The Predators are turning to a familiar name to oversee the organization’s goaltending department.
Mitch Korn, who served as the Predators’ first goaltending coach and spent 16 years with the franchise, has been hired as Nashville’s director of goaltending.
Korn’s duties will include overseeing goalie coach Ben Vanderklok, goaltending development coach Jason Barron and European development coach and scout Pekka Rinne. Korn will work directly and remotely with the team’s goaltenders and prospects in Nashville, Milwaukee and overseas, and will also be involved in the scouting of professional and amateur goaltenders.
Korn has spent 33 years coaching or directing in the NHL, working with Predators General Manager Barry Trotz in Nashville, Washington and with the New York Islanders.
Goalies under Korn have won five Vezina Trophies, three William M. Jennings Trophies and two Hart Trophies. His goaltenders have also been named to the first or second year-end all-star and all-rookie teams nine times.
“I’ve known and worked with Mitch for a long time, and we are happy to be welcoming back one of the great goaltending minds in the game of hockey,” Trotz said in a release. “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 is trying to make them better.
“With Mitch at the helm of an already impressive goaltending department that includes Ben, Jason and Pekka, I’m confident that our franchise’s longtime success at the position will continue to grow.”
Korn began his NHL career as Buffalo’s goaltending coach from 1991-98, with Hall of Famer Dominik Hasek as his No. 1 netminder for six seasons. Hasek enjoyed four of the best statistical seasons of his legendary career under Korn, winning the Vezina Trophy four times (1994, 1995, 1997 and 1998) and the Hart Trophy twice (1997 and 1998).
But the bulk of Korn’s NHL coaching career came during his 16 seasons in Nashville, working with the likes of Rinne, Tomas Vokoun, Mike Dunham and Chris Mason. Under Korn, Rinne separated himself as one of the greatest goaltenders of his generation, twice finishing as a finalist for the Vezina Trophy in 2011 and 2012.
Dunham and Vokoun turned into NHL starting goaltenders with Korn as the team’s goalie coach, as both ended their Predators careers with more than 100 wins.
The New York, N.Y., native returns to the Predators after spending the previous six seasons as director of goaltending for the Islanders, four of which came with Trotz as his head coach. During his tenure in New York, Islanders netminders led the NHL in shutouts (45) and ranked tied for third in goals-against per game (2.68).
“I am incredibly excited to return to Nashville and the Predators organization,” Korn said. “I last worked here 10 years ago, so I am looking forward to re-connecting with all the people who are still part of the Predators family, and to meeting and working with all those who have come on board since.”
