LOS ANGELES – The Los Angles Kings have found a replacement for former Ontario Reign Head Coach Mike Sothers.
LA Kings Vice President and General Manager Rob Blake made the announcement Monday afternoon that John Wroblewski will join the Reign as head coach.
“John has a proven background in working with young players and helping them develop their game…He’s a strong leader who communicates well and he’ll play an important role for our organization. We welcome John and his family to southern California and look forward to having him coach the Reign.”
-Rob Blake to NHL.COM
Wroblewski worked for two seasons as head coach of the Gwinnett Gladiators in the ECHL before making a small round with the AHL’s Rochester Americans as an assistant. He then moved to the USA Hockey National Team Development Program (USNTDP) in the USHL, coaching the under 18 and 17 squads, respectively. In his four years as a development coach in the USHL, Wroblewski ran a 0.645 seasonal win percentage and a record of 72-60-14.
On the international stage, Wroblewski held the reins of the U.S. International U-18 squad twice. In both of his IIHF runs as head coach, John guided the team to a gold medal finish in 2017 and a bronze medal completion in 2019.
The news comes after Wroblewski’s USNTDP colleague, Seth Appert, joined the Rochester Americans as head coach on Friday.
During the shortened 2019-20 season, the Reign drew a 29-22-6 record, pushing them out of a hypothetical playoff spot.
Wroblewski will join the Reign effective immediately.
WHAT’S COOL ON TWITTER
This year’s IIHF Men’s Under-18 World Championship wasn’t U.S. coach John Wroblewski’s first rodeo: https://t.co/fNgoj2ZDkj pic.twitter.com/yIXnK3ibvz
— USA Hockey Magazine (@USAHMagazine) July 5, 2017
