The Minnesota Wild have announced that Dean Evason will be joining the organization as an assistant coach. Evason has been the head coach of the Milwaukee Admirals since the 2012-13 season.
Press Release via Minnesota Wild:
ST. PAUL — Minnesota Wild General Manager Paul Fenton today announced the NHL club has named Dean Evason as an assistant coach. The team also announced today it will not renew the contract of assistant coach John Anderson.
Evason, 53, spent the last six seasons (2012-18) as head coach of the Milwaukee Admirals in the American Hockey League (AHL), leading the team to a record of 242-161-53 (.588). Prior to serving as the Admirals head coach, he spent seven seasons as an assistant coach with the Washington Capitals (2005-12), serving under current Minnesota Wild head coach Bruce Boudreau for parts of five seasons (2007-12). During Evason’s tenure with Washington, the Capitals went 294-206-74 (.576) and claimed four straight Southeast Division titles, advanced to the Stanley Cup Playoffs in each of his last five seasons (2008-12) and won the 2010 Presidents’ Trophy. His responsibilities with the Capitals included faceoffs (Washington finished in the NHL’s Top 10 in faceoff percentage in five of his seven seasons), the penalty kill (which finished as high as second in the League under his watch (2010-11) and being in charge of the team’s forwards.
Prior to joining the Capitals, the Flin Flon, Man., native spent six seasons as a head coach in the Western Hockey League (WHL). He served as co-coach of the Calgary Hitmen in 2004-05, head coach of the Vancouver Giants for two seasons (2002-04) and head coach of the Kamloops Blazers for three seasons (1999-02).
Evason totaled 372 points (139-233=372) and 1,002 penalty minutes (PIM) in 803 career NHL games during 13 seasons (1983-96) as a center with the Capitals, Hartford Whalers, San Jose Sharks, Dallas Stars and Calgary Flames. He added 29 points (9-20=29) and 132 PIM in 55 Stanley Cup Playoff contests. Evason played three seasons with Wild General Manager Paul Fenton in the Hartford (1984-86) and San Jose (1991-92) organizations. He was originally selected by Washington in the fifth round (89th overall) of the 1982 NHL Entry Draft.
An honored member of the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame, Evason served as a player/coach for Team Canada during the 1996-97 season, captaining the team to a gold medal at the 1997 World Championship. He retired as a player following two seasons as a player/coach with Landshut in the German League (1997-99).
Evason has three children, Bryce, Brianne and Brooke, and is married to Genevieve.
Evason became the longest tenured head coach in the AHL history of the Admirals. He was the head coach for these last six-seasons and earned 242 wins during that time. In 2015-16, Evason helped see the Admirals back to winning their first divisional title since Lane Lambert’s squad in 2010-11.
In joining the Wild there will be numerous connections reestablished for Evason. Paul Fenton, who was the assistant general manager of the Nashville Predators as well as acting general manager of the Milwaukee Admirals, was named general manager of the Minnesota Wild recently. Evason, prior to joining the Admirals as head coach, was an assistant coach under Bruce Boudreau with the Washington Capitals. Boudreau has been the head coach of the Wild since 2016-17.
It’s unclear at this stage how quickly before the Milwaukee Admirals will announce a new head coach.
Be sure to keep updated with Admirals Roundtable through social media platform of your choice: follow along on Twitter, like us on Facebook, get photo updates on Instagram, and listen along on SoundCloud.
Admirals Roundtable 
I’m happy for him, he’s put in the time and got a chance at the NHL. While I look at Minnesota as a pathetic club, perhaps the new leadership will turn things around for them. Meanwhile here in Milwaukee we are set to see some real changes. NSH will have to address the New coach situation here could be a whole new staff. We should be getting an ECHL team added to the organization who that will be will interesting. Plus the usual in flux of new players to be brought in. On the more NHL side of the organization, no real proof behind it but my honest opinion or feeling is Pekka doesn’t finish his career in Nashville heck he might not finish next season there. I see him getting dealt and them turning it all over to Saros.
Does an assistant coach pay more in the NHL than a head coach in the AHL?
You would have to think Stan Drulia will receive some consideration,no?
It’s always curious to me when a coach goes from assistant NHL to head AHL back to assistant NHL. Clearly they went down to the AHL to try and prove they could be an NHL head coach. If it doesn’t happen and they go back to being an assistant NHL coach, do you think that taints their future chances a bit?
Matt, my guess is an AHL head coach makes a bit less than an NHL assistant coach, because that’s basically what they are. I could be wrong, but I believe they typically are hired by (and maybe employed by?) the NHL affiliate. They don’t make anywhere near as much as you think. From what I read online the average salary is about $200K.
frontrowjon, I agree Rinne may not finish his career with Nashville, but I highly doubt he won’t finish next year with them. My thought is the starts will be closer to 50/50, maybe 60/40, with him and Saros. They don’t exactly have a great stash of quality goalies right now, so if they did trade Rinne they’d have to get one back in return. I suppose it’s possible, but I don’t think the return for a goalie who will be 36 at the next trade deadline will be as big as Preds fans want to believe, especially for one who, let’s be brutally honest, hasn’t had the greatest record in the playoffs.
I agree with frontrowjon 100%. Six years is long enough, Dean should step up. I wish him well and the Wild continues to siphon off people from Nashville because the Predators are clearly a superior organization to the pathetic Minnesota Wild!