BROSSARD – Montreal Canadiens executive vice president, hockey operations Jeff Gorton announced on Tuesday that the team has hired Lauri Korpikoski as a player development coach. He will be based in Europe. Gorton also announced that Alex Burrows will now take on the role of player development consultant.
Korpikoski played 609 games in the NHL with the New York Rangers, Phoenix Coyotes (and Arizona), Edmonton Oilers, Dallas Stars and Columbus Blue Jackets. The Turku, FIN native produced 86 goals and 115 assists in nine seasons.
He was selected in the first round (19th overall) by the Rangers at the 2004 NHL Draft. The 37-year-old former forward earned a bronze medal at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi and won the National League in 2017-18 with the Zurich Lions.
Burrows, who accepted the assistant coach position with the Canadiens on February 24, 2021, also worked as an assistant coach in the AHL with the Laval Rocket from 2018 to 2021. Burrows played 913 career NHL games before retiring in 2018. The Pincourt, QC native registered 409 points (205G, 204A) with the Vancouver Canucks and Ottawa Senators.
