The Ottawa Senators have officially announced the hiring of Steve Staios as their new President of Hockey Operations.
Staios was joined Friday afternoon at a news conference by owner Michael Andlauer and GM Pierre Dorion.
“(Michael and I) share the same values,” Staios told the media. “You got to meet Michael. He’s an incredible man, a family man, a great family. His guiding principles, the way he treats people, the care, the communication, the real care for the players, it’s not lip service. This guy really cares. We’re aligned that way. I wouldn’t want to work for anybody else when you have that type of support and that type of commitment. Also a serious level of accountability and standards as well.”
While the mood and the discussion were positive and all about the spirit of collaboration, it was also made clear that Staios will now have complete control of all hockey operations. So, in that way, he replaces Dorion who’s had free reign with those responsibilities since taking over as GM in 2016.
“The only thing that’s changed for Pierre is that he’s got more support with me and to collaborate on ideas and executing moving forward,” Staios told the media. “We have a lot to be excited about. But there’s a tremendous amount of work to do that we’re all up for. And I look forward to working with Pierre on the day-to-day to be able to take this team to another level.”
Dorion said he was excited as well, saying he’s already had productive discussions with Staios and that it’s no secret he had almost begged for this kind of help in the past.
“I am so excited that Steve is joining me in Ottawa to lead our hockey operations,” Andlauer said in a club statement. “I have worked with Steve for many years and know first-hand that he will strengthen our team with his hockey acumen, attention to detail, commitment to excellence and enthusiasm for the game and its players. In hockey, you can never accumulate too much talent. Having Steve and Pierre leading our hockey department gives us a formidable team.”
Until joining the Edmonton Oilers last year in a player development role, Staios had been with the Andlauer-owned Hamilton Bulldogs since 2015. Staios and Andlauer were also financial partners in the club and won two Ontario Hockey League titles together. As a defenceman, Staios played in 1,001 NHL games, most of them with the Oilers.
