New Kraken head coach Lane Lambert rounds out staff with assistants, goalie coach

The Seattle Kraken announced on Tuesday that the team has finalized the coaching staff that will accompany new head coach Lane Lambert behind the bench in his first season with the organization.

Former New Jersey Devils assistant coach Chris Taylor and former Colorado Eagles head coach Aaron Schneekloth will join returning assistant Jessica Campbell as the assistant coaches, and Colin Zulianello is coming up from the team’s AHL affiliate Coachella Valley Firebirds to serve as goalie coach.

“We put a real emphasis on finding people that are adept at a teaching and development style,” Lambert said via the team’s announcement. “But also mixing in coaches that have had success who are in a position to help our team have success at the NHL level. It’s a two-fold process.”

In the AHL this season, Schneekloth led the Eagles to a Western Conference-best 43-21-8 record this season. He also won two Kelly Cups as a head coach in the ECHL.

Taylor was let go from New Jersey after remaining on the bench for new head coach Sheldon Keefe’s first season with the Devils, and he accrued five years of experience behind an NHL bench in the Garden State.

Zulianello has a built in rapport with Kraken goalie Joey Daccord from their time in the AHL together in 2022-2023, when Daccord posted a .918 save percentage as the Firebirds made it all the way to Game 7 of the Calder Cup final.

This new staff will look to help Lambert get the Kraken back to the playoffs for the second time in franchise history.

Seattle decided to move on from prior head coach Dan Bylsma after his first season on the job in which he led the group to a disappointing 35-41-6 record.

In his lone full season as an NHL head coach, Lambert led the New York Islanders to the playoffs as the top wild card team in the Eastern Conference.