SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning have hired Jeff Halpern to serve as assistant coach for its AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch.
Halpern, 40, began his career behind the bench with the Crunch during the 2015-16 season as the team’s player development coach. He worked closely with Lightning hockey prospects in Syracuse to assist with individual development, the Crunch said in a news release.
A native of Washington, D.C., Halpern played 976 NHL games, including 126 with the Lightning from 2007 to 2010. Over his 14 seasons in the NHL, the center posted 152 goals and 221 assists. He also played for the Washington Capitals, Dallas Stars, Los Angeles Kings, Montreal Canadiens, and New York Rangers before finishing his career with the Phoenix Coyotes in 2014.
Halpern will join assistant coach Trent Cull and goaltending and video coach David Alexander in Syracuse under the direction of Crunch head coach Benoit Groulx.
The Syracuse Crunch will hold their 23rd home opener at the War Memorial at Oncenter on Oct. 15 to start the 2016-17 season.
Last season, the Crunch won 32 of their 76 games, finished sixth in their division, and missed the playoffs for the second time in three years.
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