“This is something new but something old, we’re really excited to announce that Jay Varady will jump back in the saddle and be in charge of the Tucson Roadrunners as head coach. It’s an exciting time as a GM, because of the trust factor that I have with Jay and the job that he’s done in so many leagues. It’s been a privilege to watch him and work with him. I’m a huge believer in his work, and the one thing about Jay is that he gets the most out of his players in a fair way, where they have a tremendous amount of respect for him, and they play really hard. The thing that I’ve always loved about him is that you know what you’re getting from his teams every single night, he produces consistency. I think as an organization we wanted to put our prospects in good hands, and I believe we’ve done that with Jay. It’s an exciting time for the organization. We also have the same coaching staff with Steve Potvin coming back, along with John Slaney and those guys are going to support Jay and add in. It’s an exciting time for the organization, it’s a little bit of the old with a little bit of the new.” – Arizona Coyotes General Manager Bill Armstrong.

https://www.tucsonroadrunners.com/news/bill-armstrong-jay-varady-press-conference-q-and-a/

“I am very excited to be back in the City of Tucson and working with our great players and staff. We will be committed to winning hockey games and developing Coyotes prospects and I’m looking forward to having our tremendous fans back in TCC to provide us with an incredible home-ice advantage.” – Jay Varady

Jay Varady’s promotion to the NHL was short-lived but served its purpose for the Coyotes.

An extended roster bolstered by a taxi squad meant more hands were required. Varady’s experience and relationships with many of the players in the taxi squad he previously coached in Tucson were invaluable.

The 43 year -old was the Tucson Roadrunners coach through 2018-2020. 

During two seasons, he led the team to a 70-45-6-5 record. 

He was named Head Coach of the Pacific Division at the 2020 AHL All-Star Classic.

Despite being one of the younger coaches in the AHL, Varady is one of the most experienced in the league having been behind the bench for over twenty years, beginning as an assistant with Union College (NCAA) in 2000.

Varady was hired by Arizona Coyotes after serving a season with the Kingston Fontenacs of the Ontario Hockey League. 

Before then, he served four seasons as head coach of the Sioux City Musketeers of the USHL, coached two seasons with the Ducs d’Angers in France and was assistant coach/associate head coach with the Everett Silvertips of the Western Hockey League.

As noted in this article about Tucson’s roster for the 2021-22 season https://wp.me/p2gDti-1cb Jay Varady has a big challenge awaiting him back with the Roadrunners.

It is an important off-season for Arizona as their prospect pool is thin.

Much work will be required to help fill out their farm with additional prospects and veteran experience.

With Jay Varady at the helm, Arizona has the right person in place for the daunting challenge that awaits.