Patrick Williams, TheAHL.com Options Author
Gamers should not the one American Hockey League names who’re on their technique to the NHL this summer season.
Whereas the same old swirl of participant motion by way of each free company and trades have rearranged AHL rosters that have been intact only a few months in the past, loads of different exercise has occurred as effectively. Coaches, not too long ago retired gamers, and different personnel have all vaulted from the AHL to NHL jobs this summer season.
Let’s break down these acquainted AHL names who shall be dealing with NHL jobs when coaching camps open in September.
BEHIND THE BENCHThe AHL has at all times been a primary path for head coaches to maneuver into NHL roles.
Main the way in which this summer season is new Boston Bruins head coach Marco Sturm. A candidate for NHL head-coaching jobs beforehand, this time he landed the publish with the crew with which he performed components of 5 seasons throughout a 938-game NHL profession. Sturm had been with the Ontario Reign for the previous three seasons and took the crew to the Calder Cup Playoffs every time.
After an unimaginable three-season run with the Hershey Bears, Todd Nelson is again within the NHL. He moved just a few hours to the west to the Pittsburgh Penguins, the place he’ll function an assistant coach alongside one other long-time AHL title with robust Hershey ties, Mike Stothers. Like Sturm, Nelson’s title has usually come up in hypothesis – and extra – for NHL teaching jobs by way of the years. Whereas he had a 46-game stint as an interim head coach for the Edmonton Oilers again in 2014-15 together with a number of roles as an NHL assistant coach, his work within the AHL is the place he has had practically unparalleled success. He took the Bears to back-to-back Calder Cup titles in 2023 and 2024 and went 141-53-12-10 in regular-season play; his .704 level share tops any head coach in Hershey’s 88-season AHL historical past. He additionally gained the Louis A.R. Pieri Memorial Award because the AHL’s most excellent coach in 2023-24 in taking the Bears to 53 regular-season wins.
Becoming a member of Nelson and Sturm behind NHL benches this fall shall be 4 different AHL head coaches from this previous season.
Neil Graham of the Texas Stars earned a promotion to the Dallas Stars as an assistant coach after taking Texas to the Western Convention Finals this previous spring. Graham is an organizational growth success story in having began within the Dallas system with the Idaho Steelheads, their long-time ECHL affiliate.
Going from the Colorado Eagles to the Seattle Kraken as an assistant coach is Aaron Schneekloth. He had been with the Eagles going again to 2006 when he was nonetheless enjoying and the crew was nonetheless within the now-defunct Central Hockey League. Like Graham, he moved his approach up the ladder. After retiring as a participant in 2013 after the crew had moved on to the ECHL, he stayed with the crew as an assistant coach. When the Eagles turned the AHL affiliate of the Colorado Avalanche in 2018, he remained as an assistant coach for 5 extra seasons earlier than taking up as head coach for the previous two campaigns.
Trent Cull divided this previous season as a head coach with the Calgary Wranglers and an assistant coach for the Calgary Flames. An AHL assistant coach for eight seasons, he moved on to AHL head-coaching roles within the Vancouver Canucks and Calgary organizations. He received his first NHL alternative in 2022 as an assistant coach with Vancouver earlier than going again to the AHL in 2023. Now that function as an assistant coach with the Flames is his.
There’s additionally Brett McLean, who has moved from the Iowa Wild to Vancouver, the place he shall be an assistant coach.
BEHIND THE SCENESVideo coaches don’t have a public-facing function, however they play vital roles in at this time’s sport.
Hershey video coach Adam Purner, a part of the crew’s back-to-back championships, is off to Seattle. Purner got here to Hershey in 2022 following a pair of seasons on the AHL stage for the New Jersey Devils group.
The Minnesota Wild made an inside promotion by citing Iowa video coach Ray Sylvester as much as the NHL crew. Sylvester had been with Iowa for the previous two seasons.
JUST OFF THE ICEPlayers who simply left the ice are in demand as NHL groups spherical out their developmental staffs.
Seattle continued to look to the AHL for expertise by bringing Zac Dalpe aboard as a participant growth advisor. Dalpe had simply introduced his retirement as a participant July 7 after 15 professional seasons that included 574 video games. Dalpe has been by way of the various phases of a enjoying profession. A 2008 second-round choose by the Carolina Hurricanes, he entered the professional sport as a extremely ranked prospect, made himself right into a dependable NHL recall possibility and prime AHL scorer, after which eased his approach right into a veteran’s function on the AHL stage. Nonetheless, he stored his NHL hopes going by enjoying his approach into the lineup for the Florida Panthers in 2023 as they went to the Stanley Cup Remaining.
Toronto Marlies ahead Kyle Clifford is staying within the Toronto Maple Leafs group in participant growth. Like Dalpe, Clifford is not too long ago faraway from on-ice motion. He spent components of the previous 4 seasons with the Marlies as he began to wind down what ended up being a 753-game NHL enjoying profession. He gained two Stanley Cup championships with the Los Angeles Kings alongside the way in which as effectively.
Sam Gagner, who spent a portion of this previous season with the Belleville Senators, is staying within the Ottawa Senators group as effectively. Ottawa named Gagner its director of participant growth Might 15 after he performed 17 NHL seasons. Taken sixth general within the 2007 NHL Draft by the Edmonton Oilers, Gagner went straight to the NHL as an 18-year-old that very same 12 months and went on to play 1,043 NHL video games. However he additionally ended up spending time on AHL ice within the second half of his profession in stints with Lehigh Valley, Toronto, and the Bakersfield Condors earlier than his 19-game run with Belleville this previous winter.
On the American Hockey League beat for twenty years, TheAHL.com options author Patrick Williams additionally at present covers the league for NHL.com and FloSports and is an everyday contributor on SiriusXM NHL Community Radio. He was the recipient of the AHL’s James H. Ellery Memorial Award for his excellent protection of the league in 2016.
