May 30 (UPI) -- The Washington Capitals hired former Toronto Maple Leafs assistant Spencer Carbery as their new head coach, general manager Brian MacLellan announced Tuesday.
"It's a tremendous honor and privilege to be named the head coach of the Washington Capitals," Carbery said in a news release. "I would like to thank the Capitals organization for affording me the opportunity to lead this team.
"I look forward to working with this group of talented players and building upon the winning culture in place."
Carbery, 41, joined the Maple Leafs staff in 2021. He coached the Hershey Bears, the AHL affiliate of the Capitals, from 2018 to 2021. He also spent time with the ECHL's South Carolina Stingrays, Ontario Hockey League's Saginaw Spirit and AHL's Providence Bruins and Abbotsford Heat.
The Capitals parted ways with former coach Peter Laviolette in April. Laviolette led the team to a 115-78-27 record over three seasons. The Capitals went 3-8 in the postseason under Laviolette. They went 35-37-10 in 2022-23.
"We are extremely pleased to name Spencer as our new head coach," MacLellan said. "Spencer is one of the best young coaches in the game who's had success at every level at which he has coached.
"We feel his leadership, communication skills, ability to develop players and familiarity with our organization will be a tremendous asset as he makes this next step in his coaching career."
