“Rich is someone I have admired and respected for a long time, after watching him run the Kings AHL team in Ontario,” Canucks GM Ryan Johnson said in a press release. “Besides knowing the game of hockey inside and out, he is a great communicator, goes to work every day with an open mind and sets his players up for success by creating an environment that tries to eliminate any excuse that would stop them from making progress. Rich understands our values and vision, and I believe his mindset and mentality will fit in nicely with what we are trying to establish with our organization in both Abbotsford and Vancouver.”