Jay Varady

Jay Varady (born September 16, 1977) is an American former ice hockey player and current assistant coach for the Arizona Coyotes of the National Hockey League (NHL). Prior to joining the Coyotes, Varady coached the Tucson Roadrunners of the American Hockey League, the Sioux City Musketeers in the United States Hockey League (USHL), the Kingston Frontenacs in the Ontario Hockey League, and played collegiate hockey with the Union Dutchmen.

Jay Varady
Born (1977-09-16) September 16, 1977
Cahokia, Illinois, USA
EducationUnion College
OccupationAssistant coach of the Arizona Coyotes
Spouse(s)Joy
Children1

Early life and education

Varady grew up in St. Louis and played midget hockey in Chicago for the Chicago Young Americans. He graduated to the Dubuque Fighting Saints in the United States Hockey League (USHL) for two years before entering Union College.[1] At Union, he played three seasons with their Division I hockey team from 1997-2000 before joining the coaching staff after a critical neck injury.[2] Prior to his injury, Varady served as team captain for the 1999–00 season.[3]

Coaching career

After graduation, Varady coached the Chicago U16 AAA Team for the 2001 season.[1] He then joined the coaching staff of the Pittsburgh Forge, from the North American Hockey League, for the 2002-03 season. The following year, he was an assistant and associate head coach with the Everett Silvertips of the Western Hockey League (WHL).[2] In 2009, Varady was named Team USA's Video Coach for their 2010 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships team.[4]

Varady stayed with the Silvertips until 2010, when he took two years off to coach in France's Ligue Magnus.[5] Upon his return to North America, Varady took over the Sioux City Musketeers, where he helped lead them to a 136-88-16 record during his coaching seasons.[2] This made him the third winningest coach in Musketeers’ history.[6] As a result, Varady was awarded the 2017 USHL Coach of the Year Award.[7] He was also selected by Team USA to coach their 2016 World Junior A Challenge team.[5]

The following year, Varady joined the coaching staff of the Kingston Frontenacs in the Ontario Hockey League. He led Kingston to a record of 36–26–6–3, helping them reach the OHL Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in franchise history.[8]

In 2018, Varady was named head coach of the Tucson Roadrunners of the American Hockey League (AHL), the affiliate of the Arizona Coyotes of the National Hockey League.[9] In his second season as coach in Tucson, the Roadrunners were named the division champions when the season was curtailed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to the postponed start of the 2020–21 season, Varady joined the Coyotes' staff as an assistant coach. In his two seasons as head coach, Tucson held a 70–45–6–5 record.[10]

Personal life

Varady married Joy, a nurse practitioner.[11]

References
  1. "Q&A: Jay Varady, Kingston Frontenacs Head Coach". neutralzone.net. December 26, 2017. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
  2. Ken Schott (July 13, 2017). "Ex-Union hockey's Varady named Kingston (OHL) head coach". The Daily Gazette. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
  3. "UNION SET TO OPEN SEASON AT ICE BREAKER INVITATIONAL AGAINST CC". muse.union.edu. October 7, 2005. Retrieved September 17, 2019. He is the first junior to wear the “C” for Union since Jay Varady was named captain for the 1999-00 season
  4. "Silvertips' Jay Varady Named to USA Hockey's National Junior Team Coaching Staff, Tyler Maxwell to Attend USA Development Camp". whl.ca. June 15, 2009. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
  5. "Jay Varady Tabbed Head Coach of U.S. Junior Select Team". usahockey.com. September 29, 2016. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
  6. Giese, Jerry (July 25, 2017). "Varady having a hard time leaving Musketeers". Sioux City Journal. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
  7. "USHL Announces Coach and General Manager of the Year". ushl.com. April 10, 2017. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
  8. "Jay Varady Gets The Call to Coach in the AHL with the Tucson Roadrunners". kingstonfrontenacs.com. July 2, 2018. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
  9. "Coyotes Name Varady Head Coach of Tucson Roadrunners". nhl.com. July 2, 2018. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
  10. "Coyotes Add Jay Varady to Coaching Staff for 2020-21 Season". OurSports Central. January 14, 2021.
  11. Gallagher, Tim (October 25, 2014). "PINK FOR A PASSION". Sioux City Journal. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
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