Jeff Twohey leaves Arizona Coyotes
Former Petes GM is looking for a new hockey challenge
Jeff Twohey is looking for a new opportunity in hockey after resigning as the Arizona Coyotes’ assistant director of amateur scouting on Thursday.
The Peterborough resident and former Petes GM is the second high-ranking member of the Coyotes’ amateur scouting department to resign since Lindsay Hofford was named the Coyotes’ assistant GM and director of scouting. Tim Bernhardt, who hired Twohey, resigned as director of amateur scouting in August. Twohey, 58, was with the Coyotes for seven years.
“Sometimes when changes are made they just don’t work out,” said Twohey. “I had to make a decision to do what was best for myself. I decided at this point I wanted a change. I want to explore some different things. That’s why I made the decision to leave. It was 100 per cent my decision.”
Twohey said he enjoyed working with Coyotes GM John Chayka who he says asked him to reconsider.
“I’m comfortable with the decision and I’m excited about what other opportunities might be out there,” Twohey said.
He was in the final year of his contract and will forfeit his pay for the balance of the season.
“It was a decision I came to over the weekend for a variety of reasons,” he said. “To answer to myself and be true to myself I had to make this decision. It became clear to me I needed to go in another direction.”
It was a tough decision, he said, because he’s proud of the work he’s done in Arizona and feels the team is on the upswing.
“I’ve had seven years invested in the Coyotes and I think they’re really moving in the right direction. I think John Chayka is an outstanding young general manager and it was hard to walk away from it,” he said.
“Tim Bernhardt and I had a really good staff there with good people. We worked hard at the scouting. Players like Clayton Keller, Jakob Chychrun, Christian Fischer, Dylan Strome are all players who are there now playing. There are good players in the American league and young players like Barrett Hayton, who is a really exciting upand-coming player, and Kevin Bahl, a big defenceman in Ottawa, who has a bright future. They’ve got a lot of good prospects. Tim and I and the staff are proud of that.”
This is the first time in a career that has spanned 37 years that Twohey is on the open market of his own choosing.
Scouting remains a passion but he’s open to other opportunities in hockey including media where he’s dipped his toe in the past.
“I made a commitment to myself to make myself better and improve myself,” he said. “I want to stay in hockey. It’s obviously my life and I enjoy it. I enjoy working with good people and interacting with good people. I hope I can get back whether it’s the NHL or junior or whatever.
“I think I have a lot to offer in hockey. I have a lot of experience whether it’s management, scouting, development. I’ve been involved in all those areas.”