Mayor’s Manor has confirmed via multiple team sources that Marco Sturm has agreed to a multi-year contract extension with the LA Kings organization. After spending more than three seasons with the organization as an assistant coach at the NHL level, Sturm took over in AHL Ontario last season, where he guided the Reign to a regular season record of 34- 32-5-1.
Along with Sturm, assistant coaches Chris Hajt and Brad Schuler have also agreed to multi-year contract extensions. Now, all three will return to the Reign bench to begin the 2023-24 season later this year. These moves will bring some stability after a tumultuous few years for the Reign coaching staff.
Despite guiding the club for six seasons and bringing them their only Calder Cup championship, veteran coach Mike Stothers left in the summer of 2020 when his contract was not renewed. John Wroblewski was signed to much fanfare a few months later, only to leave the club after less than two seasons. Hajt and assistant coach Craig Johnson (now with the Anaheim Ducks) took over to complete the 2021-22 campaign — doing an admirable job in the process.
Last summer brought a handful of coaching changes to the Kings and Reign, with Sturm moving to the AHL for his first head coaching experience in North America, and Jim was asked to Hiller fixing LA’s power play.
Despite a disappointing end to Ontario’s recently completed season, where the club managed wins in just four of its final 21 regular season games, there were plenty of positives to take from it. Many players and others in management have praised Sturm’s approach; saying he is an effective communicator, is well prepared for games and motivates younger players. Coaching in the AHL isn’t easy (after all, it’s a developmental league above all else), with players often needing to adjust to life as a professional after a while in the junior hockey, in college or coming from abroad.
The fact that the Reign were plagued by injuries and call-ups during the last two months of the season should also be taken into account. Already thin at center, it was no surprise that when Kings prospect Alex Turcotte returned from being out of the lineup for several weeks, the Reign immediately ended an 11-game losing streak by winning three straight.
In an article we published earlier this season, Kings GM Rob Blake and coach Todd McLellan praised Sturm for the adjustments he made in his first year as the boss. In addition to the tactical side of training, McLellan thought Strum had “adapted to all the other things that go with training,” including things like meeting with [Reign GM] Richard Seeley, dealing with the media, handling agent requests, along with “motivational, taping and video sessions.” As McLellan noted, “You are responsible for all of them and you are all the time.”
At the time, Blake was particularly lauded for the connection that was forming between the two teams, adding: “What I like about the situation right now is the relationship between him and Todd, how much they meet during the week and everything,” said the LA general manager.
As the season progressed, Sturm’s confidence naturally grew in the position. Ever the competitor, dating back to his NHL playing days, being swept out of the playoffs probably didn’t sit well with him. However, it’s all just part of the process. After being a first-round pick of the San Jose Sharks, Sturm came straight to the NHL from Germany and never spent a single day in the minors, so the whole experience was new to him and she became more comfortable as the year progressed. throughout
In Hajt and Schuler, Sturm has two solid hands. In fact, Hajt may be Ontario’s secret sauce that continues to fly under the radar. Not only did he spend four seasons under Stothers, but he also just completed his fifth year in Ontario after serving two seasons as an NHL assistant coach. His experience and approach to young players should not be overlooked.
Schuler, meanwhile, brings four years of AHL experience, having served as the team’s video coach for three seasons before moving into an assistant coaching role under Sturm.
Look for all three contracts to be officially announced next week.
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