Flyers' VandeVelde on Hakstol: 'He will get the team going in the right direction'

Dave Hakstol isn't prized free-agent coach Mike Babcock, but there's still plenty of support for the Philadelphia Flyers new bench boss.

"At the rink he is all business and doesn't like to stray from the plan," forward Chris VandeVelde told Marc Narducci of the Phildelphia Inquirer. "Away from the rink, he is a great guy."

Hakstol, 46, was hired Monday as the team ended its search for Craig Berube's replacement.

With reputable names such as Babcock, Todd McLellan, Randy Carlyle and Dan Bylsma available, the hiring of Hakstol - a successful college coach with zero NHL experience - came as a surprise, although general manager Ron Hextall said he was the team's target all along.

VandeVelde - who played under Hakstol at North Dakota from 2007-10 - believes the hiring of his former coach is going to change the franchise for the better.

"He will get the team going in the right direction," VandeVelde said. "A lot of his teams were talented and some were mediocre that he turned great."

Hakstol spent 11 seasons manning the helm at North Dakota, winning 289 games and coaching Jonathan Toews in the process.

He's the first coach to go directly from the NCAA to the NHL since Bob Johnson in 1982.