The Calgary Flames reinforced their commitment to continuity Friday, signing Ryan Huska’s full coaching staff to two-year extensions as the franchise looks to turn steady leadership into playoff progress.
Stability can be easy to overlook in a league obsessed with blockbuster trades, coaching drama, and constant change. But for the Calgary Flames, continuity is the path they’re choosing — and on Friday, they doubled down on it.
The organization announced two-year contract extensions for assistant coaches Trent Cull, Dave Lowry, Cail MacLean, video coach Jamie Pringle, and goaltending coach Jason LaBarbera, ensuring head coach Ryan Huska will return next season with his full staff intact.
It is a clear vote of confidence from management in a group tasked with guiding Calgary through an important stretch. While the Flames have missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs in each of the last three seasons, the franchise appears committed to building forward with structure rather than starting over.
That commitment began earlier this season when Huska signed a two-year extension of his own. He will now enter his fourth season behind the bench with the same voices beside him — a notable sign of trust in a results-driven business where patience is rarely guaranteed.
Cull joined the NHL staff this past season after spending the previous two years as head coach of Calgary’s AHL affiliate, bringing familiarity with many of the organization’s younger players and development pipeline.
Lowry was also added to Huska’s bench this season after three years as an assistant coach with the Seattle Kraken, arriving with experience and a reputation for detail-oriented systems play.
MacLean and LaBarbera have been part of the Flames coaching group since the 2020-21 season, providing continuity through several roster transitions and organizational shifts. Pringle, meanwhile, remains one of the longest-serving behind-the-scenes members of the operation after joining the club in 2015-16.
For a team trying to climb back into playoff relevance, Friday’s announcement was an encouraging sign. Progress doesn’t always come from reinventing the wheel or making sweeping changes — sometimes, staying the course is the right way forward.
