The Iowa Stars announced today that the American Hockey League club has named Paul Jerrard as assistant coach. He will join head coach Dave Allison on the Iowa coaching staff as the club begins AHL play in the fall.
“We are excited to have Paul Jerrard on board with the coaching staff of the Iowa Stars,” said Dallas Stars general manager Doug Armstrong, who oversees all aspects of Iowa’s hockey operations as the Stars’ primary development affiliate. “He has an impressive resume at the AHL level and should be a great asset in helping develop players.”
Jerrard, 40, has more than eight seasons of coaching experience, including the last two as assistant coach with the Hershey Bears. He served as the Colorado Avalanche’s assistant coach responsible for video during the 2002-03 NHL season, and previously had coached for four years at his alma mater, Lake Superior State University, and one season as assistant coach with the AHL Lowell Lock Monsters.
Prior to joining the coaching ranks, Jerrard spent 10 years as a defenseman in professional hockey. Originally drafted by the New York Rangers in the ninth round (173rd overall) of the 1983 Entry Draft, Jerrard spent much of his playing career in the Stars organization, having been traded to the Minnesota North Stars in October, 1988. He skated in five games for Minnesota during the 1988-89 NHL season, and played parts of six seasons with the Stars’ then-primary affiliate in Kalamazoo. He was a member of the 1997 Calder Cup-winning Hershey Bears.
A native of Winnipeg, Jerrard graduated from Lake Superior State in 1987 with a degree in recreational management, with a minor in business administration. Jerrard has earned his strength and conditioning certification and is a member of the National Strength Coaches Association (NSCA). He and his wife, Cheryl, have two daughters, Catherine and Meaghan.
