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Manny Malhotra outlines roles and responsibilities for Canucks new coaching staff

Photo credit: © Bob Frid-Imagn Images

By Jeff Paterson

Sep 1, 2026, 10:00 EDTUpdated: Aug 31, 2026, 23:21 EDT

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As Vancouver Canucks players return to the ice at Rogers Arena ahead of the rapidly approaching National Hockey League season, the roles and responsibilities of the team’s new coaching staff have been unveiled.

In an article on the Canucks website, new head coach Manny Malhotra revealed the portfolios he has assigned to assistant coaches Ryan Mougenel, Jordan Smith and Jason Krog.

Mougenel, the American Hockey League’s reigning coach of the year, will be responsible for offence and will oversee the Canucks power play. Last season under Mougenel, the Providence Bruins had the ninth-ranked power play in the AHL operating at 20.8%. The Canucks power play ranked 14th in the NHL last season at 21.8%, but was second only to the Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes in 25 games after the Olympic break.

Smith, who was promoted from Abbotsford along with Malhotra, will handle the defensive assignments and will be in charge of rebuilding a Canucks penalty kill that finished dead last in the NHL last season at 71.5%. The Canucks surrendered a league-high 65 power play goals against. So, Smith has his work cut out for him.

Krog, meanwhile, will assist Mougenel with offensive principles with a focus on attacking off the rush. He will also serve as a jack of all trades, according to Malhotra, looking at different aspects of the team’s systems and structure. Krog will also be tasked with working with individual players both on the ice and on video. That is a continuation of his role as the club’s skills coach, which the former NHL forward held for the past two seasons.

In addition to Mougenel, Smith and Krog, Malhotra will also lean on goalie coach Marko Torenius for guidance on netminding decisions.

After phone and FaceTime discussions as he filled out his staff, Malhotra brought his assistants together for the first time for a weekend in early August.

“One of the biggest strengths that our staff possess is their ability to relate to people and talk to people, Malhotra told Canucks Insider Lindsey Horsting. “That’s such a big part of teaching.”

Malhotra and his coaching staff won’t have to wait long now to get their chance to work with the roster. The Canucks kick off training camp week with the team’s annual Jake Milford golf tournament on September 14th and then head for Penticton for the start of training camp on the 17th. The Canucks play their first of four NHL preseason contests in Seattle on Saturday, September 19th.

Canucks prospects will face a squad of Seattle Kraken youngsters in a two-game set in Abbotsford on September 12th and 13th. It’s expected the Canucks AHL coaching staff, led by new head coach Ryan Papaioannou, will run the bench for those contests.