DENVER – Greg Cronin will be the new head coach of the champion Colorado Eagles and the team’s former head coach will stay on as an assistant.
The announcement was made Thursday by the Colorado Avalanche, the Eagles’ NHL affiliate. The Eagles will be playing their first season in the American Hockey League (AHL), which is just below the NHL.
Cronin, 55, has coached for 30 years and spent the past four years as an assistant and the Associate Coach for the NHL’s New York Islanders. He previously worked for the Toronto Maple Leafs as an assistant and was also the head coach of the Islanders’ AHL team, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, from 2003-05 and coached at Northeastern University.
He also co-founded the U.S. National Development Program and has worked for Team USA.
“We feel Greg is the perfect fit to lead the Eagles as they begin their first season in the American Hockey League,” said Joe Sakic, the Avalanche’s Executive Vice President and General Manager. “He has extensive coaching background, including time as a head coach in the AHL. Greg not only has experience coaching players at the NHL and AHL levels, but also developing players at the college level with the U.S. National Team Development Program.”
Former head coach Aaron Schneekloth and assistant coach Ryan Tobler will stay on as assistants in the team’s first year in the AHL. Ryan Bach will remain in place as the goaltending coach.
They coached the Eagles to their second-straight Kelly Cup in the ECHL this past season.
