VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Manny Malhotra was hired as coach of the Vancouver Canucks on Monday night.
The former Canucks forward takes over for Adam Foote, fired last month after Vancouver finished last in the NHL during his only season behind the bench.
Malhotra becomes the 23rd head coach in franchise history and the latest Canucks player to be promoted by the team as it begins its rebuild.
“Manny and I have been in the battle together before, so I know firsthand what a good teacher, leader, and quality person he is,” general manager Ryan Johnson said in a statement.
The pair previously worked together in the minors with the American Hockey League’s Abbotsford Canucks.
“Manny is a great coach who has the right skill set and mentality to help players develop and get better each day,” Johnson said. “We both believe that pressure is a privilege, and learning to become a good pro takes patience, dedication and a ‘be better than yesterday’ mindset.”
Foote was fired on May 19 after the Canucks went 25-49-8 last season. Malhotra immediately emerged as a prime candidate to replace him, with Johnson saying he would sit down with the 46-year-old former NHL player and “talk about the future.”
Malhotra previously served as a development coach and an assistant coach for the Canucks, then spent four seasons as an assistant with the Toronto Maple Leafs before becoming Abbotsford's head coach.
There, he guided the AHL team to a Calder Cup championship during the 2024-25 campaign. The club then missed the playoffs last season as several players dealt with long-term injuries.
It was the way Malhotra led Abbotsford through a challenging year that showed exactly the kind of coach and person he is, Johnson said.
“To see that when you can rely on the foundation of the consistent environment and the coaching through the worst of times and really continue to propel players forward, even though the wins and losses aren’t there, it tells you a lot about him,” he said.
“That entire staff showed that they’re champions based off of not the year before, but of what they did last year, and what people around them took out of a pretty tough season.”
The promotion reunites Malhotra with former teammates Daniel and Henrik Sedin, who were named Vancouver’s co-presidents of hockey operations on May 14.
Malhotra, from Ontario, spent 16 seasons playing in the NHL after getting drafted by the New York Rangers in 1998.
He had 116 goals and 295 points in 991 regular-season games with Vancouver, New York, the Dallas Stars, Columbus Blue Jackets, San Jose Sharks, Montreal Canadiens and Carolina Hurricanes.
Malhotra took a puck to the face while playing for the Canucks in March 2011, an injury that left him with limited vision in his left eye. He missed much of the team’s run to the Stanley Cup Final that year and was given a reduced role the following season.
“He loves the game and getting to know what makes his players tick, and I am very confident Manny will help us ice a competitive and hard-working team that our fans will be proud of moving forward,” Johnson said.
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
FILE -Abbotsford Canucks' head coach Manny Malhotra stands on the bench behind Sammy Blais, front left to right, Jonathan Lekkerimaki and Phillip Di Giuseppe during the first period in Game 5 of the AHL hockey Calder Cup Final against the Charlotte Checkers, in Abbotsford, British Columbia, June 21, 2025. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP, File)
LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 2, 2026--
Submer Group (“Submer”), a market leader in AI data center infrastructure with backing from M&G Investments, Planet First Partners, Norrsken VC, and Mundi Ventures, today announced the launch of Rubix Data Centers (“Rubix”), a global developer and operator of AI data center campuses.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260601164136/en/
With an initial powered land portfolio of more than eight gigawatts across the Americas, EMEA, and APAC regions, Rubix unites advanced engineering and modular design with end-to-end development execution to enable rapid deployment of AI infrastructure. Following the launch of Submer’s neocloud business inferX in late 2025, Rubix is well positioned to deliver AI data center campuses for hyperscale end-users, from site origination and community engagement to delivery and ongoing critical operations.
Leading Rubix’s global expansion is Chief Executive Officer and data center industry veteran John Eland. Eland brings more than 25 years of experience across data centers, telecommunications, and infrastructure investment, having most recently served as the Chief Executive Officer at STACK Infrastructure EMEA, driving the company’s strategic growth across the region. Previously he was the global Chief Strategy Officer at NTT Global Data Centers, overseeing international expansion and market development across one of the world’s largest data center platforms.
