Karl Taylor (ice hockey)

Karl Taylor
Born (1971-05-04) May 4, 1971 (age 53)
North Bay, Ontario, Canada
Height 182.88 cm (6 ft 0 in)
Weight 92 kg (203 lb; 14 st 7 lb)
Current AHL coach Milwaukee Admirals
Coached for

Texas Stars
Chicago Wolves

Reading Royals
Coaching career 1997–present

Karl Taylor (born May 4, 1971) is a Canadian professional ice hockey head coach for the Milwaukee Admirals of the American Hockey League (AHL). He previously served as the head coach of the Chicago Wolves, Texas Stars, and Ontario Reign.

After concluding his major junior career in 1991, Taylor spent five years with the University of New Brunswick (UNB) men's ice hockey team. He then took a year off from hockey to complete his Master's degree before returning to UNB as an assistant coach in 1997. During his short tenure with the UNB Reds, Taylor helped lead them to the 1998 CIAU championships.

Early life

Taylor was born on May 4, 1971, in North Bay, Ontario, Canada.[1] As a teenager, Taylor moved to Barrie, Ontario in order to play with the Barrie Colts of the Southern Ontario Junior "B" Hockey League. Following his first season with the Colts, Taylor was drafted 15th overall by the Windsor Spitfires in the 1988 Ontario Hockey League (OHL) Midget Priority Draft.[2][3] While with the Spitfires, Taylor was moved from his original position of left wing to defence.[4] He scored eight goals and added 15 assists during the 1988–1989 season before being traded to the London Knights in January 1990.[5] His tenure with the Knights was short-lived however, as he was traded to the North Bay Centennials in November 1990.[6]

Collegiate and assistant coaching career

Taylor concluded his major junior career in 1991 to play five years with the University of New Brunswick (UNB) men's ice hockey team.[7] He then took a year off from hockey to complete his Master's degree before accepting an assistant coaching position with a Fredericton midget AAA team.[8] Taylor spent one year with the team before returning to UNB as an assistant coach in 1997. During his short tenure with the UNB Reds, Taylor helped lead them to the 1998 CIAU championships.[7] At UNB, Taylor was convinced by head coach Mike Johnson to join the National Coaching Institute (NCI) where he completed his master's degree in Sports Management.[8]

Upon returning from the NCI, Taylor became a co-coach late in the season with the Calgary Flames midget AAA team along with Mark Howell. While attending a symposium, he was notified of an opening for a coaching position with the Red Deer College Kings ice hockey team. He eventually accepted the position in May 2000.[7] Prior to his first season in this role, Taylor lost two defencemen and struggled to fill the lineup.[9] He was eventually let go from the organization after three years as he failed to complete one the requirements of his probation.[10]

Professional coaching career

Upon leaving Red Deer College, Taylor was named head coach and director of hockey operations for the Reading Royals of the ECHL prior to the 2005–06 season.[11] During his first season with the team, Taylor led them to a 42–23–7 regular-season record and was selected as the co-coach for the American Conference at the ECHL's 2006 All-Star game. This marked the organization's second 40-plus win season in team history and third consecutive playoff appearance.[12] In his third season with the team, Taylor amassed a 112–82–22 total record as the Royals lost in the second round of the 2008 Kelly Cup playoffs to the eventual-champion Cincinnati Cyclones. He eventually left the Royals organization in 2008 once they landed an ECHL affiliation with the Los Angeles Kings and became the first head coach of the Ontario Reign.[13] During their inaugural season, Taylor helped lead the team to a 7–4–1–1 record through their first 13 games.[14] Their success continued through the 2008–09 season as he helped them capture the 2009 Pacific Division championship.[15]

Taylor remained with the Reign until 2011 when he accepted an assistant coaching position with the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League (AHL).[16] He spent the 2011–12 season with the Wolves, where he helped the club post a 42–27–7 record during the regular season to win the Midwest Division title.[17] Following his first tenure in the AHL, Taylor spent one season as a scout for the Vancouver Canucks[1] before joining the Portland Winterhawks organization in the Western Hockey League (WHL) as an assistant coach.[18] As an assistant coach with the Winterhawks, Taylor helped lead them to a 54–13–5 record and advance to the 2014 WHL Championship Finals against the Edmonton Oil Kings. As such, he was recruited by the Dallas Stars organization to coach their AHL affiliate, the Texas Stars, during the 2014–15 season.[17]

