BREAKING NEWS: Rich Clune is appointed assistant coach by the Ducks

BREAKING NEWS: Rich Clune is appointed assistant coach by the Ducks

After serving in a variety of coaching capacities for two seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs, including a stint as a

player development coach in 2022, the 37-year-old now plays assistant coach for the AHL club Toronto Marlies.

Under Clune’s leadership, the Marlies’ power play increased from 13% to 21.9 percent in his 55 games with the team.

Over the course of his 16-year professional career, Clune played for the Los Angeles Kings, Nashville Predators, and Maple Leafs in the NHL for portions of five seasons.

Clune has accrued 22 points (seven goals and fifteen assists)  and 327 penalty minutes in 139 NHL games.

Clune had a lengthy career in the AHL, amassing 57 goals and 94 assists for 151 points and 1,616 penalty minutes in 593 games with the Marlies, Milwaukee Admirals, Manchester Monarchs, and Iowa Stars. He was selected by the Dallas Stars in the third round of the 2005 NHL Entry Draft.

2015–16 was Clune’s most productive season in the minor leagues, as he scored eight goals and 16 assists for 24 points and 146 penalty minutes in just 49 games. He assisted the Marlies in capturing their first-ever Calder Cup title two seasons later.

He would be named the Marlies captain in March 2021, a position he would keep for the last two seasons of his professional career.

In 2023–24, the Ducks had a 27–50–5 record with 59 points, which placed them seventh in the Pacific Division and third lowest in the league. In the forthcoming 2024 NHL Entry Draft, scheduled on June 29 in Las Vegas, Nevada, Anaheim is slated to pick third overall.