The General Manager of the Kamloops Storm says
Jan Ludvig is done as Head Coach of the KIJHL squad, resigning his position on Monday, for what the team has described as “due to personal reasons,” going on to say the 63 year old is back in the Czech Republic “to be with family.”
The statement from the Storm does later reveal that Ludvig intends to “live and work there for the near future.”
Professional hockey tracking website Elite Pro now lists Ludvig as an Assistant Coach for HC Dynamo Pardubice, a team in the Czech Extraliga — that country’s top-tier league.
Ludvig, who started out his hockey career in North America as a Kamloops Junior Oiler after coming to Canada for the 1982/83 season, racked up an impressive 65 points in 37 games that season for Kamloops, including 31 goals.
From there, he made the transition to the National Hockey League, spending most of his career in New Jersey, including 54 points — including 22 goals — for the Devils during the 1983/84 Campaign.
He would round out his time in the NHL a few years later with two years of short stints with the Buffalo Sabres, before eventually calling it a career in North America in 1989.
He did suit up professionally for a short time in 2022 in his native Czech Republic, before becoming a professional scout in the Czech Extraliga.
That landed him a scouting position for a short time with the Boston Bruins organization, before he decided to return to Kamloops and take over the Head Coaching duties for the Kamloops Storm at the start of last season.
In the wake of Ludvig’s departure, the team has elevated long-time assistant coach Andrew Fisher to Head Coach for the remainder of the season.
“Andrew has been with the team for seven seasons now and knows the Kamloops Storm organization inside and out,” said the Storm in a brief statement on Thursday afternoon. “Andrew has paid his dues and understands the team vision. He is ready to take the next step.”
The Kamloops Storm organization did take time to thank Ludvig and his family for their contributions to the Storm, saying they have been instrumental in helping the organization take another step forward.
“They are good people and we wish them the best.”
