Finally, after weeks of anticipation, Mitch Korn is heading to the New York Islanders to complete Barry Trotz’s staff.
The New York Islanders announced this afternoon that Mitch Korn has been hired as director of goaltending.Before taking the same position last season with the 2018 Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals, Korn was the goaltending coach for the three previous seasons.
Korn is credited as a big reason for a lot of Braden Holtby’s success, who finished atop the NHL with most saves (1,887), games played (73) and second in wins (41) in 2015. Holtby tied Martin Brodeur’s NHL record of 48 wins and won the Vezina Trophy in 2016.
Korn has been dubbed the “goalie guru” by many around the NHL and rightfully so. His experience in working with netminders around the NHL have turned them into some of the best in their time with one named to the Hall of Fame thus far.
Previously, Korn worked with the Buffalo Sabres from 1991-98 and with NHL Hall of Famer Dominik Hasek who collected two Hart Trophy wins during his time with Korn.
In 1998, the Nashville Predators hired Korn as the goalie coach, where he worked for 16 seasons. During his tenure, Pekka Rinne earned two top-three Vezina finishes in 2011 and 2012, while Tomas Vokoun was named an NHL All-Star for the Predators in the 2005-06 season and finished fourth in Vezina voting.
With this hire, the Islanders have likely completed their front-office overhaul and own the best one-two punch as far as goaltending development goes, between the hiring of Piero Greco as goaltending coach and having him answer directly to the newly-hired Korn.
While there is still work to be done on the roster, the front-office hires are the ones that go farther on a team, and the Islanders have just won the front-office offseason.