Insider gives big update on Ian Clark's role with the Vancouver Canucks

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Cooper Godin
August 21, 2024 (8:34)

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Rick Dhaliwal has given a pretty big update on Ian Clark's role with the Vancouver Canucks.

Ian Clark has been the Vancouver Canucks' goaltending coach on two separate stints since 2002 and has worked with plenty of netminders during his over 20 years with the organization including Roberto Luongo, Thatcher Demko, among others.

After spending the last five seasons with the Canucks as the goaltending coach, and then the Director of Goaltending last year, it appears that Ian Clark's role with the organization is changing ahead of the 2024-25 campaign.

In a post on social media on Wednesday, Rick Dhaliwal shared that he's hearing rumblings that Ian Clark is stepping aside as the Canucks' goaltending coach, but will be taking on a different role within the organization.

As for Clark's replacement, Dhaliwal is reporting that the Canucks will be hiring Abbotsford's goaltending coach, Marko Torenius, as his replacement.

Not long after Dhaliwal's report, the Canucks made the announcement official, saying that Ian Clark asked for a different role with the organization next season. Clark's new role with the Vancouver Canucks will be as a goalie scout and a goaltending development coach.

"When Ian approached me to say that he needed to make a change in his role to transition off the ice, we quickly went to work to find a solution," said Patrik Allvin. "With Clarkie wanting something different at the hockey club, we were extremely fortunate to have Marko in the system and ready to take on the responsibility of becoming our new goaltending coach in Vancouver. Unfortunately, Ian can no longer go on the ice regularly to do the things that have made him successful. But this new role will fit with his expertise and having Clarkie going out to find and develop talent will be a big asset to the organization."

Clark, 58, originally joined the Vancouver Canucks ahead of the 2002-03 season as a goalie coach, spending seven years with them before heading to Sweden in the same role for MoDo Hockey and then returned to North America to join the Columbus Blue Jackets. Clark was then brought back by the Vancouver Canucks ahead of the 2019-20 season.