Eland is joined at Rubix by Senior Vice President Alison Gutman, heading global business operations to support scalable, high-performance growth. Gutman brings more than a decade of experience in the data center industry, focused. on operational leadership and business integration and transformation. She previously served as Senior Vice President of Business Management at STACK Infrastructure EMEA.
“Thanks to its long-standing reputation for excellence in sustainable cooling for ultra high-density workloads and its neocloud business InferX, Submer has close relationships with GPU manufacturers as well the hyperscale end users of GPU as-a-Service. This gives Rubix early line of sight into AI demand workloads,” said Eland. “I am excited to launch Rubix and grow our global business to enable our clients to scale AI and cloud deployments with speed, efficiency, consistency, and sustainability.”
“AI infrastructure requires a fundamentally different approach to data center development and delivery; I am thrilled to welcome John and Alison, whose industry experience sets us up for success,” added Patrick Smets, Chief Executive Officer of Submer Group. “As Submer evolves into a fully integrated, full-stack AI infrastructure group spanning land and power, manufacturing, thermal and product architecture, AI intelligence, compute across core data centers and edge environments – and now, data center development and operations with Rubix – we’re creating a future-ready foundation built for performance, efficiency, and global scale.”
Zachary Webb, Head of EMEA Investments for M&G Catalyst, concluded, “M&G Catalyst Funds are focused on supporting purpose-led technology companies that are driving the transition to a sustainable economy. As we expand our full-stack AI infrastructure capability with the Submer group of companies, our Rubix capability signifies real potential to develop and operate leading energy efficient AI data centers and broaden the appeal for long-term investors in this asset class."
Rubix launches at a time when AI is driving unprecedented infrastructure demand globally, accelerating the need for larger-scale environments, higher-density compute architectures, and faster deployment models across strategic markets.
Notes to editors
For more information, images, or interview requests, please contact:
Emilia Coverdale
Strategic Communications Director
emilia.coverdale@submer.com
+34 691 690 070
About Rubix Data Centers
Rubix Data Centers, part of Submer Group, develops and operates AI data center campuses worldwide. Headquartered in London, Rubix is focused on the foundational layer of AI infrastructure, delivering the physical environments required to support large-scale AI and cloud deployments.
Rubix’s capabilities span the full data center development process, addressing the increasing constraints around land availability, grid access, and deployment timelines. Rubix operates as an independent development and delivery partner as well as in collaboration with the Submer group of companies.
To learn more visit rubixdc.com.
About Submer Group
Submer Group is a multi-brand AI infrastructure group delivering the full stack required to deploy AI at scale. Founded in Barcelona, the global Group brings together a set of specialized companies across the AI infrastructure stack, spanning land and power, manufacturing, thermal and product architecture, and AI compute across core data centers and edge environments.
Designed to operate as both a unified platform and a set of independent category leaders, Submer Group enables organisations to move from AI experimentation to real-world deployment. Its ground-to-cloud, core-to-edge approach allows infrastructure to be delivered as fully integrated systems or modular components, depending on customer needs.
Submer Group is built to address the fundamental constraints of AI infrastructure – including power, land, thermal density, deployment timelines and sovereignty. This enables organisations to deploy scalable, efficient and sovereign AI systems. The Group is backed by M&G Investments, Planet First Partners and Norrsken VC.
To learn more visit submer.com.
About M&G Investments
M&G Investments is part of M&G plc, a savings and investment business which was formed in 2017 through the merger of Prudential plc’s UK and Europe savings and insurance operation and M&G, its wholly owned international investment manager. M&G plc listed as an independent company on the London Stock Exchange in October 2019 and has €430 billion of assets under management (as of 31 December 2025). M&G plc has over 5 million customers in the UK, Europe, the Americas and Asia, including individual savers and investors, life insurance policy holders and pension scheme members.
For nearly nine decades M&G Investments has been helping its customers to prosper by putting investments to work, which in turn creates jobs, homes and vital infrastructure in the real economy. Its investment solutions span equities, fixed income, multi asset, cash, private debt, infrastructure and real estate.
For more information, please visit: group.mandg.com.
Submer Group Announces Rubix Data Centers Platform to Deliver AI Data Centers Globally
