Powell River Kings have hired Tyler Kuntz as the BC Hockey League team’s new head coach and general manager.
Kuntz has been here and there in the hockey world, with more than a decade of experience, most recently with a one-season stint as a coach in professional hockey overseas. He also gained experience running sessions during Vancouver Canucks pre-season training camps in the past.
Last season, the 39-year old Kuntz was an assistant coach with Daemyung Killer Whales of the Asia Ice Hockey League, a professional league with teams from Russia, Japan and South Korea.
Most of his coaching experience came in junior and university hockey.
From 2015 to 2017, Kuntz was assistant coach for the Western Hockey League’s Vancouver Giants when that team finished fifth in their division and out of the playoffs in those seasons. He was head coach for University of British Columbia Thunderbirds in the 2014/2015 after serving as assistant coach in the UBC program for the four years prior.
As a player, Kuntz was a defender for the BCHL’s Burnaby (now Alberni Valley) Bulldogs for one season in 1998/1999 before joining UBC for a five-year university hockey career.
In a media release, Kings president Rob Villani said Kuntz and the team have a common vision.
“We felt Tyler has a vision for the players and the program that was in line with our vision,” he stated. “Tyler’s philosophy of developing players on and off the ice and developing them within the community is of utmost importance to him.”
Kuntz replaces former Kings head coach and general manager Kent Lewis, who was fired in January.
