Kent Hawley is the newest addition to the list of “hockey-lifers” finding their way on to George McPhee’s inaugural front office staff.

The 28th pick of the 2nd round of the 1986 draft spent much of his playing days in the minor leagues, but has had a successful post-playing career as a coach and for the last 15 years a scout.

Since being let go on June 22nd, he’d been with the Edmonton Oilers since 2005 as an amateur scout. He also coached and played for a team in Wisconsin called the Madison Monsters. Suddenly Monsters looks like a nice name for Vegas.

Or, it’s awful and I’m officially beginning to lose my mind with all the team name stuff.

Either way, Hawley appears to be yet another excellent hire to a staff that’s pretty much received nothing but praise from every corner of the hockey world.

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Also announced today was the hiring of Dan Labraaten as a European Scout. Labraaten spent 28 years with the New Jersey Devils working under Las Vegas’ Special Advidsor to Hockey Operations, David Conte.

He played with the Red Wings, Flames, and internationally with Team Sweden.

Hopefully some of this happens in Vegas with these two.

In 1999, (Conte) asked Devils European scout Dan Labraaten who the best player in Europe was, which led to the Devils signing Brian Rafalski, who played seven seasons with the Devils and won two Stanley Cups. –Ken Campbell, The Hockey News