998-2006) in the AHL as a defenseman with the Hamilton Bulldogs, Portland Pirates and Lowell Lock Monsters, totaling 20 goals and 71 assists in 477 games. Hajt also played six games in the NHL with Edmonton and Washington.