Flyers name Williams new assistant coach

Darryl Williams (second from left) will reunite with Flyers head coach Alain Vigneault (left). (NHL.com photo)

The Flyers have named Darryl Williams as an assistant coach, according to general manager Chuck Fletcher .

Williams, 53, replaces former assistant coach Ian Laperriere, who took over as head coach of the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.

“Darryl has experience at every level and I am confident that he will fit seamlessly into our coaching staff,” head coach Alain Vigneault said. “There is a high level of familiarity having worked with Darryl for several years and I know what he is capable of to help bring success to our group.”

Williams previously served as an assistant on Vigneault’s staff when the two were together with the Vancouver Canucks and New York Rangers.

“I’m honored to join the Philadelphia Flyers organization,” Williams said. “I can’t wait to get started with such a great staff and an exciting group of players.”

A native of Labrador City, Newfoundland, Williams joins the Flyers after serving as an assistant coach for the ECHL’s Newfoundland Growlers since January of 2019.  Prior to that, he spent 10 seasons as an assistant coach in the National Hockey League, nine of which came on Vigneault’s staffs .

Williams was an assistant with the Canucks for six seasons from 2009-08 to 2013-14 and worked with Vigneault for five of those seasons, including the team’s run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2011. He then joined Vigneault with the Rangers in 2014 and served as an assistant for four seasons through the end of the 2017-18 campaign.

Before joining the Canucks, Williams coached in various capacities at several different levels of hockey. He was an associate coach of the St. John’s Fog Devils of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) from 2005-06 to 2007-08 and an assistant coach with the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks in 2002-03 and 2003-04. Williams was also the head coach of the Long Beach Ice Dogs in the West Coast Hockey League (WCHL) in 2000-01 and 2001-02, and the Kansas City Outlaws of the United Hockey League (UHL) in 2004-05.

Williams joined the coaching ranks after 11 seasons of professional hockey, which included two games in the NHL with the Los Angeles Kings in 1992-93. He spent time in the AHL and International Hockey League (IHL) where he registered 283 points with 126 goals and 157 assists in 676 career games.

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About Wayne Fish 2534 Articles
Wayne Fish has been covering the Flyers since 1976, a stint which includes 18 Stanley Cup Finals, four Winter Olympics and numerous other international events.

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