Gary Agnew's career in hockey is long and winding. He has had stints in the NHL, AHL and at the junior level.

UTICA Gary Agnew wants to coach for as long as someone lets him.

Agnews career in hockey is long and winding. He has had stints in the NHL (Columbus, St. Louis and mostly recently, Pittsburgh), the AHL (six seasons leading Syracuse in the early 2000s) and at the junior level. Hes been a head coach as well as assistant.

His varied experience has provided the perspective for what is needed to be successful. His role as a well-traveled teacher is something he relishes, especially after sitting on a beach in Florida last season.

I love the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat, said Agnew, whose previous job was with Pittsburgh in 2015-16. I love the opportunity to help people achieve their goals. Its the competition. Its all those things combined into one with the camaraderie of the locker room.

Agnewhas the opportunity to experience that as the Utica Comets new associate coach. Agnew joins new head coach Trent Cull and assistant Jason King.

Its energizing and its invigorating, Agnew said this week at the Utica Memorial Auditorium. This is a great move for me personally. Its fun to be with(Cull and King)and help them out and hopefully not hinder them.

The good-natured Agnew coached Cull for two seasons in Syracuse. That experience helped make for a smooth transition, Agnew said.

He told me to make sure I brought him the right coffee. So, thats always fun when youre bantering back and forth, said Agnew, who acknowledged he was impressed with Cull when he coached against him in juniors. For me, (Cull) is an enthusiastic, energetic, upbeat guy. Thats who you want to associate with.

While Agnew will coach the Comets defensemen and penalty kill unit, he said it will be a collaborative effort. He continues to adjust his style and philosophy, he said.

Its like any other job. If youre not learning, youre falling behind, Agnew said. In the old days, if you were a 6-foot-4, 230-pound player, typically you were kind of a cumbersome guy. Now theyre skilled and fast. So, youve got to adjust to that. In the old days, you could tell the player to run through the wall and hed run through the wall. Now, he wants to know whats on the other side of the wall. ... Youve got to adjust. Theyve got the answers. Theres no more making stuff up. ... So, they make us better."

Agnewwill be among many new faceswhen the team returns to Utica next month. More than a few players from last seasons squad have moved on. Through trades, free agency and the draft, the parent Vancouver Canucks have a logjam of forwards and defensemen.

Agnew will meet many of the players when the Comets staff travels to British Columbia for the Canucks Young Stars event in early September and then main training camp.

Part of coaching and the coach-player relationship is the ability to give your message and then for the player to accept the message. So, guysI like working with are guys that (are) open to all that," he said."Its nothing personal. Im trying to get you to where you need to be, so heres what I think you should be doing. ... You build relationships. To say theres any one guy Im looking forward to coaching, not really. Im looking forward to coaching with all of them. But, as time goes on, there are probably guys who are taking what you say and doing it. Those are the guys I like working with.

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Agnew brings experience as Utica Comets' associate coach - Utica Observer Dispatch