John Stevens Los Angeles Kings - Associate Head Coach

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John Stevens was promoted to associate head coach on June 18, 2014. He briefly served as interim head coach of the Kings when the team fired head coach Terry Murray on Dec. 12, 2012. He was 2-2-0 as head coach, but has since been returned to his position as assistant when the team hired Darryl Sutter for that position on Dec. 20, 2012.

Stevens was named a team assistant coach prior to the 2010-11 season. He was the 23rd head coach (including interim head coaches) in Kings history.

Prior to joining the Kings, Stevens served as the head coach for 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 Whalers, 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).