Memorial Cup-winning coach Jussi Ahokas hired by Avalanche’s AHL team
A promising bench boss with a winning pedigree is turning pro for the first time…on this side of the pond.
On Friday, the Colorado Avalanche announced that the team has hired Jussi Ahokas as the team’s as the new head coach of their American Hockey League affiliate, the Colorado Eagles.
This is Ahokas’ first pro gig in North America. He comes to the AHL after an exceptional 2025-26 season as head coach of the Kitchener Rangers of the Ontario Hockey League. In three short seasons, he turned the Rangers from a competitive team to a championship contender. This year, he guided the team to the J. Ross Robertson Cup as league champions for the first time in 18 years.
From there, Kitchener, loaded with future NHL stars such as Sam O’Reilly and Cameron Reid, went on to win the Memorial Cup for the third time in franchise history. The Rangers went undefeated, outscoring their opponents 20-6, beating the Everett Silvertips, 6-2, in the championship game.
Across his three years with Kitchener, the 45-year-old guided the team to at least the second round of the OHL Playoffs each year, compiling a regular-season record of 135-52-13-4 along the way. He won the Matt Leyden Trophy as OHL coach of the year in 2024-25.
In a release, Avalanche assistant general manager and Eagles general manager Kevin McDonald stated that Ahokas’ experience and success wherever he’s coached have earned him a spot in the second-highest league in the world.
“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,” McDonald said. “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.”
Ahokas has been considered by some to be a promising coach who might one day make it into the NHL ranks. It was reported by Rick Dhaliwal earlier this week that Ahokas was offered the job as the head coach of the Abbotsford Canucks, the Vancouver Canucks primary affiliate, but turned it down.
On top of his North American experience, Ahokas has a large trophy case internationally. He has coached Finland to the gold medal at the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championship and the 2016 IIHF Under-18 Men’s World Championship. He has also won two bronze medals at the IIHF Men’s World Championship as an assistant coach, and was the video coach on the 2010 Men’s Olympic Team that finished third in Vancouver.
