The Colorado Eagles have named Jussi Ahokas as their new head coach. Ahokas will be the third bench boss in as many seasons for Colorado's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate. If that sounds like a lot of turnover, that's because it is, obviously.
Surprisingly though, Ahokas is only the fourth head coach in franchise history. How is it that a club with such relative stability since jumping from the ECHL in 2018-19 is suddenly musical chairs at the top? Western Conference rivals keep hiring them away.
Greg Cronin helmed the Eagles from 2018-2023, before being tapped as head coach for the Anahiem Ducks. Aaron Schneekloth (who was actually the Eagles’ old coach in the ECHL days) took over again for two seasons. The Seattle Kraken hired Schneekloth last summer. This led the Eagles to hire Mark Letestu, who turned around and helped guide them to the Western Conference Finals this past season. The Vegas Golden Knights were impressed enough to entice Letestu to join their revamped staff on June 30th.
Do I sound a little bitter about the club that bounced the Avalanche this year rubbing salt on the wound and poaching a coach I liked? It's because I am. I've written previously about how the Dave Hakstol hire immediately aged like milk. I was really hoping newly re-installed GM Joe Sakic would show Hakstol and his putrid power play numbers the door.
As bummed as I was to see another promising young coach leave Colorado's organizational ranks, I understand it. Especially given the competitive nature of sports. I'm not just saying this because it's rivalry week here at the greater Fansided network. Any savvy foe knows that coaching personnel are akin to a club's brain trust. Thus, if you take the right cog in their machine, you can compound a win two-fold.
Who is Jussi Ahokas?
Jussi Ahokas is a 45-year-old native of Oulu, Finland. Ahokas is fresh off a championship season with the Kitchener Rangers of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). Not only did Ahokas' Rangers win the OHL, they went on to lift the Memorial Cup in 2026. That's the ultimate prize in Canadian major junior hockey. In other words, you have to win a playoff among the champions of four leagues.
Ahokas coached Kitchener for three seasons, from 2023-24 to 2025-26. Interestingly, they improved every year. The Rangers won over 40 games in their 68-game schedule each season. In his second season in Kitchener, Ahokas was named OHL Coach of the Year. In addition, the Rangers advanced just a little further in the postseason each year until winning it all in 2026. That kind of progression is very encouraging.
It says a lot about a coach as a motivator if they can steadily get better from campaign to campaign. Avalanche and Eagles' fans alike should be pumped to be getting a coach who clearly gets what it means to connect with younger talent as they try to achieve their biggest hockey dreams.
In addition to coaching in Canada, Ahokas has also coached four seasons in Finland's SM-Liiga. For those that don't know, that's Finland's highest pro league. Ahokas was named coach of the year in 2019-20, and his team, Turku TPS, finished second in the Liiga in 2021-22.
Internationally, Ahokas has had the honor of coaching Finland at the under-18 and under-20 levels. He has earned a number of medals in that capacity. As part of Finland's Womens' National club staff, Ahokas has even helped take home an Olympic bronze.
All of these accolades suggest that Jussi Ahokas is not just a capable coach, but one on a fast upward trajectory. If he pans out at the AHL level, I think the Avalanche could really consider bringing him up to the main club as an assistant sooner rather than later.
One last intriguing aspect to Colorado mining talent from Kitchener: Long-time fans probably know that the Rangers were the OHL club of Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog. But did you also know that Landeskog's coach from those days was current Bruins assistant Steve Spott? Even more eyebrow raising, is this next tidbit: Spott took the job from none other than Peter DeBoer.
Yup, maybe my least favorite guy in hockey, and quite possibly Jared Bednar's greatest nemesis. In all seriousness though, I cannot deny that a strong Kitchener pedigree is yet another good sign for coach Ahokas.
The Eagles were quite literally on the doorstep of a championship themselves last season. They fell in Game 7 of the Western Finals to the Chicago Wolves. Getting back there would be a tall task, especially with what feels like a massive overhaul of the AHL roster. It's not just Colorado coaches getting picked over by other clubs.
Coach Ahokas might not have the roster ready to win in the AHL right away, but perhaps with much of the lineup in flux, he'll have more opportunity to prove how good he can be.
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