New associate coach in Flint
Ryan Kuwabara is taking his Ontario Hockey League coaching talents from the Saginaw Spirit to the nearby, arch-rival, Flint Firebirds.
The 47-year old Kuwabara heads to Flint as its new associate coach after spending the past two seasons north on Interstate 75 as an assistant coach in Saginaw.
As a player, Kuwabara was a first-round draft pick of the Ottawa 67’s who went on to have a 100-point season as a star forward in the OHL.
Kuwabara said he is looking forward to teaming up with Firebirds general manager Barclay Branch and head coach Eric Wellwood in Flint.
“After meeting Barclay and Eric it became apparent that this is a really good fit,” said Kuwabara. “Everybody is going to have a say on how we get this to where we want to be and that’s a championship club.”