Nashville, Tennessee (May 29, 2024) – Nashville Predators general manager Barry Trotz announced today that the team has hired Mitch Korn as director of goaltending. In this new role, Korn will oversee the organization’s entire goalkeeping department, including goalkeeping coach Ben Vanderklok, goalkeeping development coach Jason Barron and European development coach and scout Pekka Rinne; work directly and remotely with the team’s goaltenders and prospects in Nashville, Milwaukee and abroad; and participate in the search for professional and amateur goalkeepers.
“I’ve known and worked with Mitch for a long time, and we’re happy to welcome back one of hockey’s great goaltending minds,” Trotz said. “Mitch’s resume speaks for itself. He has an uncanny ability to communicate the language of goaltending to his players in a way that helps them easily understand how he intends to improve them. With Mitch leading an already impressive goaltending department that includes Ben, Jason and Pekka, I am confident that our franchise’s long-standing success at this position will continue to grow.”
Korn, who worked for Trotz in Nashville for 16 seasons as the team’s first goaltending coach, completed the 33rd season of his NHL career as a coach or manager in 2023-24 with the New York Islanders. During his illustrious NHL coaching career with Buffalo (1991-98), Nashville (1998-14), Washington (2014-18) and the Islanders (2018-24), the goaltenders under Korn’s tutelage have established themselves among the best in the League.
“I am incredibly excited to return to Nashville and the Predators organization,” Korn said. “The last time I worked here was 10 years ago, so I look forward to reconnecting with everyone who is still a part of the Predators family, and meeting and working with everyone who has joined since then. I am very excited to be working again with Ben Vanderklok, whom I hired as my assistant in 2009. He has done an incredible job during his time with the Predators and we have maintained a strong friendship and working relationship in this industry. “Along with Barry, Ben was instrumental in bringing me back to the place where my family and I made so many memories.”
Those who play for Korn have won five Vezina Trophies, three William M. Jennings Trophies and two Hart Trophies. Goaltenders during their careers have also been named nine times to the first or second All-Star and year-end All-Rookie teams.
The New York, NY native returns to the Predators after spending the previous six seasons as the Islanders’ director of goaltending, four of which were with Trotz as his head coach. During his tenure in New York, Islanders netminders led the NHL in shutouts (45) and were tied for third in goals against per game (2.68). The Islanders’ goaltending duo of Robin Lehner and Thomas Greiss won the Jennings Trophy in 2019 and Ilya Sorokin and Semyon Varlamov finished second in 2021; Sorokin also finished second in Vezina Trophy voting in 2023, while Lehner placed third in 2019.
Prior to his time on Long Island, Korn also worked with Trotz, this time in Washington, where the two won the 2018 Stanley Cup. While serving as director of goaltending (2017-18) and head goaltending coach (2014-17 ), worked closely with Braden Holtby, who had the best statistical seasons of his NHL career with Korn, winning the 2016 Vezina Trophy and the 2017 Jennings Trophy, while leading the NHL in wins in both seasons.
The majority of Korn’s NHL coaching career came during his 16 seasons in Nashville, working with several of the best goaltenders in franchise history, including Rinne, Tomas Vokoun, Mike Dunham and Chris Mason. Under Korn, Rinne distinguished himself as one of the best goaltenders of his generation, twice finishing as a Vezina Trophy finalist in 2011 and 2012. Dunham and Vokoun became NHL starting goaltenders with Korn as the team’s goaltending coach, and both finished their careers. Predator races with over 100 wins.
Korn began his NHL career as Buffalo’s goaltending coach from 1991 to 1998, with Hockey Hall of Famer Dominik Hasek as his number one for six seasons. Hasek enjoyed four of the best statistical seasons of his legendary career with Korn, winning the Vezina Trophy four times (1994, 1995, 1997 and 1998) and the Hart Trophy twice (1997 and 1998); He remains the only goaltender in NHL history to win the League MVP award multiple times.
Prior to his time in the NHL, Korn coached at his alma mater, Kent State University, from 1979 to 1980; In 1981 he began a 30-year career as an administrator at the University of Miami, where he also served as goalie coach and assistant coach for the school’s hockey team. Korn also hosts successful goalie camps during the summer months for the hockey community in Tennessee, Minnesota, Ohio, Connecticut, New York and Virginia.
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