Matt Greene is heading to Arizona State, where he’ll join Dave Hakstol’s coaching staff as an assistant coach.
The move, first reported by college hockey reporter Brad Elliott Schlossman, takes Greene out of the Kings’ player development setup and into a full-time bench role. Greene said on Arizona State’s website, “I’m excited to join Arizona State University to help create a winning culture and develop great hockey players,”
Hakstol and Greene already know each other well. Their connection goes back to North Dakota, when Hakstol was an Associate Coach and Greene was emerging as a defenseman.
After Hakstol became head coach in 2004, he made Greene his first captain for the 2004-05 season. That year, North Dakota reached the National Championship game before falling to Denver University.
Now the two are back together, this time behind the bench at Mullet Arena in Tempe.
Greene’s track record in Los Angeles is a big part of why this feels like a notable departure. Acquired from the Edmonton Oilers in 2008, he spent the last nine seasons of his NHL career with the Kings and became one of the players often credited with helping reshape the organization’s culture. He was an alternate captain on both Stanley Cup-winning teams, and he finished his Kings playing career with 464 regular-season games and 61 postseason games.
After retiring, Greene moved into the front office as a professional scout in 2017, a job he held for four seasons. Then in 2021, he shifted into player development as the Kings reworked that department. Since then, he’s been a regular presence at development camp, on the ice with the Ontario Reign, and on trips to work directly with drafted defensemen in college, junior hockey, and Europe.
His first real coaching opportunity came last season. In March, he joined the Kings’ NHL staff on an interim basis after Jim Hiller was relieved of his duties and D.J.
Smith was promoted to Interim Head Coach. Greene stepped into Smith’s former role, working with the defensemen and the penalty kill.
Ken Holland said he had already floated the idea to Greene before the coaching change was made.
“He’s here every day, he knows the organization,” Holland said of Greene. “During the [2026] Olympic break, DJ [Smith] invited him into a couple of their meetings to talk about penalty killing, so Matt’s been in the meetings.
He was a right-shot defensive defenseman who killed penalties. I needed a defensive coach, so I thought it all added up.
He’s well respected, he knows lots of the players, he played with a couple of them. I think for all of those reasons, [he was the choice to join the staff].”
Inside the Kings’ room, Greene seemed to make a solid impression in that short stint. Defensemen responded to his energy and edge, and Brian Dumoulin pointed to his direct style as a positive. The staff ultimately did not stay together, with Smith later moving to Edmonton as Associate Coach, Greene going back to player development and Assistant Coach Newell Brown leaving this summer.
There had been a thought that Greene might land on the Ontario Reign bench when the Kings hired Peter Laviolette and his staff this summer, especially after Chris Hajt’s NHL promotion opened a spot. That never came together, but the coaching pull clearly remained.
Greene’s departure also leaves a hole on the development side. Sean O’Donnell remains with the organization, working with younger defensemen, and there could still be another addition later on, though nothing has been announced.
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