OHL Notebook: Coaching changes continue as season nears

There were no coaching changes in the Ontario Hockey League during the 2016-17 season.

When the 2017-18 regular season opens, at least nine Ontario Hockey League teams will have a new head coach in place.

That number rose after a pair of moves on Tuesday saw two coaches take pro jobs.

The Saginaw Spirit will need a new head coach after Spencer Carbery accepted an assistant coach position in the American Hockey League. The Spirit would not confirm which team Carbery would be joining.

Carbery spent one season behind the bench with the Spirit.

The Niagara IceDogs will also begin searching for a new head coach after Dave Bell accepted an assistant coaching position with the AHL’s Ontario Reign. Bell spent the past four seasons with the IceDogs, three as an assistant coach before taking over as head coach prior to last season.

With the Reign, Bell rejoins Mike Stothers, who he worked with in Owen Sound as an assistant coach from 2004 to 2007.

With Tuesday’s moves, in addition to the nine teams that will have new head coaches, eight new general managers are in place

Among the other changes this summer:

• Erie: Chris Hartsburg takes over for Kris Knoblauch, who took an assistant coach position with the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers
• Flint: Barclay Branch takes over for George Burnett as general manager
• Guelph: Burnett takes over as coach from Jarrod Skalde, who was not retained. Burnett will also assume general manager role from Mike Kelly, who retired
• Kingston: Jay Varady takes over for Paul McFarland, who took an assistant coach position with the NHL’s Florida Panthers, Darren Keily takes over as general manager for Doug Gilmour
• Kitchener: Mike McKenzie takes over as general manager for Murray Hiebert
• Mississauga: James Richmond takes over general manager position from James Boyd
• Niagara: Joey Burke takes over as general manager
• Ottawa: Andre Tourigny takes over for Jeff Brown, who also held the general manager role. Boyd takes over as GM
• Owen Sound: Todd Gill takes over as head coach from Ryan McGill, who took a job with the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights
• Sudbury Wolves: Cory Stillman takes over as head coach from David Matsos, Rob Papineau fills general manager role after departure of Branch
• Windsor: Trevor Letowski takes over as head coach from Rocky Thompson, who took a job in the American Hockey League

A number of other new faces will be on coaching staffs around the league.

In Guelph, the Storm announced that Jake Grimes would join Burnett as an associate coach in 2017-18. Grimes had spent the past two seasons as an assistant coach with the Peterborough Petes, working with coach Jody Hull. Grimes and Burnett are very familiar with each other, having worked together for 11 seasons with the Belleville Bulls.

Grimes takes over a spot on the Storm staff left vacant following the departure of assistant coach Todd Harvey, who left the team to take a scouting position in the NHL.

In Sudbury, with the addition of Stillman as the new coach, former Soo Thunderbirds (Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League) coach Jordan Smith joined the team as an associate coach.

Meanwhile, the man Stillman replaced in Sudbury, David Matsos, was named an associate coach by the Hamilton Bulldogs.