Kevin McDonald enters his third season as the General Manager of the Eagles, while also serving in his third year as Assistant General Manager for the NHL's Colorado Avalanche.

McDonald was the recipient of the 2022 Thomas Ebright Memorial Award, which is annually presented for outstanding career contributions to the American Hockey League. He served as the General Manager of the Blues' American Hockey League affiliate beginning in 2018 and in that role, was also a pro scout for St. Louis. With his guidance and input in team personnel decisions, McDonald played an important role in the Blues capturing the 2019 Stanley Cup Championship.

The Lawrence, Massachusetts, native joined the Blues organization prior to the 2001-02 season as a professional scout and was promoted to Director of Professional Scouting within two seasons, taking on the role in 2003. McDonald took on the role of General Manager of the Blues' former AHL affiliate, the Peoria Rivermen, in June 2005 before being named an Assistant General Manager for St. Louis in May 2009.

McDonald began his career in professional hockey in 1988 as a member of the New York Rangers' communications department. Following the Rangers' Stanley Cup Championship run in 1993-94, he moved into the Rangers' hockey operations department and worked as an assistant to Rangers General Manager Neil Smith during the lockout shortened 1994-95 season.

McDonald resides in North Andover, Massachusetts, where he lives with his wife Lauren, his two children Sean and Kayleigh, and his three step-children Joseph, Jenna, and Daniel.

Letestu, 40, is in his first season with the Eagles, after spending the previous four seasons as an Assistant Coach with the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters. In that span, the Monsters compiled a 136-117-23-16 regular-season record from the 2021-22 to 2024-25 seasons. Additionally, the club qualified for the Calder Cup Playoffs each of the last two campaigns, including capturing the North Division title in 2023-24 and advancing to the Conference Finals that year before falling to the eventual champion Hersey Bears. Letestu also coached one season in the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) ranks as an assistant in 2012-13. 

A centerman in his playing days, Letestu’s tenure with Cleveland saw the team boast a 60-point scorer in each of the last two seasons, while clearing 200 goals as a team all four campaigns – finishing as high as ninth in the AHL in 2023-24 with 233. That 2023-24 season also saw the team rank in the AHL’s top-half in power-play percentage (20.7%, 11th) and power-play goals (62, 7th). The Monsters’ back-to-back Calder Cup Playoff berths marked the first time the franchise ever accomplished the feat. 

Prior to his first pro coaching job in 2021-22, Letestu played parts of 14 seasons of professional hockey after being signed as an undrafted free agent by the Pittsburgh Penguins on March 22, 2007. The pro career includes 567 regular-season games in the NHL with the Blue Jackets, Penguins, Edmonton Oilers and Winnipeg Jets. He registered 210 career points (93g/117a) and added 15 points (6g/9a) in 36 Stanley Cup Playoff contests. The Elk Point, Alberta, native also suited up in 255 regular-season games in the AHL, six in the ECHL and seven in Sweden’s Allsvenskan league, giving him a total of 835 career regular-season games in professional leagues from 2006-20. 

Letestu played one season at Western Michigan University (2006-07) and three for Bonnyville in the AJHL (2002-05) prior to competing professionally. He was tabbed the AJHL’s Most Valuable Player in 2005-06 after pacing the league with 105 points (50g/55a).

Branham, 43, enters his fourth season as an Eagles assistant coach after spending the previous eight seasons as the head coach and general manager of the ECHL’s Utah Grizzlies. After beginning his career as Utah’s bench boss in 2013, Branham has since become the winningest and longest-tenured coach in Grizzlies history. The Eagles River, Wisconsin native guided the Grizzlies to a record of 284-205-76 and six playoff appearances during his time in West Valley City.
Prior to earning his first head coaching position, Branham spent three seasons as an assistant coach with the ECHL’s Reading Royals from 2010-2013. During his time with the Royals, the team went 143-89-23 in the regular season and captured the 2013 Kelly Cup title.
Branham was drafted in the third round of the 2000 NHL Entry Draft by the Vancouver Canucks and played 284 professional games in the ECHL and AHL during his playing career as a defenseman from 2002-2010.

Army, 34, is in his first season with the Eagles and most recently was the Head Coach of the ECHL’s Wheeling Nailers, where he was the winningest coach in franchise history. After being tabbed a midseason replacement in 2020-21, Army received the full-time head coaching duties ahead of the 2021-22 season and held that position each of the last four campaigns. Including his stint as the interim bench boss, Army compiled a 153-137-19 record from 2020-25 and qualified for the Kelly Cup Playoffs in three of those seasons, including each of the last two. Army also held the Director of Hockey Operations title from 2021-25.
 
A native of North Kingstown, R.I., Army began his coaching career serving as an assistant with the ECHL’s Worcester Railers over parts of the 2018-20 seasons. He joined the Nailers ahead of the 2020-21 campaign as an assistant before being promoted to interim head coach while the season was in progress. The Railers registered a 32-29-11 record in 2018-19 and fell five points shy of a playoff berth.
A forward in his playing days, Army played five seasons of professional hockey in both the AHL and ECHL. He suited up in 97 regular-season AHL contests and recorded 26 points (11g/15a) over the 2015-18 campaigns with the Portland Pirates, Ontario Reign, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, Texas Stars, Milwaukee Admirals and Tucson Roadrunners. Army played his entire ECHL career with the Nailers and collected 130 points (59g/71a) in 159 regular-season showings from 2013-18. The right-shot forward also notched 12 points (4g/8a) in 29 ECHL postseason games, including 10 points (4g/6a) in 2015-16 when Wheeling made it to the Kelly Cup finals.
 
