ORLANDO, Fla. – The Orlando Solar Bears have announced the club has added Jared Staal as the team’s new assistant coach.
“I’m pleased to have Jared join our coaching staff for the coming season,” Solar Bears head coach and general manager Drake Berehowsky said. “During the interview process, he demonstrated to me that he is someone who has a passion for teaching today’s modern hockey player, and he will be an asset to our hockey operations staff.”
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Staal, 28, begins his professional coaching career after spending the 2018-19 season as the assistant coach at the Okanagan Hockey Academy’s Edmonton, Alberta campus.
“My family and I would like to thank Drake Berehowsky and [Solar Bears president] Chris Heller for the opportunity to join such a respected organization like the Orlando Solar Bears,” Staal said. “I am looking forward to working with and learning from Drake, and can’t wait for the season to begin.”
As a player, Staal enjoyed a seven-year professional career, including a two-game stint with the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes. Staal played the majority of his career in the American Hockey League, where he accrued 36 points (17g-19a) and 99 penalty minutes in 232 games with the Charlotte Checkers, Providence Bruins and San Antonio Rampage. He also played 97 games in the ECHL with the South Carolina Stingrays and Florida Everblades, recording 35 points (18g-17a) and 29 penalty minutes. The 6-foot-4, 201-pound winger concluded his career in 2016-17, when he suited up for the Edinburgh Capitals of Great Britain’s Elite Ice Hockey League, generating 33 points (12g-21a) and 14 penalty minutes in 44 games.
Prior to turning pro, the Thunder Bay, Ontario native played major junior hockey for the Sudbury Wolves of the Ontario Hockey League, recording 153 points (54g-99a) and 157 penalty minutes in 249 games.
Staal comes from a renowned hockey family, as his brothers Eric, Marc and Jordan all have played in the NHL. Off the ice, Staal is involved with the Staal Family Foundation, which is a family foundation motivated by the desire to give back to communities, by providing support and opportunities for children and families fighting cancer.
Staal was a second-round selection of the Phoenix Coyotes (No. 49 overall) in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.