The Coachella Valley Firebirds have announced their newest assistant coach.  Scott Ford will be joining head coach Derek Laxdal behind the bench for the upcoming season, bringing with him more than ten years of coaching experience and another eleven as a defenseman in the AHL, ECHL, and NCAA.

Ford was most recently with the Columbus Blue Jackets as an assistant coach.  Prior to that, he coached in the AHL for nine years with Milwaukee and Chicago.  Speaking on the hiring, Firebirds’ GM Troy Brodie enthused that Ford is “a tremendous teacher of the game” and “understands what it takes to develop players, compete every day, and build a winning culture.”

The Firebirds have made waves in the AHL, advancing to post-season play ever year since their inception in 2022.  Their first two seasons, the team made it all the way to the Calder Cup Finals.  A coaching change in 2024, when then-head-coach Dan Bylsma made the jump to the Kraken, did not slow the the team down and they continue to out-pace expectations.  Fans expect the 2026 season to be no different, despite another change to coaching staff.

For his part, Coach Ford said that he is excited to join the organization, calling the organization “first-class…with a strong culture and a clear commitment to developing players while competing to win every night.”