Canucks add Dean, McLean, Young to new coach Foote's staff
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The Vancouver Canucks have added Kevin Dean, Brett McLean, and Scott Young to the team’s coaching staff, it was announced on Thursday.
Assistant coach Yogi Svejkovsky, defensive development coach Sergei Gonchar, and video coach Dylan Crawford were also announced to not be returning to their roles with the Canucks next season on Adam Foote’s staff.
Dean, an eight-year NHL veteran, most recently worked as an assistant coach of the Chicago Blackhawks for the past three seasons before parting ways with the team in May.
Prior to that, the 56-year-old worked under Bruce Cassidy behind the Boston Bruins’ bench from 2017-22.
A native of Madison, Wisc., Dean also served as an assistant coach on the United States’ 2025 IIHF World Championship team as a member of Ryan Warsofsky’s staff. He helped the Americans end a 92-year gold medal drought at the Worlds with a 1-0 victory over Switzerland in the final.
McLean joins the Canucks following two seasons as head coach of the Minnesota Wild’s American Hockey League affiliate, the Iowa Wild.
Prior to taking the AHL job, the 46-year-old worked as an assistant in Minnesota for three years, with the team making the playoffs in each season he worked on the staff.
A native of Comox, B.C., McLean played in the NHL for six seasons as a member of the Blackhawks, Colorado Avalanche, and Florida Panthers.
Young was the Canucks’ director of player personnel this past season, but now transitions to the coaching staff.
A veteran of 17 NHL seasons, Young played for the Hartford Whalers, Quebec Nordiques, Avalanche, Anaheim Ducks, St. Louis Blues, and Dallas Stars, totaling 1,181 career games played.
“The coaching search was a very thorough process as we wanted to find the best fit for our hockey club,” general manager Patrik Allvin said in a press release. “Once [Foote] was hired, we set out on selecting a team of assistant coaches who are good teachers, good communicators, and good people.
[Foote] has done a great job in assembling a well-rounded staff with a strong mix of experience and position specific expertise. I am excited to watch this group come together and am ready to support them in every way I can to help them prepare for the upcoming season.”
Vancouver parted ways with head coach Rick Tocchet following a disappointing 38-30-14 season, and promoted Foote from his role as an assistant after two years with the team in April.
Tocchet has since taken a job with the Philadelphia Flyers, who fired John Tortorella prior to the end of the 2024-25 season.