This offseason, multiple teams hired American Hockey League head coaches to bring to their NHL benches. Manny Malhotra was the big one, going from Abbotsford to the Vancouver Canucks while Ryan Craig went from coaching the Henderson Silver Knights to leading the Vegas Golden Knights. 

Then came the surplus of coaches joining NHL benches as assistants. It’s a common occurrence in the offseason, and this one was no exception. So, let’s catch up on all the hires and what each coach will bring to their new NHL team. 

Ryan Mougenel was the coach of the year, leading the Providence Bruins to the best record in the league this season. He was with the Bruins for five years and was integral in building up a winning culture that would develop the handful of prospects in the organization. 

This is a great hire for the Canucks, who are in the middle of a rebuild. Mahlotra is a young coach from an AHL background, and so is Mougenel. With the team going through a youth movement, they’ll have both leading them in a new direction. 

One of the most impressive coaching jobs in the AHL was the one Rocky Thompson had. He turned around a Bridgeport Islanders team that had one of the worst seasons in league history, and once the team bought into his style, they became a great one. They finished the season with the fourth-best record in the Atlantic Division, and the Islanders rewarded Thompson with the promotion. This hire also pairs him up with head coach Pete DeBoer, who had him as an assistant with the San Jose Sharks as well. 

Probably the best news of the offseason for the Columbus Blue Jackets (and they can use some good news). Trent Vogelhuber is one of the young up-and-coming coaches in the AHL and led the Cleveland Monsters to multiple successful seasons. It was only a matter of time before he was coaching in the NHL. 

The Blue Jackets promoted him before anyone else could. The move brings the heir apparent to Rick Bowness to their staff and, better yet, someone who will want to turn the Blue Jackets into a successful franchise. Vogelhuber was born and raised in Ohio, and his hockey career has been tied closely to the state, so with time, he’ll be the next in line to coach this NHL team. 

Pascal Vincent was one of the older coaches in the AHL recently but certainly one of the best. In his two seasons with the Laval Rocket, he won the AHL Coach of the Year in 2025 and boasted the best record in the North Division in both seasons. 

His move to the Seattle Kraken is a good one on multiple levels. As someone with NHL experience, he’s another head coach behind the bench and, better yet, someone who can fill in for Lane Lambert if the team moves on from him at any point. He’s ready to be a head coach again, and the Kraken give him that chance. 

John Gruden led the Toronto Marlies to the Calder Cup title, and his coaching brilliance was on full display in the playoff run. The Marlies weren’t the most talented team, and in most of their matchups, they were the underdogs. Yet, Gruden got the most out of the team and had them prepared in each series. 

The moment the Toronto Maple Leafs hired Jim Hiller was the moment they promoted Gruden. The two worked together under Barry Trotz and the Islanders earlier in the decade, and both coaches are on the same page. Gruden will keep a calm confidence behind the bench but also hold the players accountable, making him the right fit for the assistant job in Toronto. 

Greg Cronin couldn’t do much with the Iowa Wild, a team with a depleted farm system and minimal veteran talent. That said, he’s one of the more respected hockey minds and is known for working well with young players. So, the St. Louis Blues are adding him to the overhauled coaching staff with the hopes that this team rebounds. 

Mark Letestu impressed in his first year behind the Colorado Eagles bench, leading them to the best record in the Pacific Division. With the Golden Knights hiring Craig, they are adding another AHL mind to their bench and, in a savvy move, poaching a coach from their rival Colorado Avalanche. 

This was the one hire that was somewhat surprising. The Boston Bruins had Mougenel in their organization and could have promoted him from within. Instead, they hired Matt McIlvane, who coached the San Diego Gulls for the past few seasons. It indicates that this is a Marco Sturm hire as he’s looking to bring coaches he wants to work with this season. 

In the big picture, these hires accomplish two things for the NHL teams. It helps with a rebuild and adds more experience behind the bench. Specifically, it adds coaches who have led at the toughest level. 

It’s comparable to having another head coach on the staff, someone else who can lead the team if needed. Malhotra, for example, is a first-time NHL head coach, so having Mougenel around eases the transition. Hiller is under plenty of pressure to turn the Maple Leafs around and do so with a youth movement taking place at the same time. So, having Gruden, who worked with some of those prospects lately, helps. 

The Pittsburgh Penguins got a big boost with Todd Nelson on their staff last season. While Dan Muse was the head coach, Nelson was the assistant who had plenty of experience to get the most out of the team. His presence helped turn the Penguins into a playoff team, and other teams are looking at that hire and noticing what the AHL coaches can provide.