The Philadelphia Flyers have announced two additions to Rick Tocchet’s staff, as Jay Varady and Jaroslav “Yogi” Svejkovský will join the team as assistant coaches.
“I’m excited to bring Yogi and Jay on board with me,” said Tocchet in the team’s press release. “I know both of them very well. They each provide a different skill set and more importantly, a different voice, both of which I believe is crucial in not only building a coaching staff, but an entire team and how we grow together. I very much look forward to getting down to work with them again soon.”
Varady most recently spent three seasons as an assistant coach with the Detroit Red Wings while Svejkovský is coming off four seasons with the Vancouver Canucks organization as a skills coach and assistant coach. Svejkovský ran the Canucks’ power play this past season, which finished 15th in the NHL with a 22.5% success rate.
Varady previously served as head coach of the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners for three seasons, going 93-84-17 and leading the club to a Pacific Division championship in 2020. He made a jump within the organization and joined the Arizona Coyotes the next season as an assistant under Tocchet before going back to Tucson in 2021-22.
Prior to his that, Varady was on the staff for the WHL’s Everett Silvertips as an assistant coach and associate head coach between 2003 and 2011. He also spent time as a head coach in France for Ducs d’Angers for two seasons before joining the USHL’s Sioux City Musketeers, where he served as head coach and direction of hockey operations from 2013 to 2017. He also coached the OHL’s Kingston Frontenacs in 2017-18 and led them to their second-ever Eastern Conference Finals appearance.
As for Svejkovský – who was already rumored to be joining the Flyers before the team’s announcement – he worked with the WHL’s Vancouver Giants from 2006 to 2018 first as an assistant coach and later as a skills coach. He also served as head coach with various teams at St. George’s School and Delta Hockey Academy, both in British Columbia, from 2015 to 2021 before joining the Canucks organization.
Prior to his coaching career, Svejkovský was drafted 17th overall in the 1996 NHL Draft by the Washington Capitals and appeared in 113 NHL games for the Capitals and Tampa Bay Lightning. He recorded 23 goals and 19 assists for 42 points during his NHL career.
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