In this past couple of weeks, the full coaching staff for new Los Angeles Kings head coach Peter Laviolette has been announced for the upcoming 2026-27 season.
On the new Kings' coaching staff with Laviolette for this upcoming season are associate coach Phil Housley and assistant coaches Ray Whitney and Chris Hajt. The trio of Housley, Whitney, and Hajt will be joining goalie coach Mike Buckley and assistant coach Derik Johnson for the Kings.
Laviolette intends to keep three assistant coaches on the bench with him for the Kings for this upcoming season to help divy up decision-making and to assist in gameday tasks and management. Laviolette and the Kings will also keep Johnson and Buckley up in the box this upcoming season.
Peter Laviolette knows what Ray Whitney brings to a winning team, making this a smart hire for the Los Angeles Kings
Housley and Hajt both have experience coaching in the pro hockey ranks to varying degrees. Hajt has been an assistant coach with the Buffalo Sabres in the late 2010s, and he's been an assistant coach with the AHL affiliate Ontario Reign in the past few seasons.
In this past couple of decades, Housley has plenty of coaching experience at multiple levels, including as the Sabres head coach from 2017-2019. He's also been an assistant coach with the Arizona Coyotes and New York Rangers (under Laviolette from 2023-2024).
Whitney is a bit of a different approach to a coaching hire for Laviolette and the Kings, though. He's never been a head coach beyond the AAA level of junior travel hockey. Whitney also served as a scout in the Carolina Hurricanes organization for three years.
Whitney's lack of coaching experience shouldn't be a concern to Kings fans. If any coach knows what Whitney can bring behind the bench for the Kings, it's Laviolette.
We've seen in this past decade or so that players that Laviolette has coached in the past have turned into successful coaches around the league. Just look at coaches like Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind'Amour and Carolina assistant coach Tim Gleason.
Regarding the coaching staff hires he's made this offseason with the Kings, Laviolette said that Whitney's personality and hockey intelligence made him think that he could be a quality coach in the league.
As a player, Whitney became known for his puck movement, offensive instincts, and his anticipation with and away from the puck.
"Whitney was a player of mine back in 2006 when we won the cup in Carolina. From a pro coaching standpoint, he hasn’t taken that step yet. But I think sometimes, somebody’s career can supersede the experience that you can get by doing the coaching and actually getting in there. When I hired Ray, it was in my mind all along that it was for the power play, to work with the forwards, to continue to develop skill with [Johnson] on the forwards end of it."Peter Laviolette on Ray Whitney
His vision and ability to contribute on special teams for the power play unit gave Laviolette the idea of assigning him the responsibility of coaching that group for the Kings this upcoming season.
Laviolette coached Whitney for four years with the Hurricanes, including when Carolina won the Stanley Cup in 2006. Whitney was a key contributor on that Hurricanes team that won the Stanley Cup under Laviolette in 2006, tying for second on the team in playoff goals that spring.
Whitney also scored four goals in the Stanley Cup Final, which the Hurricanes topped the Edmonton Oilers in seven games.
"He’s good inside of a locker room. I’ve seen it first hand, the positive impact that his personality can have on other people. I’ve seen the way he plays the game, how he thinks the game, I’ve talked hockey with him and I just think he has a really high hockey IQ."Laviolette on Whitney
He can also bring a unique perspective. Whitney is new to coaching, but his 1,500-plus games of experience in his NHL career and experience winning the Stanley Cup give him credibility with players in the locker room.
The faith that Laviolette has in Whitney's ability to learn on the job and become a truly integrated part of the Kings' coaching staff led to Los Angeles targeting him for the assistant coach role this offseason.
The Kings have a good combination of experience and hockey IQ to bring a winning culture behind the bench with Laviolette and staff going into this upcoming season. Laviolette has already seen what Whitney brings from the perspective of a winning culture, having coached him to a Stanley Cup with the Canes. If that same hockey IQ translates to coaching, Whitney could be a quietly good hire for the Kings this offseason.
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