The Windsor Spitfires have a new addition to their coaching staff.
Former NHL player Kris Newbury has been hired as an assistant coach, joining interim head coach Casey Torres, video coach Johnathan Moran, skating coach Kathy McLlwain and culture & high performance coach Brian O'Reilly.
The 41-year-old enters the organization after a two-year stint as an assistant coach for the Trenton Golden Hawks in the Junior A ranks, and a year as the head coach of the Greater Kingston Gaels U-15 & the Quinte Red Devils U-16 teams.
"We welcome Kris to the Spitfires organization; (sic) he had a long playing career at all different professional levels which will help him develop as a coach and we believe will translate to our players' development," said General Manager Bill Bowler in a news release.
"After his playing career, his commitment to mentor and develop players in minor as well as junior hockey and that was attractive to our organization," Bowler continued.
Newbury will join the Windsor Spitfires immediately ahead of Thursday's game in Mississauga.
"I'm humbled to become a part of a great organization and excited to get started." Newbury said. "I am looking forward to working with these young men," Newbury said.
As a player, the native of Brampton, Ont. Native played five seasons in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) with the Belleville Bulls and the Sarnia Sting.
As a member of the Bulls, Newbury won an OHL Championship and was named to the OHL Second All Star Team in 2001-02 and OHL Third All Star Team in 2002-03. Newbury went on to appear in seventeen seasons of professional hockey, after he was selected in the fifth round (139th overall) of the 2002 NHL Entry Draft by the San Jose Sharks.
In total, Newbury skated in 75 career National Hockey League (NHL) contests with the Toronto Maple Leafs (2006-09), Detroit Red Wings (2009-10), New York Rangers (2010-13) and Philadelphia Flyers (2013-14).
He is also a veteran of 826 games in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the St. John's Maple Leafs and Toronto Marlies (2003-09), Grand Rapids Griffins/Hartford Wolf Pack (2009-10), Connecticut Whale (2010-13), Adirondack Phantoms/Hershey Bears (2013-15), Ontario Reign (2015-16), and Bakersfield Condors/ Charlotte Checkers (2016-17).
Newbury played one season overseas in Germany for the FischTown Pinguins in 2017-18. He finished his playing career with the Jacksonville Icemen of the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) during the 2018-19 season.
Puck-drop against the Steelheads in Mississauga is set for 7 p.m. Thursday, with the pre-game show with Steve Bell getting underway at 6:45 p.m. on AM800.