Mike Yeo to Replace Ken Hitchcock as St.Louis Blues Head Coach in 2017
By Ryan Ritchie
Mike Yeo is Expected to Replace Legendary Coach Ken Hitchcock Behind the Bench for St.Louis in 2017
Ex-Minnesota Wild head coach Mike Yeo is expected to step up and replace Ken Hitchcock as St.Louis Blues bench boss in 2017.
Coaching legend Ken Hitchcock has already announced his intentions to retire at the end of 2016-17, but has made it clear that he wishes to remain behind the scenes involved in some capacity.
Announced Monday, the Blues have hired Mike Yeo as their Associate Coach, and Rick Wilson as their Assistant Coach. The pair will replace Kirk Muller and Brad Shaw. Wilson follows Yeo from Minnesota where he served in the same role as part of Yeo’s coaching staff.
We also learnt that Assistant Ray Bennett, Goalie Coach Jim Corsi, and Video Coach Sean Ferrell are all expected to return with the club.
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via Sportsnet,
“We’re excited to have Mike Yeo join us an an associate coach for next season and to become the next head coach for the St. Louis Blues for three years after that,” Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said. “For being 42 years old, he’s got a lot of experience. He’s won a Stanley Cup in Pittsburgh, he’s taken an American League team to the final, and you saw the good job he did in Minnesota in taking that team to the second round. What excites me is his experience, but with his age, he can really relate to today’s players and it’s an exciting day for our team.”
“We feel like we’ve got a great staff,” Hitchcock added. “It’s a staff that’s really connected to each other and sees the game in a similar fashion. For the future and for the present, we’re in terrific shape. We’ve got people that are teachers first and coaches second.
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Mike Yeo brings with him a long coaching resume. After several years of playing in the minor ranks between IHL Houston and a final year with AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Yeo almost immediately earned a job after hanging up the skates.
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He took over as Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Assistant Coach in 2000-01 mid-season. Yeo stayed in that role until 2005-06 when the Pittsburgh Penguins appointed him Assistant Coach (again mid-season).
After serving as Pens Assistant Coach until 2009-10, Yeo accepted a position as Head Coach of AHL Houston, and had great success in 2010-11. A solid year as bench boss in the AHL earned him the Head Coach position with Minnesota back in 2011-12. He served as Wild bench boss for the better part of five seasons before he was let go late in 2015-16 in favor of interim coach John Torchetti.
Moving forward, Mike Yeo is set to serve as Assistant Coach for Team Canada at September’s World Cup of Hockey, joining an illustrious coaching staff.
It was a disappointing first coaching gig in the NHL for Mike, but things are looking bright for the future. A little international experience (WCOH) will open more doors for potential World Hockey Championships, or perhaps even Olympic participation.
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The end game was always to find another head coaching gig in the NHL though, and with Monday’s news, it sounds as though Mike Yeo has lined himself up for one of premium coaching positions.
Good luck to Mike Yeo and Rick Wilson as the Blues go through this transitional period over the next year or so. It will be interesting to see what Yeo and company can do with a much more talented all-around roster.