John Hynes (ice hockey)
John Hynes | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 10, 1975 United States |
| Occupation | Ice hockey coach |
| Years active | 2000–present |
| Known for | Head coach of Minnesota Wild, New Jersey Devils, Nashville Predators |
John Hynes (born February 10, 1975) is an American professional ice hockey coach currently serving as the head coach for the Minnesota Wild in the National Hockey League (NHL). His previous head coaching roles include leading the New Jersey Devils and the Nashville Predators.
Playing career
Hynes, a 1997 alumnus of Boston University, played as a forward and earned three varsity letters with the Terriers. During his collegiate tenure, he competed in four straight NCAA Frozen Four tournaments. Notably, in 1995, Boston University secured the NCAA Division I National Championship held in Providence, Rhode Island. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in health and physical education.
College coaching
Hynes began his coaching journey as an assistant at the University of Massachusetts Lowell during the 2000–01 season, followed by a stint at the University of Wisconsin in 2002–03.
USA Hockey
After the 2002–03 season, Hynes took on the head coaching position for six seasons with USA Hockey's National Team Development Program, achieving a record of 216–113–19–9. In the 2008–09 season, he led the U.S. under-17 development squad to a 42–17–6 record.
He earned three medals coaching the U.S. under-18 national team at the IIHF World U18 Championship: gold in 2006, silver in 2004, and bronze in 2008. Hynes also served as head coach for the U.S. national junior team at the 2008 World Junior Championships and was assistant coach for the gold-medal-winning team in 2004. More recently, he was head coach of the U.S. senior national team at the 2024 IIHF World Championship, where they finished fifth following a quarterfinal defeat to eventual champions Czechia.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
On August 4, 2009, General Manager Ray Shero appointed Hynes as assistant coach for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, working under head coach Todd Reirden. After Reirden joined the Pittsburgh Penguins' coaching staff, Hynes was promoted to head coach on July 31, 2010. During his five seasons leading the team, they qualified for the playoffs each year and advanced to the conference finals twice.
New Jersey Devils
Hynes was named head coach of the New Jersey Devils on June 2, 2015, succeeding Scott Stevens and Adam Oates. At that time, he was the youngest NHL head coach for the 2015–16 campaign. On April 5, 2018, he guided the Devils to their first postseason berth since the 2011–12 season; however, they were eliminated in five games by the Tampa Bay Lightning during the First Round. Hynes secured a multi-year contract extension on January 3, 2019, but was dismissed on December 3, 2019, with assistant coach Alain Nasreddine taking over.
Nashville Predators
Hynes assumed head coaching duties for the Nashville Predators on January 7, 2020], replacing Peter Laviolette. He remained with Nashville for nearly four seasons before being relieved of his position on May 30, 2023.
Minnesota Wild
On November 27, 2023, Hynes was named head coach of the Minnesota Wild.
Awards
- AHL
- 2011 – Recipient of the Louis A. R. Pieri Memorial Award
- 2023 – Honored with induction into the Rhode Island Hockey Hall of Fame
NHL
| Team | Season | Regular Season | Playoffs | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | L | OTL | Pts | Standing | W | L | Win% | Outcome | ||
| NJD | 2015–16 | 82 | 38 | 36 | 8 | 84 | 7th place in Metropolitan | — | — | — | Did not qualify |
| NJD | 2016–17 | 82 | 28 | 40 | 14 | 70 | Finished 8th in Metropolitan | — | — | — | Did not qualify |
| NJD | 2017–18 | 82 | 44 | 29 | 9 | 97 | Ranked 5th in Metropolitan | 1 | 4 | Template:Winpct | Eliminated in first round (TBL) |
| NJD | 2018–19 | 82 | 31 | 41 | 10 | 72 | Placed 8th in Metropolitan | — | — | — | Did not qualify |
| NJD | 2019–20 | 26 | 9 | 13 | 4 | (22) | (dismissed) | — | — | — | — |
| NJD cumulative | 354 | 150 | 159 | 45 | 1 | 4 | Template:Winpct | One playoff appearance | |||
| NSH | 2019–20 | 28 | 16 | 11 | 1 | 33 | Finished 5th in Central | 1 | 3 | Template:Winpct | Eliminated in qualifying round (ARI) |
| NSH | 2020–21 | 56 | 31 | 23 | 2 | 64 | Placed 4th in Central | 2 | 4 | Template:Winpct | Knocked out in first round (CAR) |
| NSH | 2021–22 | 82 | 45 | 30 | 7 | 97 | Ranked5thinCentral | 0 | 4 | Template:Winpct | Defeated in first round (COL) |
| NSH | 2022–23 | 82 | 42 | 32 | 8 | 92 | 5thinCentral | — | — | — | Did not qualify |
| NSH overall | 248 | 134 | 96 | 18 | 3 | 11 | Template:Winpct | Three playoff appearances | |||
| MIN | 2023–24 | 63 | 34 | 24 | 5 | (73) | 6thinCentral | — | — | — | Did not qualify |
| MIN | 2024–25 | 82 | 45 | 30 | 7 | 97 | 4thinCentral | 2 | 4 | Template:Winpct | Eliminated in first round (VGK) |
| MIN aggregate | 145 | 79 | 54 | 12 | 2 | 4 | Template:Winpct | One playoff appearance | |||
| Career total | 747 | 363 | 309 | 78 | 6 | 19 | Template:Winpct | Five playoff appearances | |||
AHL
| Team | Season | Regular Season | Playoffs | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | L | OTL | Pts | Standing | W | L | Win% | Outcome | ||
| WBS | 2010–11 | 80 | 58 | 21 | 1 | 117 | 1st place in East division | 6 | 6 | Template:Winpct | Lost Division Finals (CHA) |
| WBS | 2011–12 | 76 | 44 | 25 | 7 | 95 | Secured 2nd in East division | 6 | 6 | Template:Winpct | Eliminated Conference Semifinals (STJ) |
| WBS | 2012–13 | 76 | 42 | 30 | 4 | 88 | Finished third in East division | 8 | 7 | Template:Winpct | Lost Conference Finals (SYR) |
| WBS | 2013-14 | 42 |26 |8 |92 |Runner-up in East division |9 |8 |Template:Winpct |Lost Conference Finals (STJ) | |||||||||
| WBS !2014-15 | 45 |24 |7 |97 |Second place East division |4 |4 |Template:Winpct |Lost Conference Semifinals (MCH) | ||||||||||
| colspan = "2" !Total !384 !231 !126 !27 ! ! !33 !31 !Template:Winpct !Five postseason participations | |||||||||||