For this week’s notebook, which is a bit delayed, it’s a good time to take a step back and look at the coaches in the American Hockey League (AHL), specifically, the Eastern Conference. Since the season began, I’ve talked to 14 head coaches, and each one brings a fresh perspective and a unique personality to the game.
With this in mind, it’s a good time to put them into tiers. This doesn’t mean that some coaches are better than others but rather that there are three big categories that they fall into. The AHL is known for player development, yet a handful of great coaches got their start in this league as well, including Kris Knoblauch, Jon Cooper, Jared Bednar, Barry Trotz, Mike Keenan, and Bruce Boudreau, to name a few. So, who might be the next great NHL coach in line?
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9. Ryan Parent – Among all the coaches in the AHL, Parent is the least impressive. He was hired as an interim in the middle of the 2024-25 season with the hope to turn around the Utica Comets. Fast forward to this season, and they are still a mess. It wouldn’t shock anyone if the Devils bring in someone experienced to help develop the prospects, especially if the NHL team retools in the offseason.
8. Andrew Campbell – Campbell was hired midseason to save the Belleville Senators season. He’s been an assistant in the organization for a few years, and it’s no secret, he’s a players’ friendly coach. It’s been a big adjustment as he goes from the good cop to the bad cop but over time, he will find a balance and become a top coach in this league.
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7. Steve Ott – Like Campbell, he’s only been at the head coaching helm for a month and a half. The St. Louis Blues made their assistant at the NHL level the head coach of the Springfield Thunderbirds, and in a small sample size, he’s done a good job keeping them in the playoff hunt.
6. Grant Potulny – The Hartford Wolf Pack hired the Knoblauch successor from a college back, and it shows in his pros and cons. Potulny has a great X’s and O’s mind, which shows in the way he talks about the game. The problem is the adjustment from college to the AHL has overwhelmed him, notably the turnover that comes with this league, and it’s one of the factors in the disappointing season for the Wolf Pack.
5. Mike Leone – Leone is a fascinating coach in this league. He’s 38 and has gotten the most out of the Rochester Americans in his season and a half behind the bench. However, he’s struggled this season with the turnover, something he didn’t have to experience last season, and it’s something he’s adjusting to in real time.
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4. Rocky Thompson – The Bridgeport Islanders were a historically bad team last season, and he has them in a playoff position. Thompson’s style is to play with high pressure and volume while costing the team on the defensive end, and it isn’t sustainable but has resulted in a few wins.
3. Kirk MacDonald – The Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins are always a fascinating team to watch because they play a fast style built around their strengths. It’s a credit to MacDonald, the second-year AHL coach who came from the ECHL, who has a vision for the team and tweaks it to get the most out of their group. Many people around the league are high on MacDonald and believe he’s an NHL coach in waiting. The only question is whether he’s the one who is responsible for building the Penguins into a contender with a surplus of prospects, or if the front office is.
2. John Snowden – The Lehigh Valley Phantoms promoted Snowden to the position in the offseason, and he checks off all of the boxes for a young coach on the rise. He’s one of the best hockey minds in the league and it’s reflected in how the team plays, especially in the offensive end. The one knock on the first-year had coach is his intensity, something a lot of younger coaches have that wears off on the players in a long season. Over time, Snowden will become a more balanced and even-keeled head coach, so keep his name in mind down the line for an NHL job.
1. Trent Vogelhuber – Vogelhuber is in his late 30s, yet looks and acts like a veteran head coach, partially because he’s been behind the bench since the 2022-23 season. It’s turned him into one of the most impressive coaches in this league and a rising star in the Columbus Blue Jackets organization. The Cleveland Monsters have been a great team every year of his tenure, and he should expect him to join an NHL team as an assistant at some point and, inevitably, as a head coach.
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4. Derek King – Many hockey fans know King from his time with the Chicago Blackhawks (some from a certain generation know him as a scorer from his playing days but that’s a different story). He’s done a great job in his first year with the Hershey Bears. King had a tough act to follow, joining a team that won two Calder Cup titles in three years under Todd Nelson.
It also didn’t help that the Bears were in a rebuild, moving on from multiple veterans in the offseason and icing a young team with minimal AHL experience. That said, he’s put this team in a good spot for the home stretch, and a Calder Cup title might put a bow on an impressive coaching career.
3. Joel Bouchard – Bouchard has learned a lot in his multiple stops around the AHL. It’s all come together with the Syracuse Crunch, who have the second-best record in the North Division thanks mostly to his system, which grinds teams down. He’s on the older side, which will be a red flag for NHL teams but there’s a good chance a strong season lands him on an NHL bench.
2. John Gruden – He’s one of those coaches who make fans say what if. Gruden was an assistant for years under Barry Trotz and was always surrounded by great coaches, including Jim Montgomery and Lane Lambert. The Toronto Marlies were his first shot as a head coach, and he’s made the most of it, doing an excellent job with a team that doesn’t have a lot of talent.
1. Pascal Vincent – If there’s one veteran coach who might get another shot at the NHL, it’s Vincent. His one chance was a one-and-done with a Columbus Blue Jackets team that, to put it lightly, was a mess that season. With the Laval Rocket, he looks like one of the best leaders in the AHL, and the team reflected it by playing great in all three zones and playing with a purpose. Vincent is from Laval, and this might be an ideal spot to end his coaching career. That said, he’s proven he can build up a team over time, and that’s what NHL teams will look for in the upcoming cycle.
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Gordie Kinnear – The word around the AHL was that he’s a tough nut to crack or a difficult, hard-nosed coach who is tough to talk to. It’s easy to see why, since he’s a direct coach who has a way of doing things. Kinnear wasn’t the Charlotte Checkers to play fast and pressure opponents with 40 or more shots in a game.
It’s a hard way to play, and it takes time for the players to buy in but once they do, the team becomes tough to stop. Kinnear, despite his reputation, is a technical coach whom players connect with. The Florida Panthers don’t have a great farm system, and the AHL veterans turned over from last season, yet the team is one of the best in the league, a reflection of the job their head coach has done.
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Ryan Mougenel – If there’s one coach best set up to join an NHL bench, it’s Mougenel. He’s spent over a decade in the AHL and a few years building up the Providence Bruins into a great team. Mougenel has the AHL team playing great across the board and a structured style that allows them to take over games.
Better yet, he lets his prospects play with creativity in the offensive zone with the condition that they skate back on the backcheck, something that allows them to take a step forward in their development. At 50, he’s at that sweet spot to make that jump to the NHL, and the only thing, ironically, that might hold him back is a great season from the Bruins, who boast the best record in the Eastern Conference.
AHL Notes: Additional Thoughts on the Coaches
After talking to 14 of them throughout the season, some reflections and trends stand out. It’s interesting to see why some coaches struggle and why others are built to succeed.
One theme is the coach’s background before joining the AHL. Many come from other leagues, notably the junior or college hockey backgrounds. While it helps them with a development perspective, they struggle with control, or the lack of it, and the age gap that comes with this league.
Todd Nelson once noted that coaching is all about the arts and the sciences. Some coaches master one but lack the other. Few are great in both areas, and those are the ones who stand out.
Another theme, especially with the young coaches vs the veteran ones, is time and patience. The young coaches are often emotional and have extreme reactions to every win and loss. Likewise, a mistake from the players results in them getting benched or healthy scratched. Over time, these younger coaches will adjust and become more reserved, knowing how long the season is and keeping the big picture in mind.