Taylor remained with the Stars organization for four years, amassing a 152–108–30–14 record as they made the playoffs in three of his four seasons.[19] In his final season with the Stars organization, Taylor led the team to a 38–24–14 regular-season record as they met with the Toronto Marlies in the 2018 Calder Cup Finals.[20] He eventually left the Stars to become head coach of Milwaukee Admirals, the AHL affiliate of the Nashville Predators.[19] During the 2019–20 season, Taylor received the Louis A. R. Pieri Memorial Award as the league's most outstanding coach during the season.[21] As a result of the NHL's COVID-19 protocol, Taylor was called up to the NHL as a replacement for the Predators' head coach in December 2021.[22] He subsequently coached the Predators to a 5–2 win against the Colorado Avalanche on December 17, 2021.[23]

Personal life

Taylor and his wife, Bev, have two children together. They spend much of their offseason at a family farm in Saskatchewan.[20]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Karl Taylor". Elite Prospects. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  2. ^ Hall, Dave (May 30, 1988). "Spitfires hope Taylor can fit into Shannon's skates". The Windsor Star. Retrieved January 30, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  3. ^ Umphrey, Mike (May 30, 1988). "Local players claimed in draft; Karl Taylor first round choice". North Bay Nugget. Retrieved January 30, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  4. ^ Liscentl, Randy (September 21, 1989). "Coming home". North Bay Nugget. Retrieved January 30, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Spits deal Taylor to London Knights". North Bay Nugget. January 10, 1990. Retrieved January 30, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Cents acquire Taylor". North Bay Nugget. November 6, 1990. Retrieved January 30, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  7. ^ a b c Rode, Danny (May 3, 2000). "New Kings hockey coach makes career move to RDC". Red Deer Advocate. Retrieved January 30, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  8. ^ a b Rock, Danny (November 1, 2000). "Taylor's decision to coach not too difficult". Red Deer Advocate. Retrieved January 30, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  9. ^ Rode, Danny (September 26, 2000). "Kings hockey club hurting". Red Deer Advocate. Retrieved January 30, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  10. ^ Rode, Danny (March 4, 2003). "Kings coach leaving; replacement uncertain". Red Deer Advocate. Retrieved January 30, 2022 – via newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Karl Taylor Named Head Coach and Director of Hockey Operations". Our Sports Central. August 22, 2005. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  12. ^ "Head Coach Karl Taylor Returns To Lead 2006-07 Royals". Our Sports Central. August 22, 2006. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  13. ^ Compton, Brian (July 11, 2008). "Taylor won't have it easy as coach of Ontario Reign". National Hockey League. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  14. ^ Villanueva, Andy (November 19, 2008). "Ontario Reign off to good start is first season". Pro Hockey News. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  15. ^ "Reign steal the Thunder". Daily News. April 11, 2009. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  16. ^ "Karl Taylor named as Chicago Wolves assistant coach". National Hockey League. August 11, 2011. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  17. ^ a b "Dallas Stars Name Karl Taylor Assistant Coach for Texas Stars". Our Sports Central. July 8, 2014. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  18. ^ "Winterhawks Hire Karl Taylor as Assistant Coach; Promote Kyle Gustafson & Matt Bardsley". Our Sports Central. August 6, 2013. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  19. ^ a b "Predators Name Karl Taylor Head Coach of Milwaukee Admirals". National Hockey League. June 29, 2018. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  20. ^ a b Pagan, Ken (June 5, 2018). "Calder Cup would be nice reward for North Bay's Taylor". Bay Today. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  21. ^ "Admirals' Taylor named AHL's top coach for 2019-20". The Sports Network. May 22, 2020. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  22. ^ Pare, Mike (December 17, 2021). "COVID protocols prompt NHL debuts for Schwindt, Taylor". CityNews. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  23. ^ Turl, Jeff (December 17, 2021). "North Bayite gets his first win as an NHL coach". Bay Today. Retrieved January 30, 2022.