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Haley returns to Sting as assistant coach

Former Sarnia Sting forward Micheal Haley is returning to the team as an assistant coach.

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After playing parts of 11 seasons in the NHL, Micheal Haley wants to help Sarnia Sting players get there, too.

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The former Sting forward was named an assistant coach Thursday after working with the team for a month and a half.

“We see him being a valuable piece for us moving forward,” Sting general manager Dylan Seca said.

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Haley, 35, retired from the NHL last spring after playing four games with the Ottawa Senators in 2020-21. He soon offered his help to the Sting and has been working in a player-development role since training camp began.

“We basically just made an agreement that we would both see what worked: Where was his interest level and what was our interest level? But we knew he’d be able to contribute a ton to our players,” Seca said.

Head coach Alan Letang has been short-handed since associate head coach Brad Staubitz took a leave of absence last week for personal reasons. Assistant coach Mark Mancari is also away from the team.

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“I would like to thank Dylan and Alan for the opportunity,” Haley said in a statement. “I look forward to working with the players and helping them develop on and off the ice.”

Haley was unavailable for interviews Thursday.

He played three and a half seasons with the Sting after being a second-round pick in the 2002 Ontario Hockey League draft and now lives in Sarnia.

He had 32 points and 692 penalty minutes in 274 NHL games with the New York Islanders and Rangers, San Jose, Florida and Ottawa.

“He’s skated with our guys over the years … as he’s getting in shape before leaving for NHL camp,” Seca said. “We’ve had him around our group multiple times for multiple years. His presence is not foreign.”

Haley carved out a career through hard work, attention to detail and being a great teammate, the Sting GM said. He can help the Sting players learn the sacrifice and dedication needed to be a pro.

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He’s never coached junior hockey before, but his life as an NHL journeyman makes him well-suited to the job, Seca said.

“Those guys take on player development roles within their teams. It’s a natural transition,” he said. “They’re mentoring the younger players. They’re the guys that put all the extra work in, so they tend to really gravitate around the coaching staff.”

Player development involves the “day-to-day expectations” that go into being an elite-level player, he said. Everything from sleeping and eating habits to the fine details in practice make a difference.

“Small things that we all assume are known are really areas that in junior hockey can be missed because, at the end of the day, they’re still teenagers with lots of other things in their lives,” Seca said. “What we were hoping (was) to bring Mike in to be that advocate for player development and really help our players. It’s obviously gone really well.”

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Haley will be behind the bench Friday when the Sting visit the Kitchener Rangers and Saturday when they host the London Knights at Progressive Auto Sales Arena.

Staubitz and Mancari remain out indefinitely. Their absences are unrelated and it was a coincidence their announcements were made on consecutive days last week, Seca said.

Staubitz will eventually be back, said Seca, adding Mancari “can’t work because of health-related issues.”

Once one or both return, Haley will remain on the staff. He wasn’t hired to be an interim coach.

“Micheal Haley coming in is more to replace the absence of Mark Mancari than anything,” Seca said.

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