The Syracuse Crunch announced today that the Anaheim Ducks have named Brad Lauer and Marty Wilford as assistant coaches for the Crunch, joining head coach Mark Holick in rounding out Syracuse’s coaching staff.
Lauer, 44, has spent the last two seasons as an assistant coach with the NHL’s Ottawa Senators, helping lead the club to a 44-32-6 record and 94 points to secure a fifth-place finish in the Eastern Conference during the 2009-10 campaign.
Prior to that, Lauer spent two seasons as an assistant coach with the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals from 2007-09. He helped the Admirals to a West Division title during the 2008-09 season after the club posted a 49-22-3-6 record, good enough to tie for the AHL lead with 107 points.
Lauer’s coaching career began with a five-year stint in the Western Hockey League (WHL) as an assistant coach with the Kootenay Ice from 2002-07. During his seasons with the Ice, the team picked up more than 100 points twice and won 40 games three times.
Lauer played in parts of 16 professional seasons from 1986-2002, including 323 career NHL games with the New York Islanders, Chicago Blackhawks, Ottawa Senators and Pittsburgh Penguins. Lauer also had stints with the Springfield Indians (1988-90) and Capital District Islanders (1990-91) in the AHL. A native of Humboldt, Sask., Lauer was originally selected by the New York Islanders in the second round of the 1985 NHL Entry Draft.
Wilford, 34, enters the coaching ranks after completing a 14-year playing career, most recently spending the 2010-11 season with Fassa HC in Italy, where he led all club defensemen in scoring with 26 points (3g, 23a) in 39 games.
Wilford appeared in 539 career AHL games with Norfolk, St. John’s (Maple Leafs), Milwaukee, Hartford, Manchester and Iowa (Stars), from 2000-07, tallying 275 points (47g, 228a) and 573 penalty minutes.
A native of Cobourg, Ont., Wilford was originally selected by the Chicago Blackhawks in the sixth round of the 1995 NHL Entry Draft.
