NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Longtime goalie guru Mitch Korn is again with the Nashville Predators to supervise their operation at a very powerful place in hockey.
The group named Korn director of goaltending on Wednesday, reuniting him with now-general supervisor Barry Trotz for whom he labored at a number of teaching stops across the NHL, together with 15 seasons with the Predators from 1998-2014.
“I’ve identified and labored with Mitch for a very long time, and we’re completely satisfied to be welcoming again one of many nice goaltending minds within the recreation of hockey,” Trotz stated in a press release asserting the rent. “Mitch’s resume speaks for itself. He has an uncanny skill to speak the language of goaltending to his gamers in a method that helps them simply perceive how he’s making an attempt to make them higher.”
Korn, 66, received the Stanley Cup with Trotz and the Washington Capitals in 2018. He grew to become famend within the sport from his first job with the Buffalo Sabres within the ’90s, when he helped Dominik Hasek develop right into a two-time league MVP and six-time winner of the Vezina Trophy as the most effective goaltender and a Corridor of Famer.
Korn most lately labored as director of goaltending for the New York Islanders, following Trotz from Washington and serving there even after longtime assistant Lane Lambert took over as coach.
Returning to Nashville, Korn can be accountable for a bunch that already consists of goaltending coach Ben Vanderklok, goaltending improvement coach Jason Barron and European improvement coach and scout Pekka Rinne, a longtime face of the franchise who blossomed underneath his route.
“With Mitch on the helm of an already spectacular goaltending division that features Ben, Jason and Pekka, I am assured that our franchise’s longtime success on the place will proceed to develop,” Trotz stated.
Korn’s largest process may very well be turning prime prospect Yaroslav Askarov into the elite netminder the group hopes he’ll grow to be. Juuse Saros, who has completed within the prime 10 in Vezina voting for a fourth consecutive season, has one yr left on his contract.
Saying he is excited to reconnect with members of the group nonetheless round, Korn added he is most trying ahead to working with Vanderklok, whom he employed as his assistant in 2009.
“He has accomplished an incredible job throughout his time with the Predators, and we have maintained a robust friendship and dealing relationship on this trade,” Korn stated. “Together with Barry, Ben was instrumental in having me return to the place the place my household and I made so many reminiscences.”
Korn has had a hand within the improvement of a number of present NHL goaltenders, together with Seattle’s Philipp Grubauer, San Jose’s Vitek Vanecek, Toronto’s Ilya Samsonov and the Islanders’ Ilya Sorokin. Askarov, the eleventh choose within the 2020 draft who turns 22 earlier than subsequent season begins, has the possibility to be his subsequent prized pupil.
