ARLINGTON, Va. — The Washington Capitals have named Scott Allen as an assistant coach, senior vice president and general manager Brian MacLellan announced today. Allen, who will work primarily with the Capitals’ forwards and disadvantages, will join assistant coaches Kevin McCarthy, Blaine Forsythe and goalie coach Scott Murray on head coach Peter Laviolette’s staff.
Allen, 56, joins Washington after spending the previous three seasons with the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League (AHL). Allen served as an assistant coach for two seasons before being named Hershey’s head coach ahead of the 2021-22 season. Under Allen, Hershey finished with a 34-32-6-4 record, earning a Calder Cup playoff berth and tied for 11th in the AHL in goals against (209).
The New Bedford, Massachusetts native brings more than 25 years of professional coaching experience, which includes assistant positions with the New York Islanders (2009-12), Florida Panthers (2016-17 ) and the Arizona Coyotes (2017-19). With Arizona, Allen worked with Coyotes defensemen and shorthanded. In the 2018-19 season, Arizona tied for first in the NHL in shorthanded percentage (85.0) and tied for fifth in goals against per game (2.68 ). In Allen’s only season with Florida, the Panthers finished with the second-best penalty kill percentage in the NHL (85.3).
Allen coached in the AHL for 14 seasons, serving as an assistant coach with the San Antonio Rampage (2002-04, 2014-15), Lowell Lock Monsters/Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights (2004-07), Quad City Flames (2007-09), Peoria Rivermen (2012-13), Chicago Wolves (2013-14) and Portland Pirates (2015-16). Allen also served as interim head coach for three seasons, including with San Antonio in 2002-03 and 2003-04, and with Portland in 2015-16.
In addition to his coaching experience in the NHL and AHL, Allen worked in the ECHL as an assistant and head coach, starting as an assistant in 1996 with the Johnstown Chiefs. Allen was named Johnstown’s head coach in 1997 and later guided the Chiefs to three consecutive Kelly Cup playoff appearances from 1999-00 to 2001-02, reaching the American Conference Championship twice.
Prior to joining the coaching ranks, Allen played professionally for 10 seasons in the All-American Hockey League, Atlantic Coast Hockey League, Colonial Hockey League, Central Hockey League and ECHL. Allen, a forward, won back-to-back Kelly Cups with the Carolina Thunderbirds in 1989 and the Greensboro Monarchs in 1990.