The Lightning have hired former NHL forward Dan Hinote as an assistant coach, a spot that opened when Jeff Blashill departed last month for a head coaching job with the Blackhawks.

Hinote, 48, spent last season as associate coach of the Colorado Eagles, the AHL affiliate of the Colorado Avalanche. The Eagles finished with a 43-21-5 record and 94 points, which put them at the top of the AHL’S Western Conference.

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“Last night the cat must have gotten out of the bag with the (Lightning) staff,” Hinote said. “I had 45 text messages, ranging from the trainers to the coaches, to players. That’s exactly what, based on what I’ve heard, I’ve come to expect from Tampa.”

“I can’t wait to get in there and shake everybody’s hands and see what I expect to see, which is a program built on a strong reputation of winning.”

Hinote began his coaching career with the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2010-11, where he spent four seasons. In 2018, he joined the United States National Team Development Program as an associate coach. He later joined the Nashville Predators as an assistant coach in 2020-21.

As a player, he skated in 503 regular season games with the Colorado Avalanche and the St. Louis Blues, appearing in 72 career playoff games.

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“I was a defensive forward, so coaching and playing the penalty kill has given me insight into the other side of the coin too,” Hinote said. “My job when I was playing, was to make sure the other team didn’t score.. but then you have a really good understanding of what it takes to score because you’ve studied how to stop it.”

Hinote is a native of Leesburg, Florida but grew up in Minnesota and attended the U.S. Military Academy. Now, he’s thrilled to come full circle and return to coach in Tampa Bay.

“When I first started, I was one of a very few from that area,” said Hitnote. “For me it’s awesome because I love Florida. It’s always it’s been a part of my soul, and to watch hockey grow from there, and then now, finally to be able to come back there and coach. It’s a full circle deal and I couldn’t be more excited.”

Hinote, who said he’s scheduled to meet with the Lightning coaching staff for the first time this weekend, spent years focused on coaching the PK before transitioning to power-play duties last season with the AHL’s Colorado Eagles. He’s ready to dive into his new role with the Lightning.

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“You hire good people, they do their job and success happens, and then the program becomes what it is now, which is a bit of an empire.”

“To me, it’s the top of the pyramid. It’s the number one job if (a coaching job) becomes available, that’s the job you want. Not to mention how good the team is with the goalie, the D-men,the forwards up front.  I’m excited to get back to that kind of an organization.”

Photo Credit: Colorado Hockey Now