Capitals Name Mitch Love Assistant Coach

ARLINGTON, Va. - The Washington Capitals have named Mitch Love as an assistant coach, senior vice president and general manager Brian MacLellan announced today. Love, who will primarily work with the Capitals' defensemen, will join assistant coach Scott Allen and goaltending coach Scott Murray on head coach Spencer Carbery's staff.

Love, 39, joins Washington after spending the previous two seasons as the head coach of the Calgary Flames' AHL affiliate, the Calgary Wranglers (2022-23) and Stockton Heat (2021-22). Love, who guided Calgary to an AHL-best 51-17-3-1 record in 2022-23, received the Louis A.R. Pieri Memorial Award as the AHL's outstanding coach for the second-consecutive season. Love became just the third coach in AHL history to win back-to-back Pieri Awards and the first to do so in his first two seasons in the league.

Under Love last season, Calgary ranked first in the AHL in goals against per game (2.42) and penalty kill percentage (85.1%) and fourth in goals for per game (3.56). In 2021-22, Stockton ranked third in the AHL in goals against per game (2.72) and finished with the league's second-best record. In two seasons as head coach, Love complied a record of 96-33-8-3 and won two Pacific Division titles.

Prior to joining the Flames organization, Love was head coach of the Saskatoon Blades of the Western Hockey League (WHL) from 2018-21, where he posted a record of 95-44-12-4 over three seasons. The Quesnel, British Columbia native also served as an assistant coach with the Everett Silvertips of the WHL for seven seasons from 2011-18.

Internationally, Love was an assistant coach on Canada's gold-medal winning team at the 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship and served in the same role at the 2021 tournament, earning a silver medal. Love coached Capitals forward Connor McMichael at both tournaments.

Love played professionally for six seasons, including five years in the AHL, where he recorded 27 points (6g, 21a) and 808 penalty minutes in 278 career games.