The Detroit Red Wings have added a familiar face to their coaching staff.
The NHL club announced Friday that it has hired Dan Bylsma as an assistant to head coach Jeff Blashill.
News of the hiring comes as the Red Wings prepare for the 2018 Entry Draft, beginning Friday night in Dallas.
Bylsma comes to Detroit with a track record of success, having won a Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009.
The hiring by the Red Wings is a homecoming of sorts for Bylsma. The 47-year-old was born and raised in Grand Haven, a resort town in western lower Michigan. He played college hockey at Bowling Green State University in Ohio and played in the NHL for the Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks.
Bylsma broke into coaching with stints at two AHL teams and as an assistant with the New York Islanders. He was working with the Penguins' AHL affiliate when he was promoted to the NHL club midway through the 2008-2009 season, guiding Pittsburgh to its second consecutive Stanley Cup.
He coached the Penguins for five more seasons, including one in which he won the Jack Adams Trophy for the best coach. He most recently coached two unsuccessful seasons with the Buffalo Sabres.
Bylsma was the head coach for Team USA at the 2014 Winter Olympics, losing in the bronze medal match. He already has a history with Blashill, serving as his assistant to Team USA at the 2018 IIHF World Championships in Denmark, winning the bronze medal.
Blashill, who has three seasons as the Wings' bench boss, missed the playoffs for the last two years. Team management gave him a contract extension after this past season.
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