Greg Cronin was named head coach of the Anaheim Ducks on Monday leaving the top spot empty for the Colorado Eagles.
The Colorado Eagles head coaching position now has a vacancy after Greg Cronin accepted the head coaching job with the Anaheim Ducks on Monday.
The 60-year-old spent the last five years behind the bench for the Eagles. He’s coached quite a few players that have moved up to the big league including current Avalanche players Logan O’Connor, Alex Newhook and Pavel Francouz.
Cronin had a record of 164-104-21-9 during his time with the Avalanche’s American Hockey League affiliate plus three Calder Cup Playoff appearances.
Before coming to the Eagles, Cronin spent several years in various positions in the NHL. He was an assistant coach with the New York Islanders (1999-2003, 2014-18) and Toronto Maple Leafs (2011-14).
He also gained experience at the collegiate level as head coach for Northeastern University’s men’s hockey program for six years. At the University of Maine, he began as an assistant coach in 1988-90 and 1993-95 then moved up to head coach midway into the 1995-96 season. He served as an assistant at Colorado College in between his two stints at Maine.
Who will replace Cronin?
The Eagles came into the AHL in 2018 as an expansion team and the Avalanche’s AHL affiliate. Cronin was hired as head coach and has been the only bench boss of the team since it moved to the AHL.
Assistant coach Aaron Schneekloth was the head coach when the team was in the ECHL and has an extensive history with the Eagles. In his two seasons at the helm, Schneekloth led the Eagles to back-to-back Kelly Cup Championships.
Schneekloth played seven seasons with the Eagles and is the all-time leader in points, goals and assists by a defenseman for the franchise.
He would be a solid choice to move into the head coach position as he was part of the team’s success under Cronin.
The Eagles' other assistant coach, Tim Branham, has an impressive background. Prior to joining the Eagles, he earned the title of the winningest and longest-tenured coach of the ECHL’s Utah Grizzlies. But he lacks AHL coaching experience with only two years with the Eagles.