COLUMBUS, OHIO – The Columbus Blue Jackets have added Kenny McCudden to the coaching staff as an assistant coach, club General Manager Jarmo Kekalainen announced today. He joins the Blue Jackets after spending 16 seasons as the skating and skills coach of the American Hockey League’s Chicago Wolves.

The Chicago native, who originally joined the Wolves in 1994, spent three seasons with the club from 1994-97 and then returned prior to the 2002-03 season. He was a part of teams that qualified for the former International Hockey League Turner Cup Playoffs three times and the American Hockey League Calder Cup Playoffs on eight occasions. He helped the Wolves advance to the 2005 Calder Cup Final and capture the Calder Cup championship in 2008.

“Kenny has worked with players at every level from young kids to NHL All-Stars and is a very well-respected skills and skating instructor,” said Blue Jackets Head Coach Todd Richards. “He adds a new dimension to our staff and I’m really excited about the contributions he’ll make to our team.”

McCudden has worked with numerous NHL players and instructed at prospect camps for the Colorado Avalanche, St. Louis Blues and Atlanta Thrashers, as well as the Ontario Hockey League’s Sudbury Wolves and the Ontario Hockey Association. He was the skating and skills coach for the United States Women’s National Team from 2011-14. His stint with Team USA included serving as a scout for the silver medal-winning squad at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

The operator and owner of Ice Company Hockey Schools, he has worked with thousands of youth and amateur players in the Chicago-area since 1990. McCudden began his career with the Chicago Blackhawks in 1979 as a 17-year-old stick boy and was the team’s assistant equipment manager when he left the organization in 1985.