Blues make four changes to coaching, management staff
The new-look hockey operations in Gateway to the West is starting to take shape.
On Monday, the St. Louis Blues announced that the team has hired Greg Cronin and Vaclav Prospal to multi-year contracts to be assistant coaches, starting next season.
Jim Montgomery's coaching staff will have 3 new faces when the puck drops on the 2026-27 season. stlblues.me/4vf9Bpa #stlblues
The Blues also promoted video coach Elliott Mondou to assistant to general manager Alexander Steen, while Jeremy Coupal has signed a multi-year contract to fill the role of video coach.
In a release, head coach Jim Montgomery noted how the additions to the coaching staff will benefit the club.
“Greg, Vinny, and Jeremy represent elite coaching talent coming to the St. Louis Blues,” Montgomery said. “Greg is a skilled teacher of defensive habits and the penalty kill with experience as a head coach and assistant that will benefit our vets and young elites equally; Vinny brings a creative offensive mind honed by his success as a player on the power play and five-on-five, providing valuable expertise to our forward group and power play. Jeremy is a high-end video coach who we are fortunate to bring back to the NHL with his unique skillset and knowledge.”
Cronin was in the American Hockey League last season, serving as head coach of the Minnesota Wild’s top farm team, the Iowa Wild, leading the team to a 27-36-9 record. Cronin’s experience in the NHL is extensive. He had two stints as an assistant coach with the New York Islanders, while also serving as an assistant coach with the Toronto Maple Leafs from 2011 to 2014. The Massachusetts native was also the head coach of the Anaheim Ducks for two seasons, but was fired after the 2024-25 season.
Prospal had been an assistant coach with the Rochester Americans, the Buffalo Sabres‘ primary affiliate, for the past three seasons. The Czech forward had an illustrious NHL career, appearing in 1,108 games and scoring 765 points. He also played for Czechia at the 2006 Winter Olympics, winning gold at the 2000 and 2005 IIHF Men’s World Championships.
Coupal had been a video coach for Team Canada at the past two Spengler Cups. He also served on the staffs of the Edmonton Oilers and Nashville Predators in the teams’ video departments.