The Minnesota Wild acted quickly to hire John Anderson to fill their last open Assistant Coach position yesterday. Anderson brings with him lot of success in the AHL and excellent credentials that will no doubt help the Wild to take the next step towards a championship.
Well that didn’t take long. The Minnesota Wild acted quickly and filled their second of two open assistant coach vacancies. After hiring Scott Stevens on Tuesday, the Wild announced yesterday that they would be adding John Anderson to coach behind the bench with new Head Coach Bruce Boudreau. Like Stevens, the hiring of Anderson is an outstanding pick-up that will add to the cultivation of a winning culture in Minnesota.
Anderson brings with him a long and successful coaching resume, as well as 13 years of NHL playing experience. A former Right Wing and 11th overall pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Anderson tallied 631 NHL points (282 goals and 349 assists) for Toronto, Quebec, and Hartford. Unlike Stevens, Anderson has a connection to Boudreau that started all the way back at the beginning of his junior career when both played for the Toronto Marlboros of the OMJHL.
His coaching journey started in the AHL in the 1991-92 season as a player-assistant coach for New Haven in a season that saw him win the AHL MVP award. He would only spend one season doing that, before moving on for a two-year stint in the IHL in the same role where he would propel the San Diego Gulls to an IHL record 62-win season, and an appearance in the Turner Cup Finals in 1993. At the conclusion of the next season, Anderson would retire from playing to concentrate completely on coaching.
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As a full-time coach Anderson would enjoy instant success. He coached his Winston-Salem team to a SHL championship appearance in his first year in 1995-96, and the next two years after that captured league titles in the Colonial Hockey League with the Quad City Mallards and in the AHL with the Chicago Wolves. Anderson would coach the Wolves for 11 seasons and capture two more AHL championships for a total of three Calder Cups.
In 2008-09 the Atlanta Thrashers would promote Anderson to Head Coach on the heels of his third Calder Cup win. His time in Atlanta was largely ineffective as the team was marred by poor management, bad defense, and issues with an apathetic underperforming lineup. After leaving the team in 2011-12 he landed in Phoenix with the Coyotes as an assistant for two more seasons, before heading right back to where he made his coaching name with the Wolves.
“One thing that kept coming back up was how much the players loved playing for John, he treats them like men.” – Former Thrashers GM Don Waddell
Back in Chicago, Anderson would see three more solid seasons back in the AHL with two playoff appearances. Now the Wild are calling giving him a chance to bring his mentorship back to the NHL level in a better situation than when he took the reins of the Thrashers.
So with all that experience comes outstanding hockey knowledge and sense. Anderson has been described a motivator who can reach players much like Boudreau. Former Atlanta GM Don Waddell explained that when it came to Anderson “One thing that kept coming back up was how much the players loved playing for John, he treats them like men. They look forward to coming to the rink. That’s a big factor for the players. You want them to have fun.”
Finally, Anderson will be a coach that will help push the more aggressive style that the Wild are looking for under Boudreau. The offense will be his focus as Stevens will be left to shepherd the defense. Anderson explains his style best saying “I like to be aggressive on the puck, I always want to attack the puck. If the puck is in the other team’s zone longer than it’s in yours, you have a better chance of winning.” He treats them like men. They look forward to coming to the rink. That’s a big factor for the players. You want them to have fun
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Anderson’s hiring is just another step in the re-tooling of the Wild this offseason. Thus far the choices made with the coaching staff have been solid. With such a talented lineup, the guidance and experience that the coaches will bring could be what pushes the Wild to a level of consistency that will bring multiple successes for many years.