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The Winnipeg Jets promoted Scott Arniel to head coach this summer. Rick Bowness retired from the Jets after spending two seasons in charge behind the bench in Winnipeg. Arniel had occasionally filled in as head coach when Bowness needed to step away from the team. Now, he has the chance to lead this franchise himself.
Arniel spoke with reporters recently as he runs his first training camp. The Winnipeg bench boss pointed to his experience with the Jets under Bowness. And that experience has helped make his move from assistant to head coach as smooth as it possibly could have been.
“I’m starting to bring my own ideas and thoughts in,” Arniel said Sunday, via NHL.com. “We’ve been building something here for the last couple of years and I’m able to continue to move forward with that. ‘Bones’ was great for me in the sense that he gave me a lot of responsibility the last couple of years, so the transition and all that has been pretty smooth.”
Scott Arniel building on Jets foundation
Scott Arniel is taking on a full-time NHL head coaching role for the first time in his career. However, he has some experience as the head man, as mentioned. The Jets tabbed Arniel as the acting head coach three times over the last two seasons. Winnipeg has gone 15-7-3 in those games. They went 10-5-2 last year under Arniel when Bowness stepped away for personal reasons.
The 62-year-old Jets coach found it unfortunate how his coaching experience came to be. In saying this, he acknowledged the benefits his experience with this team had on his new role. “I got to be able to coach when Rick was away, which was unfortunate, but I got to be behind the bench, so the players know me,” said Arniel, via NHL.com. “So, I [have] a relationship, so it’s not like I’m coming into an organization where I don’t know anybody.”
The Jets are hoping to make the playoffs once again in 2025. Winnipeg met with the Colorado Avalanche in round one of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2024. However, the Jets lost to the Avalanche in five games after winning Game 1 of the series.
Winnipeg certainly hopes Arniel can build upon the foundation laid by Bowness in the last two seasons. It will certainly be interesting to see how the team performs under its new bench boss. The Jets open their 2024-25 regular season with a game on the road against the Edmonton Oilers.
