Dallas Stars general manager Joe Nieuwendyk announced today that the club has named Curt Fraser as its assistant coach.
Fraser, 54, has spent the last four seasons as head coach of the Grand Rapids Griffins, the AHL affiliate of the Detroit Red Wings. While in Grand Rapids, he compiled a 146-130-40 record and is that franchise’s career coaching leader in regular-season wins (146) and games behind the bench (316).
“We feel that that the depth of Curt’s experience in the game speaks for itself, including a four-year run as an NHL head coach,” said Nieuwendyk. “That experience will be an invaluable asset to our organization, and his dynamic personality will be a great complement to Glen Gulutzan, Paul Jerrard and the rest of our team.”
A native of Cincinnati, Fraser brings over two decades of coaching experience to the Stars, including as the first head coach in the history of the Atlanta Thrashers. He has also worked for the Milwaukee Admirals, Syracuse Crunch, Orlando Solar Bears, New York Islanders and St. Louis Blues. He also served as head coach of the Belarus national team for two seasons (2006-08), helping them qualify for the 2010 Winter Olympics and a ninth-place finish at the 2008 IIHF World Championships.
In all, Fraser has coached over 1,000 games at various levels, including 279 NHL contests with the Atlanta Thrashers.
