Former NHLer named as potential addition to the Canucks' coaching staff

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Cooper Godin
August 23, 2024 (12:12)

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Former NHLer Justin Pogge has been named as a possible replacement for the vacant Abbotsford goalie coach position.

This week, the Vancouver Canucks organization announced some changes to goalie coaching roles in the NHL and AHL. Former goalie coach Ian Clark has decided to take on a new role with the organization, while Abbotsford's Marko Torenius was promoted to the position that was held by Clark in Vancouver.

The move left the Abbotsford Canucks without a goaltending coach and while behind the scenes, options are being looked at with training camp beginning in a month, the team has been linked to a former NHLer.

In a social media post on Thursday, Ben Lypka of Abbotsford News shared that one name to keep an eye on for the vacant goaltending coach role in the AHL is former NHLer Justin Pogge, who only retired from professional hockey in 2023.

Immediately after announcing his retirement, Pogge joined Hockey Canada as a goaltending consultant and will serve in that role for the upcoming 2025 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship in Ottawa starting on Boxing Day.

The 38-year-old Pogge would bring a ton of experience to the Abbotsford Canucks' coaching staff, if they decided to hire him. While he only had seven games of NHL experience during his career, he played professionally for 17 years including 11 in Europe, making stops in the top divisions in Germany and Sweden.

We'll have to wait and see what the Canucks decide to do to fill the vacancy in Abbotsford, but Justin Pogge should certainly be someone they consider for the position. With training camps opening next month, a decision on who Abbotsford's next goalie coach will likely come within the next couple of weeks.