The Surrey Eagles have brought a former pro player into the coaching fold – and a local one, at that.
On Thursday, the BC Hockey League team announced that Colten Teubert is joining its player development staff.
The 28-year-old White Rock native – who was a first-round pick, 13th overall, by the Los Angeles Kings in 2008 – will “immediately begin assisting with the Eagles’ minor hockey development program, and will also act as a team advisor” according to a news release.
Teubert has more than 400 professional hockey games on his resume, including 24 in the NHL with the Edmonton Oilers. He’s also played in the American Hockey League, as well as in Germany. He last played in the 2016/17 season, and retired due to injuries as well as for family reasons.
Last fall, an online campaign – spearheaded by the wife of a teammate – aimed to raise funds for Teubert’s family as his wife, Ashley, awaited brain surgery to remove a lesion on her right temporal lobe.
• SEE ALSO: Online campaign aims to help family of former NHLer
“I left the game pretty abruptly. It was definitely not how I envisioned my career playing out,” Teubert said.
“This is an opportunity to get back in the rink, back around the game gain. I just love being around kids. I’m a father myself, and teaching the kids everything I know – what not to do and what to do – is something that I think is important.
“I’d be doing hockey a disservice if I wasn’t able to give something back to the game after I played.”
In addition to his pro career, Teubert was a standout junior player. The former Valley West Hawk spent four seasons with the Western Hockey League’s Regina Pats, and won both gold and silver medals with Team Canada at the 2008 and ’09 world junior tournaments.
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