Sturm named head coach of Reign

Photo: Juan Ocampo/NHLI via Getty Images

The Los Angeles Kings have named Marco Sturm as head coach for the Ontario Reign of the American Hockey League.

The remaining coaching staff for the Reign – assistant coaches Chris Hajt and Craig Johnson, video coach Brad Schuler and goaltending development coach Matt Millar – will all return in 2022-23.

Sturm joins the Reign after spending the last four seasons as an assistant coach with the Kings. This past season, Sturm helped the Kings earn their first playoff berth since 2017-18 with a third-place finish in the Pacific Division standings. The team’s 99-point regular-season total (44-27-11) was the sixth-most points earned by a Kings team in franchise history.

“Marco has played an important role helping to instill a successful system for our team and will continue the development of our players at that level,” said Kings vice president and general manager Rob Blake.

Sturm served as head coach of Germany’s national team from 2015 to 2018, leading the program to a silver medal at the 2018 Olympics to go with a Deutschland Cup title in 2015 and appearances in the quarterfinals at the IIHF Men’s World Championship in 2016 and 2017.

Sturm, 43, played 938 games in the National Hockey League with San Jose, Boston, Los Angeles, Washington, Vancouver and Florida. He also skated for Germany in three Olympics (1998, 2002, 2010) and the 2004 World Cup of Hockey, as well as four World Championships and two World Juniors.