Vancouver Canucks promote Svejkovsky to assistant coach, expand Sedins' roles

VANCOUVER — Vancouver Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet says a series of changes to his staff are "bittersweet."

The team announced Wednesday that skills coach Yogi Svejkovsky has been promoted to assistant coach, while Daniel and Henrik Sedin will take on bigger coaching roles and be more involved with the day-to-day activities of both the NHL club and its American Hockey League affiliate, the Abbotsford Canucks.

The moves follow an announcement last week that Vancouver had "mutually parted ways" with assistant coach Mike Yeo.

The Senators announced Tuesday that Yeo has joined the organization as an assistant coach, reuniting with Ottawa's newly minted head coach Travis Green, a former Canucks head coach.

“(Yeo) wanted a little bit more security, wanted to be a little bit closer to home," Tocchet said on a video call Thursday.

"He's a big loss. I mean, I really enjoyed Yeo-zy for the year and a half. I'm happy for him that he's hooked on with Greenie’s team. So you know, it's bittersweet, but also happy for him.”

Svejkovsky, 47, has spent two seasons developing Canucks players in both Vancouver and Abbotsford, and has become someone the NHL players rely on and trust, Tocchet said.

“I like the way he’s dealt with the players one-on-one, meetings, the way he runs practice," he said. "When a J.T. Miller and an (Elias) Lindholm and those guys seek out Yogi to ask his opinion, that goes a long way in my books.”

Hailing from Tabor, Czech Republic, Svejkovsky played 113 NHL games as a forward with the Washington Capitals and Tampa Bay Lightning, registering 23 goals and 19 assists. He previously coached for the Western Hockey League's Vancouver Giants and the Delta Hockey Academy.

Svejkovsky and the Sedins will take on a variety of roles, including helping with the Canucks' power play, Tocchet said.

Vancouver's power play operated at 22.7 per cent during the regular season, but struggled in the playoffs, going 13.9 per cent across two rounds.

Recent weeks have been marked by a number of coaching changes around the league, including former bench bosses joining teams as assistant coaches.

Tocchet said he considered others for the open Canucks' role, but ultimately thought it best to promote from within.

“Did I seek out other coaches? A little bit," he said. "But I felt that this was the best way to go to keep the continuity of the staff.”

Vancouver is also in the process of looking for a new dedicated skills coach, he added.

Heading into his second full season as the head coach of the Canucks, Tocchet is entering the final guaranteed year of his current contract. The team holds an option for the 2025-26 season.

It's a situation the coach is comfortable with.

Tocchet — who last month won the Jack Adams Award as the NHL's coach of the year — said he has a great relationship with Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin and president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford.

"I’m not worried about it. I’m really, honestly, focused on this year," he said. "When it’s the time to talk, we’ll talk.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 5, 2024.

Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press