Ontario Reign announce coaching staff update, preseason schedule + Kings 5K Photos

Happy Monday, Insiders!

There is LA Kings hockey this week……I repeat, there is LA Kings hockey THIS WEEK!

The rookies hit the ice in a few days here in El Segundo, before departing for San Jose to take part in the 2022 Rookie Faceoff beginning on Friday. Before we get into that, however, recapping a story from over the weekend, when the Ontario Reign announced a few updates regarding their coaching staff for the 2022-23 season.

Reign Announce Coaching Staff Updates
The Ontario Reign made an announcement on Friday with three coaching “transactions” if you will, all impacting the AHL staff heading into this season.

The most notable move was the promotion of Brad Schuler from Video Coach to Assistant Coach, joining Marco Sturm’s staff for the upcoming season. Schuler started with Ontario in the video coaching position back in 2019, serving in that capacity for three seasons, through last year officially. When the Reign staff underwent a midseason transformation, due to John Wroblewski’s personal absence, Schuler stepped behind the bench for the remainder of the season alongside assistant coaches Chris Hajt and Craig Johnson. With Johnson now a member of the Anaheim Ducks organization, Schuler joins Hajt as a permenant assistant coach on Sturm’s staff.

“We are excited to have Brad build off the work he did in a more hands-on role last season,” Ontario Reign General Manager Richard Seeley said. “He has a great rapport with our coaching staff and will continue to be part of our goal to develop players for the NHL and win hockey games.”

Schuler has been working with Kings prospects and Reign players in an on-ice capacity for the better part of two seasons now, in addition to his work on the video side, as well as last season on the bench during games. Schuler also has a season of coaching experience as an assistant coach with the ECHL’s Manchester Monarchs during the 2018-19 season, as he helped lead the team to the second round of the 2019 Kelly Cup Playoffs.

The New Jersey native was also an assistant coach in the NCAA ranks at the University of Maine during the 2017-18 season and served in the same role for two seasons at Middlebury College. As a player, Schuler played professionally with the CHL’s Denver Cutthroats and the SPHL’s Huntsville Havoc following a four-season career at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, NY.

Ontario also announced the additions of Cole Lussier, who will replace Schuler as the Video Coach and Team Services Specialist, as well as Andre Carere, who has been hired as Head Strength and Conditioning Coach.

From the Reign –

Lussier, 25, comes to Ontario from the Flint Firebirds of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), where he served as a Video Coach & Administrative Assistant during the 2021-22 season. A native of Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., Lussier played hockey at the collegiate level for Trine University and later received a pre-law degree from Michigan State University.

Carere spent the 2021-22 season with the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds as a Strength and Conditioning Intern, where he was part of the group that made a run to the 2022 Calder Cup Finals. He recently completed his master’s degree in Strength and Conditioning from Springfield College where he also served as a Graduate Assistant with the school’s athletic department.

Carere’s other previous experience includes time as an intern with the Calgary Flames, the College of Holy Cross and McMaster University. He received his undergraduate degree in Kinesiology from Brock University in 2017.

AHL Preseason Date Unveiled
The AHL announced the league’s preseason schedule Tuesday, which consists of just a single date for the Ontario Reign. Ontario will have it’s lone exhibition outing on Saturday, Oct. 8 in San Diego, six days before the team opens the regular season at home on Oct. 14.

Much of the Reign roster will be on the ice in the coming weeks as part of the Kings’ training camp and may see game action during the NHL preseason. Ontario is scheduled to open its own camp the week of Oct. 3 and will have just under two weeks to prepare for its opener.

5K Photos
As we focused all of our attention here towards on-ice news, the LA Kings made some big strides off the ice on Saturday as well, with the annual 5K event held in Redondo Beach.

Several Kings players joined Daryl Evans and a ton of Kings fans for the annual run/walk, with all fundraising in support of the Kings Care Foundation. A few photos from the event below –

Looking ahead, the rookies hit the ice here in El Segundo on Thursday morning, with an eye towards Game 1 versus Colorado on Friday. I’ll be away during the tournament for a family wedding, but the Ontario duo of Josh Schaefer and Jared Shafran will have you covered here on LAKI throughout the course of the weekend’s festivities.