Ottawa Announce Dave Cameron and Mark Reeds as Assistant Coaches

Your Ottawa Senators have rounded out their coaching staff as the team announced today the hiring of OHL coaches Dave Cameron and Mark Reeds as the two assistant coaches to new head coach Paul MacLean. With so much turnover behind Ottawa’s bench the last couple of years, the Sens will have a rookie staff leading the team through their rebuild.

As per the Ottawa Senators press release,

"Cameron, 52, has spent the last four seasons as the head coach and general manager of the Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors of the Ontario Hockey League. Cameron recently led the club to the OHL’s best record and the Memorial Cup and OHL finals. In four years with Mississauga, the Majors posted a 165-91-16 record in 272 regular-season games.Cameron also served as head coach for Canada’s national junior team, winning a silver medal at the 2011 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship held in Buffalo, N.Y. He was also an associate coach for the national junior team in 2010, winning a silver medal in Regina/Saskatoon after winning a goal medal as an assistant coach in 2009 when the tournament was held in Ottawa.Prior to joining Mississauga, Cameron spent three seasons in the Senators organization as the head coach of the American Hockey League’s Binghamton Senators. In three years with Binghamton, the team posted a 105-106-29 record over 240 games.A native of Kinkora, P.E.I, Cameron came to Binghamton from the Toronto St. Michael’s Majors of the OHL, where he had served as head coach and director of hockey operations. In four years with Toronto, Cameron posted a 145-87-30-10 record.Cameron also served as head coach of Canada’s national men’s summer under-18 team at the 2004 U-18 Junior World Cup, winning a gold medal. He led the same team to a fourth-place finish at the tournament in 2003.As a player, Cameron appeared in 168 National Hockey League games, recording 53 points (25 goals, 28 assists) with the Colorado Rockies and the New Jersey Devils between 1981 and 1984. He was originally selected by the New York Islanders in the eighth round (135th overall) of the 1978 NHL Entry Draft."

"Reeds, 51, recently completed his fourth season as head coach of the OHL’s Owen Sound Attack, where he compiled a regular-season record of 46-17-5 en route to the Western Conference title and eventual OHL championship.A Toronto native, Reeds was recognized with the Matt Leyden Trophy as the 2010-11 OHL coach of the year as selected by OHL coaches and general managers. He led Owen Sound to the OHL playoffs in two of his four seasons behind the Attack bench, while his team posted a 119-118-35 record.Prior to joining Owen Sound, Reeds spent four seasons as head coach of the United Hockey League’s Kalamazoo Wings. In his time with Kalamazoo, including the 2005-06 campaign when the Wings won the Colonial Cup as league champions, Reeds compiled a record of 194-86-28 over 308 regular-season games. Before his arrival in Kalamazoo, Reeds led the UHL’s Missouri River Otters for four seasons where he compiled a record of 159-105-34 in 298 games. He is a three-time recipient of the UHL’s coach-of-the-year award (2003, 2005 and 2006).Reeds began his coaching career with the ECHL’s Peoria Rivermen prior to the 1996-97 campaign and spent three seasons with the club, compiling a 126-65-19 record in 210 games.Drafted by the St. Louis Blues in the fifth round, 86th overall, of the 1979 NHL Entry Draft, Reeds played in 365 NHL contests, registering 159 points (45 goals, 114 assists) with the Blues and the Hartford Whalers between 1981-89."

The Cameron hiring has long been rumoured as has been the hiring of Reeds. Reeds is a MacLean hire and will be his right hand man. Cameron on the other hand is the organizational hire and is there in part due to his relationship with Sens owner Eugene Melnyk. Cameron is a good coach and deserves a chance to coach in the NHL, but will he be able to stay in the background of MacLean’s stache and tow the company line? Only time will tell.

With this new coaching staff now in place, you have to like that all have played in the NHL. They all know the hard work and effort that goes into being an everyday NHLer. I think this experience will give the new coaching staff (none of them who have every been a head coach before in the NHL) respect from the players who won’t be able to walk all over them. With the hire of Cameron and Reeds, Ottawa snags two of the best OHL coaches in that league to help teach the young squad and mold them into Cup contenders.

Joining MacLean, Cameron and Reeds on the bench will be Clouston leftovers, Luke Richardson, who will remain in the organization as a part-time coach and Rick Wamsley who will return for his second season as Senators goaltending coach. Video coach Tim Pattyson and Strength and conditioning coach Chris Schwarz remain with the club to round out the coaching staff.

Now that the coaching team is assembled, next up is the draft tomorrow night.

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