"First and foremost I'd like to thank the Jacobs family, Cam and Don for affording me this tremendous opportunity. Last year with Providence was a big step forward for me professionally and I am very excited to carry that momentum to the NHL level and work with the best players in the world, " said Dean. "I am also thrilled to work alongside Bruce, Jay, Joe and Bob and build off of the team's strong 2016-17 campaign."
"The Bruins are excited to be promoting from within our organization. Kevin's experience, work ethic and commitment to winning and developing players qualify him as the best coach to compliment Bruce's staff," said Sweeney. "Kevin's professionalism and communication skills have always been strong attributes. His success as a Head Coach this past season only reinforced our opinion that Kevin is both ready and excited for the challenges of coaching at the NHL level."
"We are very pleased to add Kevin to our coaching staff. He's an extremely knowledgeable hockey mind who is deeply committed to the Bruins organization and development of our players," said Bruins Head Coach Bruce Cassidy. "We've established a strong rapport having coached together for five years in Providence and I look forward to working closely with him again on a daily basis."
Dean's promotion comes one season after being named head coach of the Providence Bruins, Boston's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate. In his first season at the helm of the P-Bruins, Dean led the team to a 43-23-6 (96 points) record, yielding a berth in the 2017 Calder Cup Playoffs. In his playoff debut behind the bench as head coach, the P-Bruins advanced all the way to the Eastern Conference Final where they fell to the Syracuse Crunch (4-1) after topping the Wilkes/Barre/Scranton Penguins in Round 1 (3-2) and Hershey Bears in Round 2 (4-3). It was the P-Bruins first Eastern Conference Finals appearance since 2009.
Dean spent five seasons as an assistant coach of Providence Bruins (2011-16), where the team compiled a 207-128-45 record in 380 games, including winning seasons in all five years. During his tenure as assistant coach, the team reached the playoffs four times, missing the playoffs just once during the 2011-12 campaign.
The 48-year-old native of Madison, WI, also spent five seasons as a coach in the New Jersey Devils organization, including four seasons as an assistant coach for the Lowell Devils (AHL) and one season as head coach of the Trenton Devils (ECHL).
On the ice, Dean enjoyed a successful playing career, competing in 331 NHL games with Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta and New Jersey. Dean was a member of the 1994-95 Stanley Cup Champion New Jersey Devils, where he appeared in 17 games with one assist and a plus-six rating. In total, he compiled seven goals and 48 assists for 55 points with 138 penalty minutes at the NHL level. Prior to his professional career, Dean played four seasons at the University of New Hampshire posting 14 goals and 36 assists for 50 total points in 131 games.
He was drafted by New Jersey in the fifth round (86th overall) of the 1987 NHL Entry Draft.
TRANSACTION: Boston Bruins hire Kevin Dean as Assistant Coach
