Dan Marshall, who has served as a mentor to Islanders prospects for the last five years, has been named head coach of the Isles’ top affiliate, the American Hockey League’s Bridgeport Sound Tigers.
The 40-year-old Marshall spent last season as the Islanders’ director of player development and the previous four seasons in various roles in the hockey operations department. His responsibilities included organizing and running the Islanders’ offseason prospect camps and working one-on-one with virtually every young player in the system. His work has paid off in the development of young Islanders and Sound Tigers players such as Chris Campoli, Sean Bergenheim, Robert Nilsson and Bruno Gervais.
"As a developer of young talent, Dan Marshall is second to none,"?said Sound Tigers president Howard Saffan. "His appointment as Sound Tigers head coach is a natural. No one knows our young players — and how to get the most out of them — better than Dan."?
A native of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., Marshall spent the 1990’s as the director of player development and head coach of the New York Junior Islanders, Long Island’s premier breeding ground for young hockey players. He led the program to numerous state and national championships while preparing many young players for NCAA Division I programs. From 1989-2002, Marshall also ran the Canadian Elite Hockey School, which works with players of all ages in the summer to prepare them for the season. Among his players was standout Boston Bruins defenseman and former AHL All-Star Zdeno Chara.
"Being named head coach of the Bridgeport Sound Tigers is an honor for me,"?said Marshall, a defenseman on the SUNY-Plattsburgh 1987 NCAA Division III championship team. "This is an opportunity that I cherish and take very seriously. My goals are straight-forward: to bring a championship to Bridgeport and properly develop our players to become vital members of the New York Islanders"?
Marshall will be joined on his staff by a pair of former AHL players: Jack Capuano, an Islanders assistant coach last season who has been named associate coach, and Joe Ferras, who has been named assistant coach.
