Stars hire Rick Wilson & Stu Barnes as assistant coaches, retain Fraser

Dallas Stars General Manager Jim Nill announced today that the club has appointedRick Wilson andStu Barnes as Assistant Coaches. The team will also retainCurt Fraser as Assistant Coach. Wilson, Barnes and Fraser officially join newly-appointed Head Coach Ken Hitchcock's staff and will work alongside Goaltending Coach Jeff Reese and Video Coach Kelly Forbes.
"We are very happy to have Rick, Stu and Curt returning to the Stars organization and rounding out Ken's staff," said Nill. "The three have a unique familiarity with the club from the time they spent here, and we're excited for the wealth of knowledge and experience they will add to our coaching staff."

Wilson, 66, enters his second stint behind the Stars' bench as he previously served as an assistant coach with the Minnesota North Stars from 1992-93 and then the Dallas Stars from 1993-2002. He spent 16 season with the Stars organization, earning a Stanley Cup with the club in 1999, as well as two Presidents' Trophies, two Western Conference championships and seven division titles. Wilson also spent a short time as head coach of the Stars during the 2001-02 campaign, posting a 13-11-7 record over 32 games, before serving as the team's associate coach from 2002-09.
The Prince Albert, Sask. native began his NHL coaching career in 1988-89 as an assistant coach with the New York Islanders for one season before acting in the same role with the Los Angeles Kings from 1989-92. Following his time with Dallas, Wilson served as associate coach for the Tampa Bay Lightning for one season in 2009-10. He then was hired as an assistant coach with the Minnesota Wild where he spent five seasons from 2010-15 before most recently joining Ken Hitchcock's staff with St. Louis for the 2016-17 season.
In addition to his time behind the bench, Wilson played defenseman for four seasons in the NHL. Originally selected by Montreal in the fifth round (66th overall) of the 1970 NHL Draft, the blueliner recorded 32 points (6-26=32) in 239 career regular-season NHL contests with Montreal, St. Louis and Detroit. He also skated in three postseason games in his career.
Barnes, 46, also rejoins the Stars as assistant coach, serving in the same role he previously held with the team for three seasons from 2008-11. Barnes spent 16 seasons as a player in the NHL and amassed 597 points (261-336=597) in 1,136 career regular-season games with Winnipeg, Florida, Pittsburgh, Buffalo and Dallas. Additionally, the former forward skated 116 career games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, registering 62 points (30-32=62) over 12 trips to the postseason. Barnes also appeared in two Stanley Cup Finals with Florida in 1996 and Buffalo in 1999.
The Spruce Grove, Alta. Native was acquired by Dallas via trade from Buffalo on March 10, 2003 in exchange for forward Michael Ryan and the second-round selection in the 2003 NHL Draft (Branislav Fabry). Barnes spent parts of five seasons with the Stars as a player, recording 120 points (53-67=120) in 329 regular-season games. He was originally selected by Winnipeg in the first round (4th overall) of the 1989 NHL Draft. Prior to his time in the NHL, Barnes enjoyed a stellar career with the Tri-City Americans of the Western Hockey League. He currently co-owns the team with his former junior teammate, goaltender Olaf Kolzig.
Fraser, 59, enters his sixth season as assistant coach with the Stars after joining the club prior to the start of the 2012-13 season. Before coming to Dallas, Fraser served as head coach of the Grand Rapids Griffins, the American Hockey League affiliate of the Detroit Red Wings, for four seasons from 2008-12. While in Grand Rapids, he compiled a 146-130-40 record and is the team's franchise leader in regular-season wins (146) and games coached (316).
The Cincinnati, Ohio, native has over two decades of coaching experience, including as the first head coach in the history of the Atlanta Thrashers, where he spent four seasons and coached in 279 games. He has also worked for the Milwaukee Admirals, Syracuse Crunch, Orlando Solar Bears, New York Islanders and St. Louis Blues. In addition, Fraser served as head coach of the Belarus National Team for two seasons (2006-08), leading the squad at the 2008 IIHF World Championship and helping them qualify for the 2010 Winter Olympics.
Originally selected by the Vancouver Canucks in the first round (22nd overall) of the 1978 NHL Draft, Fraser played 12 years in the National Hockey League with Vancouver, Chicago and the Minnesota North Stars. In 704 career regular-season games, he amassed 433 points (193-240=433) and 1,306 penalty minutes. Having grown up with dual citizenship, Fraser played internationally for both Canada (1978 IIHF World Junior Championship) and the United States (1987 Canada Cup).