Islanders land new head coach
Hulton has experience in OHL, NHL, USHL
The Charlottetown Islanders new head coach used an analogy of a car to describe himself as a hockey player.
“I had to redline everything I had just to kind of stay at the OHL or CIS level, but I think that’s why I appreciate the game so much - I had to work for everything,” Jim Hulton told The Guardian.
The Islanders made him their coach on Monday.
Hulton, a grinding winger, played a couple of seasons with the Kitchener Rangers before playing four seasons with the York University Lions.
After his playing days were done, Hulton started coaching a bantam team with his older brother in their hometown of Kingston, Ont.
Hulton admits to falling into the profession and said he was fortunate to get a few breaks along the way.
The 46-year-old has been a head coach in the OHL with Mississauga, Belleville and Kingston, served as an assistant coach with the Florida Panthers and most recently was head coach and general manager with the Nebraska-based Tri-City Storm in the United States Hockey League in 2013-14 and 2014-15.
“I had wanted back in Canada for awhile,” Hulton said. “I am thankful of the opportunity I got in Tri-City.”
He said there was an immediate comfort level with Islanders general manager Grant Sonier and he knows the team has a talented roster.
“The one thing we’ll strive to be is to have an identity that’s really hard to play against and extremely hardworking,” he said. “Skill still needs to work hard to be successful.”
Sonier said 67 people applied to lead the Islanders, but the team’s hockey committee selected Hulton after multiple conversations.
“He is a motivator, a teacher, and a guy that we think can bring this team to the next level,” he said. “We’re really elated to get him.”
Hulton replaces Gordie Dwyer, who was fired in late April after four seasons on the job. The team went 35-28-1-4 and won its first playoff round since 2004.
The majority of the team can return, except overagers Ryan MacKinnon, Ross Johnston and Spenser Cobbold plus one of Oliver Cooper, Quinn O’Brien, Guillaume Rioux-Legault and Dexter Weber.
Hulton said he doesn’t have as good of a handle on the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League as he would like. But, he said, having assistant coaches Luke Beck and Connor Cameron returning will help the transition.
“I think I understand the mentality of a junior hockey player, how they learn and how they respond to things,” he said.
In fact, Hulton coached Cameron in Kingston. He has also coached Jason Spezza, Matt Stajan, Casey Cizikas and former UPEI Panthers Jordan Mayer and Wayne Savage.
Hulton also has experience with Canada’s national junior team, including winning a silver medal in 2004 and gold medal in 2005.
An introductory news conference is scheduled for Thursday at 10 a.m. at the Eastlink Centre.