The Saint John Sea Dogs have named Jeff Hansen as their newest associate coach.

Hansen first joined the Sea Dogs in August 2022 as the defensive coordinator.

“I am extremely excited for the opportunity to grow within such a great organization,” Hansen said in a news release.

“Working towards bringing another championship to Saint John is a vision that we all share and I’m honoured to be able to play a key part in that.”

Before joining the Sea Dogs, Hansen spent nine years in the Western Hockey League, including five years as an assistant coach and four years as a video coach.

Travis Crickard, head coach of the Sea Dogs, said Hansen has proven to be a welcome addition to their coaching staff.

“Jeff brings a decade of coaching experience at the major junior level and has made an immediate impact on the development of our defensemen,” Crickard said in a news release.

“Moreover, his knowledge of player development, passion for coaching, and desire to learn have proven to be welcome components to our coaching staff. I am excited for Jeff to accept this well-deserved promotion as he progresses in his coaching career.”

This past season, Hansen’s responsibilities included the penalty kill, defensemen development, and many aspects of the team’s structural play.

Team officials said all three of those areas showed significant improvement in the second half of the season.