Jared Bednar brings championship resume as new Avalanche head coach

Two weeks after Patrick Roy abruptly resigned, the Colorado Avalanche have found their next head coach.

After spending the last two seasons as a head coach in the AHL, Jared Bednar will get his shot at the NHL as he will be the one to replace Roy behind the Avalanche bench.

“After profiling the type of coach I wanted for our team and going through an interview process with several good candidates, I believe that Jared Bednar is the best person to lead this team behind the bench,” said Avalanche EVP and GM Joe Sakic in a statement. “Jared’s track record of success as a head coach in the American Hockey League speaks for itself and he is considered to be one of the top up-and-coming coaches in our business.

“Even though we had to accelerate the process with training camp approaching, we feel we met some real strong candidates with a lot of potential to become head coaches in the NHL in the near future, continued Sakic. “I would like to thank the general managers who gave us permission to talk to key staff members at such a precarious time.”

Bednar arrives in Colorado with a winning pedigree. In June, he helped lead the Lake Erie Monsters to the Calder Cup, seven years after he won the ECHL’s Kelly Cup as head coach of the South Carolina Stingrays. He also won the Kelly Cup twice as a player while a defenseman with the Stingrays.

Weeks after the AHL title, the Columbus Blue Jackets handed Bednar a two-year extension to remain bench boss of the Monsters, but after the Avalanche job opened it earlier this month, he soon entered the pool of candidates that Sakic and his staff were considering for the gig.

As the Denver Post noted earlier this week, the 44-year-old Bednar could have a pal next to him on the Avalanche bench if he chooses his staff. Just prior to Roy leaving, Colorado hired his former Lake Erie assistants Nolan Pratt as an assistant. Assistant GM Chris MacFarland was also in the Columbus organization while Bednar was there.

The timing of Roy’s resignation put Sakic and the Avs in bind with training camps opening in a month. But considering how much Roy’s teams declined since his Jack Adams Award winning rookie season, bringing in a fresh voice like Bednar’s, who comes with a successful resume, only bodes well for the franchise going forward.