Avs hire Varlamov's former on-ice tutor as goaltender coach

The Colorado Avalanche are taking Semyon Varlamov back to his roots in announcing the hiring of Jussi Parkkila as goaltending coach.

According to the Avs, Parkkila - who spent the past 12 seasons coaching in various leagues across Europe - began his pro coaching career with Yaroslavl Lokomotiv (KHL) in 2007-08, where he tutored Varlamov.

Back in May, Colorado fired goalie coach Francois Allaire, who had been with the team since 2012. Varlamov has been dealing with groin issues in recent years and registered a career-low .898 save percentage through 24 appearances last season.

The Avalanche concurrently announced the hiring of Ray Bennett as an assistant coach. He had been with the St. Louis Blues in the same capacity for the past 10 seasons.

Goaltending will be key to any turnaround for head coach Jared Bednar's club next season, and Varlamov will be counted on to return to peak form. A familiar face might just help toward that end.