Devils hire John Hynes as new head coach

NEWARK, N.J. -- John Hynes has been hired as coach of the New Jersey Devils, becoming the youngest coach in the NHL at 40 years old.

General manager Ray Shero announced the hiring Tuesday, saying the Devils would be a fast, attacking team that knows how to play defense.

Shero says nobody but Hynes was offered the job.

Hynes has spent the past five seasons coaching Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the AHL, the Penguins' top farm team. Shero is a former Penguins general manager.

Hynes said Tuesday that he and Shero "worked well together in the Pittsburgh organization."

"I'm very excited to be the head coach," Hynes said. "I'm very honored to be the head coach of the organization."

The Penguins announced Tuesday that they have received the Devils' third-round draft pick in 2016 as compensation for Hynes.

The Devils have missed the playoffs the past three seasons, falling short by 20 points this past season with the league's sixth-worst record.

Pete DeBoer, who coached the Devils to the Stanley Cup finals in 2012, was fired in December. The Devils finished the season with team president and then-general manager Lou Lamoriello running them with assistant coaches Adam Oates and Scott Stevens.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.