Hurricanes hire Gleason to develop defensemen

Tim Gleason is coming back to the Carolina Hurricanes.

The Canes said Monday that the former defenseman, who played 546 regular-season games for Carolina, had been hired as the director of defensemen development. Gleason replaced Glen Wesley, who recently left the position.

Gleason, 35, will work with the defensemen in the Hurricanes system, including drafted players in the Canadian major-junior hockey leagues, college, ECHL and American Hockey League.

“Tim was tough, intelligent, and a great leader in his 11 NHL seasons as a player,” general manager Don Waddell said in a statement. “We are excited to bring Tim back to the organization and look forward to him instilling those characteristics into our defensemen as he helps them develop.”

Gleason played 727 career NHL games with the Los Angeles Kings, Carolina, Toronto and Washington. He was acquired by the Hurricanes in September 2006 and in 2009 helped the Canes reach the Eastern Conference finals in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

This story was originally published June 25, 2018 at 4:16 PM with the headline "Hurricanes hire Gleason to develop defensemen."