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Capitals Name Former Olympian Schuler Guest Coach; Will Assist Team Next Year

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Capitals guest coach Laura Schuler

ARLINGTON, V.A. — The Washington Capitals will have a former Olympian on the ice for development camp, as Laura Schuler will serve as a guest coach for the 2022 Capitals Development Camp that kicks off on Monday.

Schuler will also assist the team’s coaching staff in Washington and Hershey periodically over the course of the 2022-23 campaign.

“We are excited to provide Laura an opportunity to gain experience from our NHL and AHL coaching staffs and help her take the next step in her career,” general manager Brian MacLellan said. “We feel her playing experience and coaching abilities will greatly benefit our young players in the organization.”

Schuler currently serves as an assistant coach with the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs. Last season, she helped lead them to the NCAA championship title game.

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As a player, she played for Northeastern in College before joining Hockey Canada. There, she won three gold medals at the 1990, 1992 and 1997 World Championships. She also won two gold medals at the Pacific Rim Championships (1995, 1996) and two gold medals and one silver medal at the Three Nations Cup (1996, 1997, 1999). Schuler also won silver at the 1998 Nagano Olympic Winter Games.

Beyond playing, she also has an extensive coaching resume. In 2001, she became the UMass Boston head coach before coaching her alma mater Northeastern from 2004-2008. She was an assistant coach for the Bulldogs in 2008 and stayed on board for seven seasons, helping the team to three frozen fours and an NCAA title in 2010. Schuler then led Dartmouth College from 2016-2020,and also served as the head coach of the Canadian National Women’s Team during 2015-16 and 2016-17 before leading them to the 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang, where they won silver.

Schuler joins Emily Engel-Natzke as the second woman coach the team has welcomed this offseason. Engel-Natzke is now the new NHL video coordinator, making her the first full-time woman coach in NHL history.