Brown in, Walter out in Canucks' coaching shuffle

The Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday shuffled assistant coaches, hiring Newell Brown and cutting ties with former Canuck Ryan Walter.

"The decision was mine," Mike Gillis, the Canucks' president and general manager, said of the change. "I will leave it at that."

Associate coach Rick Bowness and Darryl Williams, the assistant coach in charge of video, have also been re-signed.

Brown, 48, joins the Canucks after spending the last five seasons as an assistant coach with the Anaheim Ducks. He has also worked as an assistant for the Columbus Blue Jackets and Chicago Blackhawks during a 13-year NHL coaching career.

"He brings a wealth of experience from a number of different organizations, including a Stanley Cup championship," Gillis said. "We believe his skill set complements our coaching staff and will help further develop our players, ultimately making this team more competitive."

Walter, 52, spent two years as an assistant with the Canucks. The New Westminster, B.C., native played in the NHL for 15 seasons and won a Stanley Cup with the Montreal Canadiens in 1986. He finished his career by playing with the Canucks in 1991-92 and '92-93.

"After a great deal of consideration, the Canucks have determined that I will leave the organization after two seasons as an Assistant Coach," Walter said on his website. “I have enjoyed working with my fellow coaches, the training and support staff, and every player in the organization and will miss the strong professional relationships that I developed."

Bowness will return for his fifth season with the Canucks and 21st as an NHL coach. He has been the bench boss with five teams and spent seven seasons as a player with Atlanta, Detroit, St. Louis and Winnipeg.

This will be Williams' third season with the Canucks. He played 11 seasons in the AHL and IHL and is the first Newfoundland native to work in an NHL coaching position.

The team announced in June that Roland Melanson would replace Ian Clark as goaltending coach.