Brewin Flames Posted June 12, 2023 Share Posted June 12, 2023 Huska hired as coach of Flames, replaces Sutter Will hold position for 1st time in NHL after 5 seasons as Calgary assistant NHL.com @NHLdotcom 1:29 PM Ryan Huska was hired as coach of the Calgary Flames on Monday. The 47-year-old replaces Darryl Sutter, who was fired May 1, and will coach for the first time in the NHL. Huska was a Flames assistant the past five seasons overseeing the defense and penalty kill. The Flames allowed 27.3 shots-against per game, third fewest in the NHL, and were tied with the New Jersey Devils for fourth in penalty killing (82.6 percent) this season. "I'm honored to have earned the trust of Flames ownership, of [general manager Craig Conroy] and the entire management group to coach this team," Huska said. "My position coming into this is a little different than most as I know our players very well. We have good people in our dressing room, excellent hockey players who want to win. My job is to inspire them every single day to help get our team to the next level." The Flames (38-27-17) missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the second time in three seasons, finishing two points behind the Winnipeg Jets for the second wild card from the Western Conference. They fired general manager Brad Treliving on April 17 and promoted Conroy from assistant GM to replace him May 23. Calgary was 50-21-11 and won the Pacific Division in 2021-22 but lost to the Edmonton Oilers in five games in the Western Conference Second Round. "While continuity and familiarity are a benefit, we have witnessed first-hand Ryan's work ethic," Conroy said. "He is a clear communicator who builds trust with his players and he's a critical thinker with a plan." Huska began his coaching career as an assistant for Kelowna of the Western Hockey League in 2002 and was named coach in 2007. The Flames hired Huska as coach of Adirondack of the American Hockey League in 2014-15, where he helped develop current Flames defensemen Rasmus Andersson and Oliver Kylington, and forward Andrew Mangiapane. The Cranbrook, British Columbia, native played one NHL game, for the Chicago Blackhawks in 1997-98, after they chose the forward in the third round (No. 76) of the 1993 NHL Draft. He also played in the WHL, where for Kamloops he won the Memorial Cup three times (1992, 1994, 1995), the International Hockey League (Indianapolis) and the AHL (Lowell and Springfield) before retiring after the 1999-00 season. Two NHL teams remain without a coach: the Columbus Blue Jackets and New York Rangers. The Washington Capitals hired Spencer Carbery on May 30 and the Nashville Predators named Andrew Brunette coach the next day. Greg Cronin was hired by the Anaheim Ducks on June 5. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewin Flames Posted June 12, 2023 Author Share Posted June 12, 2023 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegx.ca Posted June 23, 2023 Share Posted June 23, 2023 I'm happy with Huska being head coach it's the best of a bad situation for me similar when we lost Tkachuk and Gaudreau it felt like almost the end of the world haha...still rather have Sutter back personally but this does seem like the best alternative to that... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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