Rangers Announce Additions to Coaching Staff

New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that the club has named Scott Arniel as the team's new Associate Coach, while former Rangers Ulf Samuelsson and Daniel Lacroix will re-join the team as Assistant Coaches.

Arniel, 50, brings 13 years of professional coaching experience to the Rangers' bench, which includes serving as Head Coach for the NHL's Columbus Blue Jackets for 123 games.
The Kingston, Ontario native joins the Rangers after spending one season as Head Coach of the American Hockey League's (AHL) Chicago Wolves, where he posted a 37-30-5-4 record. He has compiled a 218-136-21-21 record for a .604 winning percentage as a head coach in the AHL, including four seasons with the Manitoba Moose from 2006-07 to 2009-10. In 2008-09, Arniel guided the Moose to the Calder Cup Finals after posting franchise records with 50 wins and 107 points to finish atop the AHL standings. He captured the Louis A.R. Pieri Memorial Award that season as the AHL coach of the year.
Arniel previously served as an Assistant Coach with the Buffalo Sabres from 2002-03 to 2005-06, and with Manitoba from 2000-01 to 2001-02.
Prior to joining the coaching ranks, Arniel appeared in 730 NHL games as a player with the Winnipeg Jets (1981-86; 1990-91), Buffalo Sabres (1986-90), and Boston Bruins (1991-92), registering 149 goals and 189 assists for 338 points in 11 seasons. The left winger was originally selected by Winnipeg in the second round, 22nd overall, in the 1981 NHL Entry Draft.
Arniel also recorded 14 points (seven goals, seven assists) in 25 AHL games with the Maine Mariners and New Haven Nighthawks in 1991-92, and 460 points (194 goals, 266 assists) in 530 International Hockey League contests with the San Diego Gulls (1992-94), Houston Aeros (1994-96), Utah Grizzlies (1995-96), and Manitoba Moose (1997-99). He split the 1995-96 season with Houston and Utah, beginning the campaign as a player/assistant coach with the Aeros. He went on to win the 1996 Turner Cup with the Grizzlies.
Samuelsson, 49, joins the Rangers' bench after spending the last two seasons as Head Coach of the Swedish Hockey League's (SHL) Modo Hockey, where he posted a 38-15-16-41 record. He guided Modo to a playoff appearance in each of his two seasons with the team from 2011-12 to 2012-13.
Prior to joining Modo, Samuelsson spent five seasons as an Associate Coach with the Phoenix Coyotes from 2006-07 to 2010-11. During his tenure, the Coyotes posted a 198-173-39 record, and advanced to the playoffs on two occasions (2009-10, 2010-11). In 2009-10, he helped guide Phoenix to franchise records with 50 wins and 107 points. The former NHL defenseman was instrumental in developing the team's core defensemen, including Keith Yandle, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and Zbynek Michalek.
Samuelsson began his coaching career in the AHL as an Assistant Coach with the Hartford Wolf Pack in 2005-06, serving alongside Head Coach Jim Schoenfeld and Assistant Coach Ken Gernander. The Wolf Pack advanced to the Eastern Conference Semifinals following a 48-24-0-8 campaign.
A veteran of 16 NHL seasons, Samuelsson appeared in 1,080 career games as a player with the Hartford Whalers (1984-91), Pittsburgh Penguins (1991-95), New York Rangers (1995-99), Detroit Red Wings (1999), and Philadelphia Flyers (1999-00). Originally selected by Hartford as a fourth round choice, 67th overall, in the 1982 NHL Entry Draft, he registered 57 goals and 275 assists for 332 points, along with 2,453 penalty minutes and a plus-172 rating. Samuelsson is a two-time Stanley Cup Champion with the Pittsburgh Penguins (1991, 1992), and skated as an NHL All-Star in the two-game Rendez-vous '87 series against the Soviet National Team.
In four seasons with the Rangers, Samuelsson registered 14 goals and 46 assists for 60 points, along with 475 penalty minutes and a plus-19 rating in 287 regular season games. The Fagerstad, Sweden native has also represented Sweden in several international competitions, including in the 1998 Winter Olympic Games in Nagano, Japan, and with the silver medal-winning team in the 1990 IIHF World Championships.
Lacroix, 44, joins the Rangers' bench after spending six of the last seven seasons in the NHL as an Assistant Coach with the Tampa Bay Lightning and New York Islanders. He served three seasons each with Tampa Bay (2010-11 to 2012-13) and Long Island (2006-07 to 2008-09) and advanced to the playoffs on two occasions, with the Lightning in 2010-11 and with the Islanders in 2006-07.
Prior to joining Tampa Bay, Lacroix spent one season as an Assistant Coach with the Hamilton Bulldogs of the American Hockey League (AHL) in 2009-10. He helped guide the Bulldogs to franchise records with 52 wins and 115 points to finish atop the Western Conference standings. Hamilton advanced to the Conference Finals that season, where they were eliminated in Game 7 by the Texas Stars.
The Montreal, Quebec native began his coaching career as an Assistant Coach with the Moncton Wildcats of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) for four seasons from 2002-03 to 2005-06. During his tenure, the Wildcats posted a 172-77-21-12 record and advanced to the President's Cup Final on two occasions (2003-04, 2005-06), including an appearance in the 2006 Memorial Cup Tournament. In 2004-05, Lacroix also served as Moncton's interim Head Coach midway through the season, compiling a 8-8-4-1 record through the final 21 games of the season, and leading the Wildcats into the second round of the playoffs.
Drafted by the Blueshirts as a second round choice, 31st overall, in the 1987 NHL Entry Draft, Lacroix appeared in 188 career games over seven seasons as a player with the Rangers (1993-94; 1995-96), Boston Bruins (1994-95), Philadelphia Flyers (1996-98), Edmonton Oilers (1998-99), and New York Islanders (1999-00). The left winger registered 11 goals and seven assists for 18 points, along with 379 penalty minutes, including four points (two goals, two assists) and 30 penalty minutes in 30 games with the Rangers.
In addition, Benoit Allaire will remain with the team as the Rangers' Assistant and Goaltending Coach. Allaire will begin his 10th season with the Rangers coaching staff after being named to the post on July 15, 2004.