Vipers Coach Lands NHL Job

A member of the Vernon Vipers coaching staff is joining the scouting team for the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes.

Assistant coach and head scout Kevin Pedersen joined the Vipers staff for the 2015-16 season and since has helped recruit a number of key pieces to Viper teams including two players who have been drafted by NHL teams, Ty Taylor and Brett Stapley, and two players who figure to be taken in the NHL draft in June, Josh Prokop and Alex Swetlikoff.

“I feel like this is a great opportunity for me to continue gaining experience with a fantastic NHL franchise as well as maintain the culture that we’ve built here in Vernon,” says Pedersen. “This won’t impact my day to day work with the Vipers.”

Some of Pedersen’s responsibilities will be watching players who have already been drafted by NHL teams and providing insights and scouting reports on those players.

The leagues he will be monitoring are the BCHL and other Junior A franchises, along with the WHL, OHL and QMJHL.

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“I love watching hockey. This new role now allows me to do that with an increased focus on players that have already been drafted. My goal has always been to
become a full time scout in the NHL and this is a great first step,” adds Pedersen.

The accolades don’t stop there as Pedersen has also been named lead evaluator for BC Hockey’s U16 team.