The Toronto Marlies announced Tuesday that Joe Paterson and Dallas Eakins have been named assistant coaches of the hockey club. In addition, the team also announced that Nick Addey-Jibb will remain the head athletic therapist for Toronto’s AHL affiliate.
“Both Joe and Dallas bring a tremendous amount of experience at the American Hockey League level,” said Toronto Marlies head coach Paul Maurice. “We believe their experience will be a tremendous asset to the success of our players.”
Paterson has been a head coach for two years and assistant coach for six years in the American Hockey League, including the past two seasons as an assistant coach with the Edmonton Oilers’ American Hockey League affiliates in Toronto and Edmonton. He was the head coach of Louisville (AHL) for two seasons from 1999-2001, compiling a record of 63-81-12-4 over that span.
Paterson also served as a head coach with Sault Ste. Marie of the Ontario Hockey League from 1995-96 to 1996-97 with players such as Boston’s Joe Thornton and current members of the Leafs organization Marc Moro and Nathan Perrott. He has also served as an assistant coach with Adirondack (1992-94) and New Haven (1997-99) of the AHL.
The native of Toronto played 291 career NHL games for Detroit, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and the New York Rangers collecting 56 points (19 goals, 37 assists) with 829 penalty minutes. Paterson also played in 418 games in the American Hockey League from 1980-92.
Eakins last played in 2003-04, skating in 64 games for the Manitoba Moose and collecting eight points (one goal, seven assists) with 68 penalty minutes. The native of Dade City, Fla., played 120 career NHL games for Winnipeg, Florida, St. Louis, Phoenix, the New York Rangers, Toronto, the New York Islanders and Calgary, collecting nine assists with 208 penalty minutes.
Eakins, who played briefly with the AHL’s Beast of New Haven in 1997-98 when Paterson was an assistant coach, appeared in 609 career AHL games and won a Calder Cup with Chicago in 2002.
