The Washington Capitals have hired Spencer Carbery as their next coach, bringing back a favourite of the organization to fill the job he was envisioned to get years ago.
The team announced the move Tuesday, bringing Carbery back into the fold after he spent the past two seasons as an assistant for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Before that, Carbery was considered the heir apparent to veteran Capitals head coach Peter Laviolette because of his time with Washington's top minor league affiliate.
Carbery coached the American Hockey League's Hershey Bears for three seasons from 2018-21 before getting his first NHL job on Sheldon Keefe's staff with Toronto. "Spencer is one of the best young coaches in the game who's had success at every level at which he has coached," Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan said in a statement. "We feel his leadership, communication skills, ability to develop players and familiarity with our organization will be a tremendous asset as he makes this next step in his coaching career." Carbery, 41, went from a Capitals home-grown prospect who began with their ECHL team in South Carolina to one of the most intriguing coaching candidates in hockey.