Blues bring back Ray Bennett, Brad Shaw and add Gary Agnew to coaching staff.

The Blues have announced the re-signing of both Brad Shaw and Ray Bennett, but have also announced the addition of Gary Agnew to the coaching staff.

Brad Shaw has been named as Associate Coach while Gary Agnew will join Ray Bennett as an Assistant Coach.  According to the Blues, all three coaches receive multi-year contracts with the team.

Shaw is entering his seventh season with the Blues after joining the Blues on July 11, 2006.  He joined the Blues from the New York Islanders where he served as an interim head coach an assistant coach.  Shaw was the Assistant coach for the Blues in the 2011-12 season, but the Blues have promoted him to Associate Coach for the 2012-13 season.  An Associate Coach generally has more responsibilities and is generally known as the head coach's right-hand man.  Shaw, 48, played 377 professional hockey games as an NHL defenseman.  He played for four different teams (Hartford, Ottawa, Washington, St. Louis) and accumulated 159 points (22 goals, 137 assists).  He has been a head coach in the former International Hockey League, and an assistant coach at both the NHL and AHL levels.

Ray Bennett has been with the Blues since December 13, 2006 when he joined the team from the Los Angeles Kings organization where he spent seven seasons as an assistant coach.  Bennett has been an assistant coach since 1999 (Kings, Blues) and specialized in video analysis, and statistical support during his seven year tenure with the Kings.  He has been an assistant coach for Canada's national women's Olympic team, which earned a silver medal at the 1998 Winter Olympics.  Bennett also was an assistant coach for Canada's silver medal winning National Junior team at the 1999 World Championships.

The newest addition to the coaching squad is Gary Agnew who takes over the vacant spot that Scott Mellanby left when he departed from the team a few weeks ago.  Agnew joins the Blues from the Ontario Hockey League where he has been serving as head coach of the Oshawa Generals since being hired on November 7, 2011.  Before his OHL stint, Agnew was an assistant coach to former Blue Jackets, current Blues head coach Ken Hitchcock.  Agnew spent four seasons in the Blue Jackets organization (2006-2010).  From 2000-2006 Agnew was the head coach of the Blue Jackets American Hockey League affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch where he became the winningest coach in club history, accumulating a record of 200-177-83 (.545) in 480 games.  It is suggested that he will work with the Blues on the power play, and his head coaching experience along with his knowledge of hockey will be a good fit for the Blues.  He is also familiar with Ken Hitchcock’s style of play and system.

“We are pleased to have both Brad and Ray back and excited to add Gary to our coaching staff,” said Blues general manager Doug Armstrong. “They are all extremely dedicated and knowledgeable coaches that together will give our team an excellent support system going forward.”