BURNABY, BC -Kyle Turris is taking his talents to the front office for next season.
In a surprising bit of news, the BCHL’s Coquitlam Express unveiled a new hiring on Wednesday evening, announcing that former NHL forward Kyle Turris would be joining their front office as a special advisor to the GM while also serving as a development coach for the club.
The Express confirmed that Turris retired in the off-season.
“I am really excited to have Kyle joining the team on the management side of things and with the players,” said Express chief operating officer and GM Tali Campbell in a statement on Wednesday.
“Anytime you can get your Alumni involved at any level is great but for someone like Kyle to jump on board in this big way, is fantastic and will help us to grow our program and bring the Fred Page Cup back to Coquitlam.”
Turris last suited up for the Edmonton Oilers in the 2021-22 season, appearing in 23 games while racking up one goal and three assists for four points while logging a little over eight minutes in nightly ice time. A veteran of 776 games, Turris was once a useful top-six centre at the height of his powers, scoring 168 career goals and 257 assists for 425 points while playing for the Oilers, Arizona Coyotes, Ottawa Senators, and Nashville Predators.
Currently a free agent, it’s unclear as to whether the 33-year-old is indeed stepping away from the NHL for good now that he’s set to join the Express for this coming season. But after being bought out by the Predators in 2020 and spending the past two seasons on the fringe of the Oilers’ lineup, Turris seems to be putting the gears in motion for what his career will look like after hanging up the skates.
“The Express organization played a key role in my personal and professional growth,” said Turris in a statement following the announcement.
“I am excited about having the opportunity to work with Tali and Patrick as they help each player develop individually, while pursuing the Fred Page Cup as a team.”
