The Winnipeg Jets did what everyone was expecting by naming Scott Arniel their fourth head coach in Jets 2.0 history on Friday.
Arniel received a big promotion after holding the title as their associate coach the past two seasons under Rick Bowness who recently retired.
The 61-year-old Arniel served as their interim head coach on three different occasions while Bowness was on leave for family and health reasons. He had a 15-7-3 record in the interim role over 25 games.
It’s the second time True North Sports and Entertainment has hired Arniel to be a head coach after Arniel guided the AHL’s Manitoba Moose for four seasons from 2006-2010, leading them to the Calder Cup final in 2009.
Arniel was hired as head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2010 and held the position for two seasons. He’s also been the head coach of the Chicago Wolves and was an associate coach with the New York Rangers and Washington Capitals before returning to Winnipeg in 2022.
As a player, Arniel first broke into the NHL with the original Jets after being drafted in the second round, 22nd overall in 1981. He appeared in 730 career NHL games with the Jets, Buffalo Sabres, and Boston Bruins.
Arniel follows in the footsteps of Claude Noel, Paul Maurice and Bowness as the Jets fourth fulltime head coach. Dave Lowry also coached the Jets as an interim head coach in the 2021-2022 season.
The Jets will officially introduce Arniel at a media conference on Monday.