Photo: AHL.com

The Washington Capitals hired Reid Cashman as an assistant coach, according to Bill Riga, the associate head men’s hockey coach at Quinnipiac University. 

Congrats to my former partner and @QU_MIH All-American @ReidCashman on being named an assistant coach with @Capitals in the NHL. Great coach and person. #bobcats

— Bill Riga (@BillRiga) July 13, 2018

Cashman, 35, was named an assistant coach for the Hershey Bears on July 27, 2016. He was a three-time all-American for Quinnipiac and completed his fifth season as an assistant coach and first as the team’s associate head coach before he got hired in Hershey.

Cashman tallied six goals and 22 points in 68 AHL games with the Marlies, Admirals, and Penguins. He played in Latvia during his last season playing hockey, tallying five goals and 25 points in 54 games.

He comes onto the Capitals’ coaching staff after Todd Reirden was promoted from associate coach to head coach on June 29. Reirden succeeds coach Barry Trotz, who resigned as head coach on June 18. Three days later, Trotz signed a five-year contract to become the head coach of the New York Islanders and will bring former-Capitals’ assistant coach Lane Lambert with him as his assistant.

Trotz said he wanted to return as Capitals head coach during breakdown day but he and Capitals GM Brian MacLellan were unable to reach an agreement. Trotz’s contract in 2014 contained a clause in it that if he won the Stanley Cup during his tenure in Washington, a two-year contract worth $3.6 million would automatically take place.

Trotz wanted a five-year contract extension worth $25 million, which would have made him one of the top five highest-paid coaches in the NHL. MacLellan said the five years Trotz wanted were the sticking point during a press conference late Monday evening.

Trotz is the first head coach to leave his team after winning the Stanley Cup since 2002 when Scotty Bowman retired after leading the Detroit Red Wings to the Stanley Cup and the fifth to do so in the past 40 years.

Assistant coach Blaine Forsythe and goalie coach Scott Murray will keep their respective jobs, MacLellan said at Reirden’s introductory press conference on July 3.

The Capitals now need to find one more assistant to replace Lambert.

From Quinipiac Bobcats’ Site:

Cashman has helped guide Quinnipiac to 129 wins as well as four-consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances which includes two NCAA Frozen Four and Championship Game appearances. In addition, Quinnipiac has won three of the last four Cleary Cups for the ECAC Hockey Regular Season Championship and the program’s first Whitelaw Cup for the ECAC Hockey Tournament Championship in 2016.

A year after Cashman joined the Quinnipiac coaching staff, the Bobcats defensive unit allowed an NCAA-leading 1.67 goals-per-game on their way to the NCAA National Championship Game. Quinnipiac ranked second in scoring defense, nationally, in 2013-14, twelfth in 2014-15 and sixth last season. In addition, Quinnipiac led the NCAA in goals by defensemen (32) in 2015-16 while the defensive units’ 122 points ranked third.

As a player, Cashman earned All-American recognition in 2005, 2006 and 2007 after he completed his last two seasons as the only defenseman ranked in the top 20 in scoring in NCAA Division I men’s ice hockey. Cashman was named to the ECAC Hockey All-Decade Team for the period from 2000 through 2009 and was also recognized as one of the Top 50 players in ECAC Hockey history. He finished his career as the program’s all-time leader in career assists (125) as well as defenseman career points (148) and was captain of the team during his senior year.

Upon completion of his Quinnipiac career, Cashman signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs, playing seven games that season with Toronto’s top affiliate, the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League (AHL). Cashman enjoyed two stints with the Marlies, while also suiting up for the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and the Milwaukee Admirals. He also played for the Columbia Inferno, Wheeling Nailers and the Cincinnati Cyclones of the East Coast Hockey League before completing his professional career overseas with  EHC Black Wings Linz of the Austrian Erste Bank Ice Hockey League.

By Harrison Brown