Avalanche Name Cronin Colorado Eagles Head Coach

Jul 12, 2018

DENVER – The Colorado Avalanche Hockey Club announced today that Greg Cronin has been named head coach of the organization’s American Hockey League affiliate, the Colorado Eagles.

In addition, Aaron Schneekloth and Ryan Tobler, who spent the past two seasons as the Eagles’ head coach and assistant coach, respectively, will remain on the coaching staff as Cronin’s assistants.  Ryan Bach will also remain as goaltending coach.

Cronin, 55, has spent 30 seasons in coaching, including 12 years as an assistant in the NHL and two seasons as a head coach at the AHL level.  He spent the last four years on the New York Islanders’ coaching staff, serving three seasons as an assistant before being promoted to Associate Coach in 2017-18.  It marked his second stint with the Islanders, as he previously was an assistant coach with the team from 1998 to 2003.  Prior to his recent time in New York, Cronin was an assistant with the Toronto Maple Leafs for three seasons from 2011-14, helping the Leafs to their first playoff appearance in nine years in 2013.

Cronin served two seasons as head coach of the Islanders’ AHL team, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, from 2003-05.  The Arlington, Mass., native led the Sound Tigers to the playoffs during his first season in 2003-04 with a record of 41-23-16 (98 points).

"We feel Greg is the perfect fit to lead the Eagles as they begin their first season in the American Hockey League," said Avalanche Executive Vice President & General Manager Joe Sakic.  "He has an extensive coaching background, including time as a head coach in the AHL.  Greg not only has experience coaching players at the NHL and AHL levels, but also developing players at the college level and with the U.S. National Team Development Program.”

Following his time with Bridgeport, Cronin spent six seasons as the head coach at Northeastern University from 2005-06 to 2010-11.  He helped rebuild the Huskies program, improving from three wins in his first season to an NCAA tournament appearance in 2009, the school’s first in 15 years.  That season, he won the Hockey East’s Bob Kullen Coach of the Year Award.

Cronin was an assistant coach at the University of Maine (1988-90, 1993-95) and Colorado College (1990-93), and also spent time as interim head coach at both institutions as well (Colorado College in 1992 and Maine in 1995-96).  Following a four-year playing career at Colby College (1982-86), Cronin began his coaching career at his alma mater in 1987-88.

One of the co-founders of the United States National Development Program in Ann Arbor, Mich., Cronin served as the head coach and director of player development for the U.S. Under-18 Team for two years from 1996-98.  Internationally, Cronin worked as an assistant coach for Team USA at the 1997, 2011 and 2012 IIHF World Championship, as well as the 1997 and 1998 IIHF World Junior Championship, where he helped the U.S. Junior National Team to a silver medal in 1997.

Cronin earned a Master’s Degree in Business at the University of Maine in 1990, while serving as a graduate assistant for the hockey team.

Schneekloth and Tobler, who will be in their first seasons as AHL assistant coaches, guided the Eagles to their second straight Kelly Cup as ECHL champions in 2017-18.  In two seasons with Schneekloth and Tobler behind the Eagles bench, Colorado posted a 95-38-11 record (.698), including a 32-12 combined playoff mark with two league championships.

Cronin will be introduced to the media at a later time (date TBD).

-AVS-