The New York Islanders announced Monday that they have hired Tommy Albelin as an assistant coach under head coach Patrick Roy following the departure of Doug Houda.
Albelin, 60, most recently worked with the Swiss national team as an assistant coach. He has ties with his new team president and general manager, Lou Lamoriello, playing for him with the New Jersey Devils from 1988-1996 and then serving as an assistant coach under Brent Sutter from 2007-2009 and again in 2014-15 under Pete DeBoer.
In the four years in between, he served as an assistant with the Devils’ AHL affiliate in Albany.
With New York, Albelin will oversee the defense, which had been Houda’s responsibility for the previous two seasons.
Its defense regressed significantly last season, allowing 263 goals amid struggling goaltending play and injuries that saw the likes of Adam Pelech, Scott Mayfield, and Ryan Pulock sidelined for significant time.
