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ASSISTANT COACH
All-Time Kings Coaching History
John Stevens is in his second season with the Kings as an assistant coach. This past season, Stevens helped direct the Kings to the NHL’s fourth best penalty killing mark (85.5% compared to 80.3% the season before) and third in the shots-against category (27.9 shots per game).
Prior to joining the Kings, Stevens served as the head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers (2006-09) and had a 120-109-34 record while leading the Flyers to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2008.
The native of Campbellton, New Brunswick, took over as the Flyers head coach on October 22, 2006, after beginning the 2006-07 campaign as the club’s assistant coach. The Flyers were 21-42-11 under Stevens in 2006-07, before having a great turn-around in 2007-08 (the Flyers had an NHL-best 39-point improvement from the year before). Following that season The Hockey News honored Stevens with their Coach of the Year Award.
In 2007-08 the Flyers went 42-29-11 in the regular season and qualified for the playoffs before eliminating Washington in the first round and top-seeded Montreal in the second round. Stevens guided Philadelphia to a 99-point season in 2008-09 (44-27-11) and the team’s second consecutive playoff appearance. He was 13-11-1 to start the 2009-10 campaign before he was relieved of his duties on December 4, 2009. That Flyers club eventually reached the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals.
Before his NHL coaching tenure, Stevens was the head coach of the Philadelphia Phantoms (the Flyers’ AHL affiliate) for six years (2000-01 through 2005-06). His Phantoms were 230-181-69, made the playoffs four times and won the Calder Cup Championship in 2005. He also served as an assistant coach with the club in 1998-99 and 1999-00.
Stevens was drafted by the Flyers (third round, 47th overall) in the 1984 NHL Entry Draft and played parts of five seasons with the Flyers and Hartford, totaling 10 points (0-10=10) and 48 penalty minutes in 53 NHL regular season games. In 834 career AHL games Stevens, a defenseman, had 186 points (21-167=188), 1,397 penalty minutes and won three Calder Cups: 1988 with Hershey, 1991 with Springfield (served as team captain) and 1998 with the Phantoms (team captain).
John, 45 (5-4-66), and his wife, Stacy, have two sons, John and Nolan.
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