The Dallas Stars reached into the collegiate ranks to find their new head coach.

It’s a strategy that’s certainly working out well in Philadelphia.

The Stars will hire the University of Denver’s Jim Montgomery as their next coach Bradley Chubb Jersey Broncos , a person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press on Wednesday. Montgomery takes over for Ken Hitchcock, who retired last month and will become a consultant for the Stars. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the hiring had not been announced.

Montgomery becomes the second college-to-NHL hire in the past three years, following the Flyers’ Dave Hakstol in 2015. Hakstol was considered one of the premier college coaches at North Dakota before making the switch. The Flyers have gone to the playoffs in two of the three seasons Hakstol has been in charge.

Dallas is banking on a similar showing under the 48-year-old Montgomery, who spent five seasons in charge of the Pioneers and led them to a national title in 2016-17. He finished 125-57-26 at a university well known for its hockey and lacrosse programs.

Montgomery inherits a Dallas squad led by Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin. The Stars are coming off a season in which they missed the playoffs for the eighth time in 10 seasons. Hitchcock returned for just a season before hanging it up. He’s the only coach to lead the team to a Stanley Cup title.

Before his arrival in Denver, Montgomery spent three seasons as the head coach/general manager of the United States Hockey League’s Dubuque Fighting Saints. He also served as an assistant coach at RPI from 2006-10. He started his coaching career as a volunteer coach at Notre Dame in ’05-06.

As a player, Montgomery led Maine to a national title in 1993 before embarking on a 12-year pro career that included stops in an assortment of leagues, including parts of six seasons in the NHL. He finished his career by playing one game for the Stars during the `02-03 season.

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AP Sports Writer Schuyler Dixon contributed to this report.

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More NHL hockey: — Saints left tackle Terron Armstead rattles off travel destinations that — unfortunately for him — have nothing to do with the kind of jet-setting leisure a big NFL contract affords.

Rather, New Orleans’ second-highest-paid offensive player has been on a protracted search for answers about how to stay healthy.

“I’ve done pretty much everything as far as injury prevention. I’ve been a lot of places, you know, out of the country, spent a lot of time with different doctors, just trying to get over that hump Colts Quenton Nelson Jersey ,” Armstead said, listing trips to Germany, New York, Minnesota, Texas and Florida, among others. “I’ve been pretty much everywhere.”

During the early days of training camp, Armstead — one of the players most responsible for protecting quarterback Drew Brees from potentially devastating blind-side hits — has sounded confident that his journey back to optimum health is nearly complete.

“I was able to start the offseason getting stronger in areas that were injured before,” Armstead said, explaining that in the past, he wasn’t able to train the way he wanted to because previous injuries were still healing. “So being able to start the offseason getting stronger in areas that I haven’t been able to, that was the difference.”

Armstead has missed 15 regular-season games since the Saints signed him to a five-year extension worth about $65 million in 2016. He sat out six games last season and nine the season before that. And when he has played, he often has fought through pain to do so. Last season Ed Dickson Color Rush Jersey , he was bothered by a hip injury after coming back from a shoulder injury.

Earlier in his career, he struggled with knee soreness, which led him to seek out the same type of plasma therapy in Germany sought out by high-profile athletes such as former NBA star Kobe Bryant.

During the first days of training camp, coaches and teammates have commented on Armstead’s apparent improvements in strength, form and vigor.

“He’s not rehabbing. He was training,” coach Sean Payton said. “The guys that have been injured have not been really on the ground. You can be on a treadmill or a bike, but it’s different when you’re actually on the ground playing. So it’s good to have him. He’s not only an important player for us, but also an important leader.

“He’s always been a really good athlete and he’s playing well.”

The Saints selected Armstead in the third round of the 2013 draft and elevated him to starter at the end of his rookie season. While Armstead spent his college career largely out of the limelight at Arkansas-Pine Bluff, NFL personnel took notice when he ran 40 yards in 4.71 seconds at the NFL scouting combine. In other words, when healthy, he moves well for someone listed at 6-foot-5, 304 pounds.

Veteran guard Larry Warford Justin Bethel Jersey Elite , now in his second season in New Orleans, describes Armstead’s recent form as “unbelievable.”

“Even compared to last year, I think he’s vastly improved — and that’s saying a lot because he was damn good last year,” Warford said. “I’m excited to see him this season because I think he’s going to be a dominant player.

“It’s hard to appreciate if you’re not an offensive lineman, but just the intent of everything he does is superior. It’s top-notch,” Warford continued. “There’s a lot of natural ability that goes into that as well, but you can see that he’s been working. I know he’s felt bad about missing (games in past seasons) and so he just got his body right and got healthy.”

Armstead’s athleticism doesn’t merely present challenges for defensive ends trying to pressure Brees. His ability to move fast thwarts linebackers chasing running plays across the field.

Saints second-year linebacker Alex Anzalone said he’s seen Armstead do plenty of that in practice.

“For a big guy, he rolls really well,” Anzalone said.

Armstead said that earlier in his career, he “never knew why things kept happening” to take him out of action. And while he knows there’s no guaranteeing one’s health in the NFL, he asserts that his grasp of everything from how muscle groups work together to injury prevention is far superior to what it was a few years ago.

“I mean, it’s football Authentic Josey Jewell Jersey ,” Armstead said. “Things happen for sure, but I’m on top of anything I can do to prevent it and be out there for my team.”

Notes: Saints first-round draft choice, defensive end Marcus Davenport, and veteran tight end Ben Watson both missed their fourth straight practices with undisclosed ailments on Saturday. Also not practicing were OL John Fullington, DB JT Gray, TE Micheal Hoomanawanui, DB Kamrin Moore, C Cameron Tom and RB Shane Vereen.

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