Minnesota Wild head coach Dean Evason, who has plenty of Kamloops connections from his days as a player and coach, is up for the NHL's Coach of the Year (Image Credit: NHL)

By Chad Klassen

DEAN EVASON

Former Junior Oiler player, Blazers coach named Jack Adams Award finalist

Jun 11, 2021 | 11:30 AM

KAMLOOPS — He paid his dues in the Western Hockey League as a head coach and a long-time assistant in the National Hockey League.

Now Dean Evason, in his third season as head coach of the Minnesota Wild, has been named a Jack Adams finalist for NHL Coach of the Year.

It’s the first time Dean Evason has been nominated for the NHL’s Coach of the Year.

Evason is a former Kamloops Junior Oiler from 1981 to 1984, leading the franchise to its first Memorial Cup appearance in 1984, and then spent another three seasons as the Blazers coach from 1999 to 2002

This season, he led the Wild to a 35-16-5 record this season. Minnesota was then eliminated in the first round by Vegas.

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Evason is up against Carolina Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour and Florida Panthers coach Joel Quenneville.