The Tampa Bay Lightning are turning to one of Head Coach Jon Cooper's old high school classmates for assistance behind the bench.

Humboldt's Brad Lauer was named the team's new assistant coach on Tuesday.

After spending the past four seasons with the Anaheim Ducks, Lauer is eager to join another cup contender.

"I'm very excited to join an organization such as Tampa Bay," he said. "With the success they had the last year, going to the Stanley Cup Finals, the young team they have, the coaching staff, I'm very excited, and looking forward to getting back to work."

Lauer and Cooper spent one year in the same class, patrolling the hallways of the College of Notre Dame in Wilcox.

"Believe it or not, he was a lacrosse scholarship," said Lauer of Cooper. "We met up again when I was in Long Island with the Islanders, he was going to school there, and we stayed in touch through the course of both our careers."

While inter-conference games don't occur all that often in the NHL, Lauer still has a good idea of the electric youth and talent that the Lightning have.

"They're a hard-working committed group of guys," he explained. "They play a high-tempo, fast skating game and force you to play in all areas of the ice. Last year they made some great steps going to the Stanley Cup Final."

Although Lauer settled on the Lightning, he did have other offers to mull over after the Ducks let him go in June.

"When I was let go by Anaheim it was late in the year and there wasn't a lot of opportunity out there," he stated. "I was looking at a few different options, whether it was going back to junior or to the American League."

Lauer spent five seasons as an assistant coach with the WHL's Kootenay Ice before making the jump to the AHL with the Milwaukee Admirals.

Over the following two and a half seasons, Lauer made his NHL coaching debut with the Ottawa Senators before going back to the AHL for a half season with the Syracuse Crunch prior to once again going back to the NHL with the Ducks.

To hear more from Lauer in an interview with Bolt FM's Tyler Bieber, click below.