Flames hire Dave Lowry as assistant coach

The team announced that former assistant Brad Larsen will not be returning to the team due to family reasons. Larsen missed large chunks of the 2024-25 season due to personal reasons, but was expected to make a full return this season.

Lowry is no stranger to the Flames franchise. Along with playing for Calgary in the final four seasons of his NHL career, the Sudbury, Ont. native was an assistant coach under Brent Sutter from 2009 to 2012. Lowry now joins a staff that is led by head coach Ryan Huska, who is entering his third year at the helm. He’ll step behind the bench alongside assistants Trent Cull and Cail MacLean.

Lowry comes to the Flames after spending the past three seasons with the Seattle Kraken. He came to the young franchise in 2022, helping guide the Kraken to its first playoff berth that season. However, the team floundered over the past couple of years, missing the playoffs each season, leading to the firings of both Dave Hakstol and Dan Bylsma. Lowry was let go by the Kraken in early June.

Lowry also served as an assistant coach with the Winnipeg Jets for two seasons, taking over as interim head coach during the 2021-22 season after Rick Bowness stepped away from the team. The former NHL winger also worked on the Los Angeles Kings staff as an assistant from 2017 to 2019.

The 60-year-old’s coaching experience goes beyond the NHL. He served as the assistant coach for Team Canada at the 2015 IIHF World Junior Championship, helping the team secure the gold medal. He was the head coach for Canada in the following year, only for the team to lose in the quarterfinals.