Familiarity certainly played a role.
For Brent Hughes, the opportunity to join the bench of the Soo Greyhounds was one he couldn’t pass up.
In fact, the second time turned out to be the charm for the 40-year-old Toronto native.
The Greyhounds had a pair of coaching vacancies in the month of August after associate coach Jordan Smith took a job with American Hockey League’s Springfield Thunderbirds and assistant Jamie Tardif joined the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack.
Hughes was among the candidates to fill the void left by Smith, a job that eventually went to Brendan Taylor.
Just three weeks later, Hughes was a leading candidate to take over Tardif's role. For him, it was a chance to work with a man he already knows well both as a coach and a player: Greyhounds head coach John Dean.
“Him and I have a long history, and we share a lot of the same philosophies and vision of the game,” Hughes said. “Obviously, the organization, these are organizations that you just don’t turn down.”
His relationship with Dean centres around their mutual respect.
“It’s huge because we respect each other's opinion,” Hughes said. “John knows that I’m a guy that’s going to challenge him. He likes that side of it. It’s a healthy debate, but at the same time, even if I agree with it, I’m still going to challenge him just to make sure we’re 100 per cent on the decisions we’re going to make or the adjustments we’re going to make.”
Greyhounds general manager Kyle Raftis said Hughes “checks a lot of boxes in terms of developing players.”
With his philosophy centering around puck possession, Hughes spoke of his admiration for the Greyhounds' similar style.
“We want to be a possession team, and we want to be fast and to watch this team that last few years, that’s how they are,” Hughes said. “That’s more of the main factor was the possession game. Obviously, there are a few little things here and there [that are different], but I just love their style of play.”
In addition to a coaching resumé that includes time in the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League with the Espanola Express and the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League’s Cape Breton Screaming Eagles, Hughes has also spent time as an assistant coach in the ECHL.
“Every year, you’re always taking something away from it,” Hughes said of his experience.
“Building relationships is one of the key factors with this young group,” Hughes added. “We’re here to try to get the most out of them and teach them a few things along the way. Obviously, they’ve got an end goal in making it further.”
Hughes also said his pro background will be a help on the development side.
“[In the ECHL] you’re still trying to groom players for the AHL,” Hughes said. “It’s a little bit different where sometimes you’re dealing with a guy who’s got a wife and kids versus a guy here who is still in high school. Those are really the only big adjustments because you’re still teaching a lot of the same things no matter what level you’re at.”