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Humboldt Broncos hire Troy Smith as assistant coach

Jan 2, 2019 | 10:22 AM

After parting ways with the head coach in late December, the Humboldt Broncos organization has finalized the team’s coaching staff for the remainder of the season.

Interim head coach Scott Barney named former Saginaw Spirit head coach Troy Smith as assistant coach for the rest of the season.

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“I am excited and energized to get to know our players and join the Humboldt community,” Smith said in a Humboldt Broncos news release.

“We have a lot of work to be done in a short amount of time, and (I) am really looking forward to an exciting second half.”

The hiring comes five days after head coach Nathan Oystrick parted ways with the Humboldt Broncos.

“I have stepped away from the Humboldt Broncos,” Oystrick said in a tweet on Friday.  “Despite the extreme stress and constant pressure of working with the organization, I gave them everything I possibly could and am proud of their performance, and mine, this season. I will issue a proper statement shortly.”

A native of Hamilton, Ont., Smith served as associate coach and assistant general manager of the OHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs from 2015-2017 prior to his posting in Saginaw.

Smith spent nine years with the Kitchener Rangers at the outset of his coaching career, serving seven years as an assistant and two as head coach.

During those years, he led the Bulldogs to the 2008 OHL Championship under current San Jose head coach Peter DeBoer.