Meet New Canucks Assistant Coaches Ryan Mougenel, Jordan Smith and Jason Krog – Hockey Writers – Vancouver Canucks

It took more than a month, but the Vancouver Canucks now have a full coaching staff for the 2026-27 season. General manager (GM) Ryan Johnson announced on Friday (June 10) that Ryan Mougenel, Jordan Smith and Jason Krog will be the three assistants joining head coach Manny Malhotra behind the bench. Andrew Shaw has been reassigned as an assistant video coach to Ian Beckenstein.

While many people have already pointed to his lack of NHL coaching experience, Johnson made the point that character and teaching ability were priorities.

“When we started this program with Manny, we wanted to get quality people first, good teachers and smart hockey minds. We put together a team that can help us build a strong foundation, connect with our veterans and young players, and put a plan and style of play that Manny wants to see on the ice…”

Among the new hires, Malhotra is the only coach with NHL experience, having worked as an assistant in Vancouver from 2017 to 2020 and Toronto from 2020 to 2024. That being said, unlike Mougenel, Smith and Krog are fresh-faced rookies from their playing days. Let’s find out more about them in the latest edition of “Meet the New Canucks”.

Ryan Mougenel

Mougenel is the oldest of the three, with 20 years of experience. He is coming off a very successful regular season with the Providence Bruins, where he led them to a 54-16-0 record and won the American Hockey League (AHL) Coach of the Year. In five seasons as head coach, they never had a losing record, finishing 217-103-40 and making the Calder Cup Playoffs every year. Unfortunately, despite regular season success, they never made it past the first round.

Mougenel also spent time as an assistant with the Worcester Sharks/San Jose Barracuda from 2014 to 2018 and one season with the Hershey Bears in 2013-14. Prior to that, he was in the ECHL as an assistant with the Fresno Falcons and head coach/GM with the Las Vegas Wranglers. Similar to his time in Providence, he had great success in the regular season, but not the playoffs, making it past the first round and – appearing in the Kelly Cup finals in 2012.

If you look back at Mougenel’s first press release as Providence’s head coach, you can see why Johnson and Malhotra targeted him for the job. He seems to fit perfectly with what they value in a member of the organization.

“I’m the best coach. I want to give the player the why, the how. I think that’s important for the players, especially in today’s game. The commitment to the player, not just on the ice, has to be seen. They have to feel that and it has to be true. I think if you talk to a lot of players who have played for me, I think they will appreciate that as people will tell you first and I care about them.

“The trust that the players build is very important to me. You will hear people talking about the details and the coaches talking about the details. It is very good, but one of the details that is put into it is knowing the players and making sure that they have the courage and confidence to go out and play.”

When it comes to training style, Mougenel is organized and uses a system that limits mistakes. He appreciates the work ethic, competition and what he calls “the strong standards of our colleagues.” Overall, it looks like Mougenel will be a solid addition to the Canucks bench and locker room.

Jordan Smith

Smith is one of the Abbotsford Canucks’ coaches, having spent the past two seasons under Malhotra in the AHL. He was an assistant with the Springfield Thunderbirds for two seasons prior to that and is an associate coach with the Soo Greyhounds in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) from 2017 to 2022. He began his coaching career in the Superior International Junior Hockey League (SIJHL) as head coach with the Thunder Bay North Stars in 2012 and continued in the 4th Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League (NOJHL), where he earned back-to-back Coach of the Year awards and led the team to a championship in 2015-16.

A rugged defenseman when he played, Smith spent his junior career in the OHL with the Greyhounds before being drafted 39th overall by the Anaheim Mighty Ducks in 2004. He turned to forward with their AHL affiliate, the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks, in 2004-05 and played in 55 games with a Pirates record six and 206 for Portland. points.

Unfortunately, Smith’s NHL dreams were dashed in 2006 when he was hit by a stray puck and lost the sight in his left eye. Although he could not play in the NHL or AHL, he was determined to continue playing hockey and enrolled at Lakehead University. He spent five seasons there and graduated in 2011 with a two-time national championship appearance and the “C” was placed on his jersey in 2009-10. He then joined the ranks of coaches in 2012 with the North Stars, which remains history.

It was less than a year ago, on Oct. 9, 2025, when Smith was asked about returning to the NHL one day. Now, that is no longer a dream; it is true.

“That was something, when the injury happened, I wanted to get back there. With hard work and patience, I feel like I’m putting myself in that situation. If it happens in the near future, great. If not, I’ll continue to do the best job where I am,” said Smith. “It’s been an uphill battle. You can’t plan too much. Do your job and see what happens.”

Jason Krog

Krog is another internal hire, promoted from skating/skills coach to assistant. He’ll be moving from the backcourt to the big leagues, possibly leading the team’s forward and power play. His previous coaching experience comes from the Burnaby Winter Club U15 prep/varsity team and the West Van Academy U15 varsity team. He has never been behind the bench in a pro league.

What Krog brings is a ton of experience from his playing days in the British Columbia Junior Hockey League (BCJHL), NCAA, NHL, AHL and overseas. While his success in the NHL was limited (22 goals and 59 points in 202 games), he was a talented player in the AHL. Over 535 games, he had 190 goals and 408 assists for 598 points. His best season came in 2007-08 with the Chicago Wolves, where he led the league with 39 goals and 112 points and was named MVP of both the AHL and Calder Cup Playoffs.

Krog’s best season in the NHL came in 2002-03 when he was part of the Mighty Ducks’ run to the Stanley Cup Final. He had a career-high 10 goals and 25 points in 67 games with three goals in the playoffs. He was a Canuck briefly for four games in 2008-09, where he scored his last NHL goal, against the Edmonton Oilers on Oct. 25, 2008.

Offseason Focus Shifts to 2026-27 roster

Now that the coaching staff is in place, Johnson’s focus will shift entirely to the 2026-27 roster. Elias Pettersson has been in many trade rumors, the latest being the Pittsburgh Penguins. They have also been linked to Shane Wright, but the cost is reportedly too high, as the Seattle Kraken want Tom Willander or Zeev Buium in return (a non-starter in my opinion).

As rumors continue to swirl, we’ll have to wait and see what this new coaching quartet will have when the puck drops in September. Until then, stay tuned Hockey Writers as the dog days of summer continue.