Cull promoted, Colliton takes over Abbotsford bench
Photo: Abbotsford Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks have promoted Abbotsford Canucks head coach Trent Cull to assistant coach with the NHL club, and have named Jeremy Colliton the new head coach in Abbotsford.
Former AHL head coach Mike Yeo has also joined Bruce Boudreau's staff in Vancouver as an assistant.
Cull has spent the last five seasons as head coach of Vancouver's AHL affiliates in Abbotsford (2021-22) and Utica (2017-21), leading them to a combined record of 161-116-22-10 (.573 points percentage). In their first season in Abbotsford, the AHL Canucks went 39-23-5-1 (.618) and qualified for the Calder Cup Playoffs.
Cull, 48, previously served as an assistant coach with the Syracuse Crunch from 2006 to 2010 and again from 2013 to 2017, a stint that culminated in a trip to the Calder Cup Finals.
He played 10 professional seasons as a defenseman from 1994-2004, including 435 AHL games with the St. John's Maple Leafs, Houston Aeros, Springfield Falcons, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and Syracuse Crunch.
Colliton, 37, spent parts of four seasons as head coach of the Chicago Blackhawks, posting a record of 87-92-26. He served as head coach of the Rockford IceHogs in 2017-18 and through the first 12 games of the 2018-19 season before his promotion to Chicago; he guided the IceHogs to a 46-31-5-6 record and an appearance in the Western Conference Finals in 2018.
Colliton also served on the staff of the 2022 Canadian men's Olympic team in Beijing.
Colliton had an eight-year professional playing career primarily in the National Hockey League and AHL. He appeared in 57 NHL games across five seasons (2005-09, 2010-11) with the New York Islanders, notching three goals and three assists. He was originally drafted by the Islanders in the second round (58th overall) of the 2003 NHL Draft. In parts of six seasons (2005-09, 2010-12) in the AHL with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, Colliton recorded 203 points (77 goals, 126 assists) in 326 games, and remains the Bridgeport franchise leader in assists and points.
Abbotsford associate coach Gary Agnew, assistant coach Jeff Ulmer and goaltending coach Curtis Sanford will return as part of Colliton's staff.
Tagged: Abbotsford Canucks
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