Joel Ward isn’t done with hockey.

The UPEI Panthers graduate, who played 11 seasons in the NHL, was recently hired as an assistant coach by the Henderson Silver Knights, the Vegas Golden Knights’ new AHL affiliate.

“I love the game,” he said Thursday night. “I loved it as a player, and I missed it all the time.”

Ward played his final game on April 7, 2018, and officially announced his retirement two years later. Ward said he was fortunate to learn a lot while playing under the tutelage of great coaches and with a ton of smart players.

“It would be a shame if I just had that information and was not be able to share it,” he said.

Ward’s path to the top hockey league in the world is not the norm. He came through the Ontario Hockey League and attended some NHL training camps, but when the contract he was seeking didn’t materialize, he came east and played for the Panthers.

After four great seasons in the Atlantic University Sport, he caught on with the AHL’s Houston Aeros. He has experienced the minor leagues and invested the time and energy to achieve his goal of playing in the NHL.

“This is the time for me to get a chance to teach, to help some guys out that have maybe gone through some of my experiences,” he said. “I kind of see myself in a lot of players actually, especially at the American league level.”

He wants to help them achieve their goals and get to the NHL.

Former coach

Doug Currie, who coached Ward at UPEI, said he was thrilled to see one of his former players taking the next step in his life and knows he will continue to make positive impacts on the game.

“His career journey as a player has provided him with the skills, not only from a player’s perspective but what players need, particularly at the American Hockey League level,” he said. “He’s seen it and he’s been through the journey so he will be a huge asset to a coaching staff.”

After his playing days ended, Ward reached out to some team officials he had crossed paths with during his career to let them know he was interested in staying involved in the game. The list included Golden Knights’ president of hockey operations George McPhee, who was the general manager when Ward played for the Washington Capitals.

After Manny Viveiros became Henderson’s head coach, he reached out to Ward to see if he was interested in joining his staff. Ward and Jamie Heward were announced as assistant coaches on Nov. 23.

Ward graduated from UPEI with a sociology degree and considered a few different careers such as policing and teaching if hockey didn’t work out. His teaching will now take place on the ice at practice, in the video room or on the bus. 

“I think deep down inside I knew I wanted to do it,” Ward said of coaching. “There’s not many better feelings (than) seeing somebody succeed.”

Player development department 

Currie said Ward will be a boost to Vegas’ player development department and that goes much deeper than the Xs and Os of hockey.

“These players … would all know his journey, so it will be quite motivating as he builds relationships and works with the professional athletes that are striving to get to the next level.”

Ward continues his work as a member of the Hockey Diversity Alliance. As a player, he inspired Black people to get involved in hockey and hopes he can show them there are more places to work in the game than playing. 

“(Being a role model is) a very important thing for me,” he said. “If I can inspire a couple of kids to get involved with the game that would be great.”

Currie believes he will give Black people someone to follow as they pursue their coaching careers.

“This will be another platform for Joel Ward to contribute from a hockey perspective (and) to continue to make a significant contribution to changing the culture in the game, particularly at the upper professional levels,” he said. “The game is going to be a whole lot better today than it was before Joel decided to move into coaching.”