San Antonio Rampage Director of Hockey Operations Matt Loughran announced today that Clint Malarchuk has been named assistant coach for the AHL club for the remainder of the 2004-05 season.
Malarchuk, who serves as the goaltending coach for the Panthers, will be behind the bench with head coach Steve Ludzik when the Rampage travel to Utah to play the Grizzlies tonight.
Malarchuk takes over for Florida Panthers assistant coach Guy Charron, who was reassigned by the Panthers to other hockey duties in South Florida on January 16. Since that time, Panthers director of player development Duane Sutter and Panthers director of hockey operations Jack Birch have spent time evaluating the team while serving as interim assistant coaches. Both Sutter and Birch will return to their respective duties with the Panthers.
Malarchuk’s playing experience includes 10 seasons in the NHL with the Quebec Nordiques, Washington Capitals and Buffalo Sabres, as well as 145 games in the American Hockey League.
Also on Friday, the Grand Rapids Griffins named Chris Cichocki as their new assistant coach. His first game alongside head coach Greg Ireland will be on Saturday, when the Griffins visit Cincinnati for a 7:35 p.m. start against the Mighty Ducks.
Cichocki, 41, has spent the last seven seasons as a coach in the ECHL and IHL ranks. In four years as a head coach in the ECHL with Cincinnati (2003-04) and Arkansas (2000-03), he compiled a record of 127-122-39 and twice led his teams to the playoffs.
His coaching career began upon his retirement as a player six games in the 1997-98 IHL season. He remained with Cincinnati as an assistant coach, helping guide the club to three consecutive 40-win seasons and a berth in the 2000 Eastern Conference finals, where the Cyclones fell to the Griffins in five games.
A Detroit native who played collegiately at Michigan Tech, Cichocki enjoyed a 13-year professional career as a forward, logging 574 points (280-294—574) in 800 regular season contests. He appeared in 68 NHL games with Detroit and New Jersey, including 59 during a 1985-86 rookie season with the Red Wings in which he racked up 21 points (10-11—21).
Cichocki registered at least 23 goals and 51 points in each of his seven full AHL seasons with Adirondack, Utica and Binghamton, averaging nearly a point per game by totaling 431 points (215-216—431) in 490 contests.