Army was selected to the 2014-15 ECHL All-Rookie Team when he led the club with 29 goals and finished second on Wheeling with 66 points. He was also twice named ECHL Player of the Week (April 6-12, 2015 and Oct. 19-25, 2015).
 
Prior to turning pro, Army competed collegiately at Providence College from 2010-14. He compiled 76 points (38g/38a) in 149 games during his four-year college career.
 
Army’s father, Tim, is currently an assistant with the Anaheim Ducks and spent six seasons on the Avalanche coaching staff as both a video coach and assistant from 2011-17. Derek was also coached by Tim for one season at Providence (2010-11).

Zaba, 41, spent the last seven seasons with the USHL’s Tri-City Storm as the club’s goaltending coach. During his tenure, Tri-City produced three different USHL Goaltenders of the Year and compiled a 237-128-24-19 regular-season team record from 2017-24. Additionally, two Storm goaltending alumni Zaba coached went on to be selected in an NHL Draft. Prior to joining the Storm, Zaba spent two seasons as a Volunteer Assistant Coach with Colorado College from 2015-17.
A native of Yorkton, Saskatchewan, Zaba played eight seasons of professional hockey as a goaltender from 2007-15 and appeared in one game for the New York Rangers on Jan. 23, 2010. The netminder played 66 AHL games with the Hartford Wolf Pack over parts of the 2008-10 campaigns and suited up in 31 ECHL contests from 2007-10. Zaba concluded his pro playing career with a two-year run in the Italian Hockey League from 2010-12, winning the championship in 2011-12, and the ICE Hockey League, Austria’s highest pro league, from 2012 15.

Weiss is in her first season with the Eagles and was a guest coach for the Colorado Avalanche in 2023-24 where she assisted in the last two Avalanche Development Camps, part of the 2023 Training Camp and periodically throughout the 2023-24 regular season. Outside the Avs’ organization, she most recently served as an Assistant Coach for the Trinity College Men’s Hockey program in 2023-24 where the team finished as the NCAA DIII runner-up. Prior to coaching at her alma matter, Weiss’ coaching career includes stints with the NAHL’s Maryland Black Bears and AAA Washington Pride programs in various capacities.

Weiss is a member of the National Hockey League Coaches Association Female Coaches Program and has been a featured speaker in the organization’s mentorship program. She is involved with USA Hockey’s player development camps in the summer as well as the Coaching Education Program. Kim is a USA Hockey Level 5 certified coach and graduated from Georgetown Visitation School in Washington, DC.

 

The Potomac, Md., native played college hockey at Trinity College from 2007-11, serving as team captain as a junior and senior. She was a first-team All-American and NESCAC Player of the Year as a senior in 2010-11. As a junior, she helped guide the Bantams to an NCAA Tournament bid for the first time in program history. Weiss was a four-time All-NESCAC honoree and remains the program’s all-time leading scorer.

Strecker, is in his second season as the Eagles Head Athletic Trainer after serving as the team’s Assistant Athletic Trainer during the 2022-23 campaign. Prior to his time with the Eagles, Strecker spent four seasons as the Head Athletic Trainer and Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Tri-City Storm of the USHL.
Strecker previously worked at Gillette Physical Therapy in Gillette, Wyoming. He provided
athletic training services to the Gillette Wild (NA3HL) Hockey program, along with Gillette
College Rodeo, Gillette College Men and Women's Basketball, Gillette College Men and
Women's Soccer, Moorcroft High School athletics, Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship, Little
Guy Football League, and American Legion Baseball.
Strecker earned his bachelor's degree in athletic training from the University of Nebraska-Kearney in 2017.

Christian Galindo is a first-generation Mexican-American from Salina, Kansas. He graduated from Sterling College in 2018 with his Bachelor of Athletic Training. During his time at Sterling, he also worked for Varsity Cheer. He took over administrative and medical tasks for their collegiate dance division, which required him to travel across the country for Universal Dance Association staff training.

After undergrad, he moved to Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, to be a graduate assistant at East Stroudsburg University with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. He graduated with his Master's in 2019.

He became the head athletic trainer for Gillette Physical Therapy/ Apex Athletic Performance, where he worked and expanded their ATC service lines while also working as a performance coach for three years. During his three years in Gillette, he was also part of the physiology testing team that worked with the Colorado Avalanche, Colorado Rapids, and the Denver Nuggets.

The Colorado Eagles, proud AHL affiliate of the Colorado Avalanche, have announced that the team has hired Skylar Garver to serve as the team’s head equipment manager. Garver spent the previous six seasons with the ECHL’s Fort Wayne Komets and was named the ECHL’s Equipment Manager of the Year for the 2024-25 season.  
 
A native of Fort Wayne, Indiana, Garver spent one season as an equipment manager at Indiana Tech University, where he served on a staff that helped capture the NAIA National Championship in 2019-20. He also etched his name onto the Kelly Cup when the Komets won the ECHL title in 2021. In addition, the 29-year-old earned the honor of serving as the equipment manager at the 2024 ECHL All-Star Classic in Savannah.

Deweese is entering his first season in the AHL after spending the past three seasons as the head equipment manager for the Sioux Falls Stampede of the USHL.

A Fairbanks, Alaska native, Deweese attended the University of Alaska-Anchorage, where he joined the hockey program as a student volunteer, working with both the equipment staff and hockey operations department.

A native of La Crosse, Wisconsin, Fowler attended the University of Wisconsin, where he received a bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology. During his tenure at UW-Madison he interned with the school’s Olympic strength and conditioning department. From there, Fowler moved on to Boston College where he served as a strength and conditioning graduate assistant, working with both the men's and women's hockey teams. During his time at Boston College, he also received his master's degree in exercise and sport science.
Fowler is entering his first season as the team’s Strength and Conditioning Coach.