Patrick Williams, TheAHL.com Options Author
Gamers should not the one American Hockey League names who’re on their approach to the NHL this summer season.
Whereas the standard swirl of participant motion through each free company and trades have rearranged AHL rosters that have been intact just some months in the past, loads of different exercise has occurred as nicely. Coaches, lately 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 will probably be dealing with NHL jobs when coaching camps open in September.
BEHIND THE BENCHThe AHL has at all times been a main 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 staff 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 staff 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 a number of hours to the west to the Pittsburgh Penguins, the place he’ll function an assistant coach alongside one other long-time AHL identify with sturdy Hershey ties, Mike Stothers. Like Sturm, Nelson’s identify has usually come up in hypothesis – and extra – for NHL teaching jobs by 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 almost 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 received 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 will probably 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 improvement 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 taking part in and the staff 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 staff had moved on to the ECHL, he stayed with the staff as an assistant coach. When the Eagles grew to become 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 acquired 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 may be additionally Brett McLean, who has moved from the Iowa Wild to Vancouver, the place he will probably be an assistant coach.
BEHIND THE SCENESVideo coaches don’t have a public-facing function, however they play essential roles in at this time’s sport.
Hershey video coach Adam Purner, a part of the staff’s back-to-back championships, is off to Seattle. Purner got here to Hershey in 2022 following a pair of seasons on the AHL degree for the New Jersey Devils group.
The Minnesota Wild made an inner promotion by citing Iowa video coach Ray Sylvester as much as the NHL staff. 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 improvement marketing consultant. Dalpe had simply introduced his retirement as a participant July 7 after 15 professional seasons that included 574 video games. Dalpe has been by the various phases of a taking part in profession. A 2008 second-round decide by the Carolina Hurricanes, he entered the professional sport as a extremely ranked prospect, made himself right into a dependable NHL recall choice and high AHL scorer, after which eased his approach right into a veteran’s function on the AHL degree. Nonetheless, he saved his NHL hopes going by taking part in his approach into the lineup for the Florida Panthers in 2023 as they went to the Stanley Cup Ultimate.
Toronto Marlies ahead Kyle Clifford is staying within the Toronto Maple Leafs group in participant improvement. Like Dalpe, Clifford is lately 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 taking part in profession. He received two Stanley Cup championships with the Los Angeles Kings alongside the way in which as nicely.
Sam Gagner, who spent a portion of this previous season with the Belleville Senators, is staying within the Ottawa Senators group as nicely. Ottawa named Gagner its director of participant improvement Could 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 the moment 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.
