Tuesday, August 9, 2016

GLENDALE, ARIZONA - Arizona Coyotes General Manager John Chayka announced today that the Coyotes have signed Jim Playfair and Steve Peters to multi-year contract extensions. As per club policy, terms of the deals were not disclosed.

“We are very pleased to sign Jim to a multi-year extension,” said Chayka. “Jim has done an outstanding job developing our young defensemen and he brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to our bench. We are thrilled to have him back for several more seasons.”

Playfair

Playfair enters his sixth season as the Coyotes Associate Coach. In his five seasons in Arizona, Playfair has assisted with the development of Coyotes’ defensemen Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Connor Murphy and Michael Stone.

Playfair joined the Coyotes on June 7, 2011 from Calgary where he spent 11 years as a coach with the Flames organization. He was named the 14th head coach in franchise history on July 12, 2006. In his only season behind the bench (2006-07), Playfair led Calgary to an impressive 43-29-10 record (96 points) in the Northwest Division. He also served as Calgary’s associate coach (2007-09) and as an assistant coach (2003-06) with the Flames.

Playfair also had two stints as a head coach in the American Hockey League while with the Flames’ organization. He was the head coach of the Abbotsford Heat (AHL) from 2009-2011. In his two seasons at the helm, the Fort St. James, British Columbia native led the Heat to a 77-61-9-13 record (176 points). He was appointed head coach of the Saint John Flames (AHL) on August 10, 2000. During the 2000-01 season, Playfair led Saint John to its first Calder Cup championship and was named the Minor League Professional Coach of the Year by The Hockey News. Over the course of three seasons (2000-01 to 2002-03) in Saint John, Playfair posted a record of 83-77-22-10.

Playfair played nine seasons of professional hockey including 21 games in the NHL with the Edmonton Oilers and Chicago Blackhawks. He was originally drafted by the Oilers in the first round (20th overall) of the 1982 NHL Entry Draft.

Peters

Peters returns for his 20th season with the Coyotes as the team’s Assistant Coach, Video. He joined the Coyotes in 1997-98 after serving as the Executive Director of the Hobey Baker Memorial Award, given annually to the top hockey player in the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

“Steve is one of the best video coaches in the NHL,” said Chayka. “He is extremely knowledgeable and very well-prepared. He’s a valuable member of Dave Tippett’s coaching staff.”

The Bemidji, Minnesota native is responsible for all of the video needs of the Coyotes’ coaching staff. Included in his duties are pre-scouting opponents, breaking down and analyzing game video for motivational and educational purposes, and reviewing game video with Coyotes players. He is also instrumental in assisting the coaching staff on coaches’ challenges. Additionally, Peters will serve as Team North America’s video coach during the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.

Peters, 48, is a graduate of the University of North Dakota where he was a three-time letter winner for the Fighting Sioux hockey team and a member of the 1987 NCAA Division I Championship team.