The New Jersey Devils have named Chris Taylor as an assistant coach, joining assistants Alain Nasreddine and Mark Recchi and goaltending coach Dave Rogalski on head coach Lindy Ruff’s staff.
Taylor, 48, spent the last three seasons as head coach of the AHL’s Rochester Americans, guiding the club to a record of 116-65-20-13 – a .619 points percentage – and playoff berths in 2018 and 2019 along with a second-place finish in the North Division in 2020. Taylor served as an interim assistant with the Buffalo Sabres for part of the 2019-20 season, and represented the Amerks as head coach of the North Division team at the 2020 AHL All-Star Classic.
Taylor served as a development coach in Rochester in 2011-12 and was an assistant with the team from 2012-16. He spent the 2016-17 season as an assistant coach with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins before returning to Rochester.
Drafted by the New York Islanders in 1990, Taylor played 1,297 games over 19 professional seasons from 1992 to 2011, including 617 in the American Hockey League (167 goals, 393 assists) and 149 in the NHL.
