Hedican to work with two former NHL 1st round picks

Tom Hedican instructs members of the 2005-2006 St. Joseph-Scollard Hall Bears Hockey team during the inaugural Coach 4 Food campaign. Hedican will be doing a lot more traveling this season. Photo by Chris Dawson.

Tom Hedican is heading back to Europe with a handful of consulting jobs in tow. The former Centennials associate coach and G.M. and goaltending coach flew out of North Bay on Friday to take on this new challenge which will include consulting jobs back in Switzerland, Germany and Denmark.

“It will be fun to be exposed to another league,” said Hedican who was working exclusively last year with Bern of the Swiss Pro league.

“I’ve been in Switzerland a long time so it will be fun to work in the German League, the DEL, the top league there so I’ll be doing a little more traveling but I’m looking forward to new people and a new challenge."

While Hedican was responsible for helping the NHL discover Cristobal Huet in the past, this season he will be perhaps helping two former NHLers find their game again. Hedican will be working with Jamie Storr in Dusseldorf and Patrick DesRochers in Augsburg of the DEL. Both are former first round picks in the NHL draft and both have not played in the NHL since the lockout.

In Switzerland, Hedican will be working in familiar territory with Bern backup goalie Marc Kern but heading to Denmark is going to be a brand new experience.

“Denmark is going to be totally new to me,” he admits.

“I don’t think the level will be as high as the German League but I know the coach there and I’ve worked with him in Switzerland before and he asked me to do it for him and it worked into the schedule.”

Auld and Hedican to reunite?

Hedican may see a familiar face overseas as the Miami Herald is reporting an unconfirmed rumour that Alex Auld may be heading to Europe to play this season.

The unrestricted free agent had a forgetful 2006-2007 season. The former Centennial goalie was shipped off to Florida from Vancouver as part of last summer’s blockbuster Bertuzzi/ Luongo deal.

Instead of taking over the vacant starting position, Auld struggled and lost the starting job to the ageless Ed Belfour and then suffered a season-ending injury early in 2007.

Auld recorded only 7 wins and a 0.888 save percentage in 27 games with the Panthers last season.