Mayor’s Manor has confirmed through multiple team sources that Marco Sturm has agreed to a multi-year contract extension with the LA Kings organization. After spending more than three seasons with the organization as an assistant coach at the NHL level, Sturm took over AHL Ontario last season, where he guided the Reign to a 34-32-5-1 regular season record.
Along with Sturm, multi-year contract extensions have also been agreed to with assistant coaches Chris Hajt and Brad Schuler. All three will now be back behind the Reign bench to start the 2023-24 season later this year. These moves will bring some stability following a few tumultuous years for the Reign coaching staff.
Although he guided the club for six seasons — and brought them their only Calder Cup Championship — veteran coach Mike Stothers left in the summer of 2020 when his contract wasn’t renewed. John Wroblewski was hired with much fanfare a few months later, only to be gone from the club in less than two seasons. Hajt and assistant coach Craig Johnson (now with the Anaheim Ducks) took over to complete the 2021-22 campaign: doing an admirable job in the process.
Last summer brought a handful of coaching changes to the Kings and Reign, with Sturm moving to the AHL for his first head coaching experience in North America, and Jim Hiller was asked to fix LA’s power play.
Despite a disappointing end to Ontario’s recently completed season, where the club picked up wins in just four of their final 21 regular season games, there was plenty of positive moments to draw upon. Many players and others in management have praised Sturm’s approach; saying he is an effective communicator, thoroughly prepared for games, and provides motivation to younger players. Coaching in the AHL isn’t easy — after all, it is a development league above all else — with players often needing to adjust to life as a pro, following time in junior hockey, college, or coming from overseas.
Some consideration must also be given to the fact the Reign were beset with injuries and call-ups over the final two months of the season. Already thin at center, it was no surprise that when Kings prospect Alex Turcotte returned from being out of the lineup for several weeks, the Reign immediately ended an 11-gane losing streak by winning three straight.
In an article we published earlier this season, Kings GM Rob Blake and coach Todd McLellan both complimented Sturm on the adjustments he made during his first year as the head guy. In addition to the tactical part of coaching, McLellan felt Strum had “adapted to all the other stuff that goes with coaching,” including things like meeting with [Reign GM] Richard Seeley, dealing with the media, handling agent requests, along with “the motivating, the poking, the video sessions.” As McLellan pointed out, “You’re responsible for all of them and you’re on all the time.”
At the time, Blake was especially complimentary of the connection being formed between the two staffs — adding, “What I like about the situation right now is the relationship between him and Todd; how much they meet during the week and everything,” said LA’s GM.
As the season wore on, Sturm’s confidence naturally grew in the position. Ever the competitor, going all the way back to his days playing in the NHL, being swept from the playoffs likely didn’t sit well with him. It’s all just part of the process, though. Having been a first-round draft pick of the San Jose Sharks, Sturm came straight to the NHL from Germany and never spent a single day in the minors, so the whole experience was new to him and one that became more comfortable as the year moved along.
In Hajt and Schuler, Sturm has two solid helping hands. In fact, Hajt may be the secret sauce in Ontario that continues to fly below the radar. Not only did he spend four seasons under Stothers, but he also just completed his fifth year back in Ontario after serving two seasons as an NHL assistant coach. His experience and approach to young players should not be overlooked.
Meanwhile, Schuler brings four years of AHL experience to the mix, having first served as the team’s video coach for three seasons before moving into an assistant coach role under Sturm.
Look for all three contracts to be officially announced as early as next week.
RELATED CONTENT:
Kings Of The Podcast: Ep. 129 – Return of Stutts, Plus Sturm to Ontario
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I would prefer he be our central and western europe, head scout