Islanders dismiss assistant coaches Chynoweth, Allen
The New York Islanders have dismissed assistant coaches Dean Chynoweth and Scott Allen, clearing out the remainder of former coach Scott Gordon’s staff heading into the off-season.
Chynoweth, 43, and Allen, 46, joined the Islanders before the 2009-10 season, heading into Gordon’s second season as head coach. The two assistants stayed on through the 2010-11 season, after Gordon was fired and replaced by Jack Capuano, and through this season to finish out their contracts.
Brent Thompson, who led the affiliate Bridgeport (Conn.) Sound Tigers to the post-season in his first year as their coach, is a leading candidate to join the Islanders’ staff next season, given his positive work with the numerous prospects in Bridgeport.
Bridgeport begins its best-of-five first-round series with the Connecticut Whale, the New York Rangers’ affiliate, on Thursday.
Video coach Ryan Ward, who also came during Gordon’s tenure, has left voluntarily to take a job outside of the NHL.
The Islanders picked Chynoweth 13th overall in 1987, and he played parts of seven seasons with the team. He coached in the Western League for nearly a decade before joining the Islanders’ coaching staff.
Allen had been an assistant coach in the AHL for several seasons.