The Dallas Stars have made it official.
After reports over the weekend began to emerge, the organization officially announced Tuesday morning the hiring of Glen Gulutzan as the Stars’ next head coach.
“We are thrilled to name Glen as the head coach of the Dallas Stars,” Stars general manager Jim Nill said in a statement. “Since his previous time in Dallas, Glen has worked tirelessly to establish himself as one of the most respected coaches in the NHL.
“Glen has worked with some of the best players in the world and continually found ways to maximize their skill sets to contribute to team success. We have full confidence that he is the right person to elevate our team to the next level.”
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Gulutzan, who was most recently an assistant for the Edmonton Oilers, served as the Stars’ head coach for the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons before being fired by Nill as one of his first acts as general manager.
This is the second time in Nill’s career the GM has hired a former Stars coach to take over the team. He hired Stanley Cup winner Ken Hitchcock for his second stint in Dallas in the 2017-18 season.
The Gulutzan hire comes three weeks after the Stars fired Pete DeBoer after three years leading the team.
“My family and I are excited to come back to Texas where I started my NHL coaching journey more than a decade ago,” Gulutzan said in the same team statement. “Jim and his staff have built a roster that is one of the most talented and deepest in the entire League. The right pieces are in place to compete for the Stanley Cup on a yearly basis. I’m ready to get to Dallas and start the preparation for next season.”
Gulutzan was one of three known candidates interviewed for the opening, alongside Texas Stars head coach Neil Graham and Dallas Stars defensive assistant Alain Nasreddine. Gulutzan has not served as a head coach since the 2017-18 season.
He has a 146-125-23 record in his 294 games as a head coach and made the playoffs just once when Calgary lost in the first round to Anaheim in 2016-17.
The Hudson Bay, Saskatchewan, native also served as an assistant for the Vancouver Canucks and the Oilers, most recently. He had worked in Edmonton since 2018, running the Oilers’ lethal power play led by Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.
Gulutzan’s Oilers eliminated the Stars in the Western Conference finals in each of the last two seasons. The Oilers went 6 for 16 on the power play in their five playoff games against the Stars this year.
Gulutzan’s contract with the Oilers expired Monday.
The 53-year-old is the Stars’ sixth head coach in the last decade under Nill.
The Stars also announced that Nasreddine, goaltending coach Jeff Reese, head video coach Patrick Dolan and assistant video coach Chris Demczuk will return as a part of Gulutzan’s coaching staff. They later announced that Graham will be promoted to an assistant as well. The Stars have one assistant coach opening remaining.
More Gulutzan coverage
– Pro and cons of Dallas Stars hiring Glen Gulutzan as head coach for a second time
– Who is Glen Gulutzan? 10 things to know about the Dallas Stars head coach
– A look at Dallas Stars head coaching history as franchise closes in on Glen Gulutzan hire
Find more Stars coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.