Aarif Deen
The Colorado Eagles will have a different head coach for the third consecutive season.
The team announced Friday that reigning Ontario Hockey League and Memorial Cup champion Jussi Ahokas was hired to lead the Avalanche’s AHL affiliate.
Ahokas, 45, replaces the recently departed Mark Letestu, who joined the Vegas Golden Knights as an assistant coach earlier in July. Letestu spent one season behind the Eagles bench, leading them to Game 7 of the Western Conference Final after replacing Aaron Schneekloth.
Ahokas spent the last three seasons as head coach of the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers. The team saw an outstanding amount of success under his lead, winning at least 40 games each year. Ahokas was named OHL coach of the year in 2024-25 and followed that up with both an OHL and Memorial Cup championship this past season.
He had a record of 135-52-13-4 in that time. He also coached Avs prospect Christian Humphreys over the past two years.
Prior to that, Ahokas spent four years coaching in the SM-Liiga, the highest professional league in Finland. He also had success at the international level with the Finns.
“Jussi has done a great job with every team and every league he’s been a part of as a head coach, and we’re excited to welcome him into the Avalanche and Eagles family,” Avalanche assistant general manager and Eagles GM Kevin McDonald said in a release. “His track record of winning games in a variety of leagues and international tournaments is impressive, and he’ll be a great fit for our team in Loveland.”
It was reported earlier in the week that Ahokas turned down an offer from the Vancouver Canucks to coach their AHL club in Abbotsford. Ahokas was also rumored to be in the running for other NHL head coaching jobs throughout the summer, although that had not been confirmed.