​It was a matter of time before an American Hockey League team hired Jussi Ahokas as a head coach. He’s the big name from the Ontario Hockey League who won the Memorial Cup with the Kitchener Rangers and is one of the innovative coaches poised to get the nod. The Colorado Eagles are bringing him in to replace Mark Letestu, who moved to the Vegas Golden Knights staff after a successful season in the AHL. They found the right right to follow up Letestu with Ahokas being a trend-setting move. Ahokas As A Creative Hockey MindThe Rangers played a unique style in junior hockey. They looked like a pro team, especially in the past season when they were dominant in the OHL. Likewise, Ahokas made them look like an innovative pro team. Ahokas combined his experience from North America and his home country, Finland, to build a complete team. They’d move the puck up the ice but also play an East-West style to open up the offense. The Rangers had an aggressive offense yet were also sound defensively, allowing them to beat teams by four or five goals. Colorado Avalanche Hire Memorial Cup-Winning Coach for Colorado EaglesFresh off leading the Kitchener Rangers to a Memorial Cup championship, Jussi Ahokas has been hired as the new head coach of the Colorado Eagles, bringing a championship pedigree to the Avalanche’s top affiliate.The 2026 Memorial Cup run was his masterpiece, one that put his brilliance on full display. The Everett Silvertips were a talented team led by presumptive 2027 number one pick Landon Dupont. The Rangers controlled the game from start to finish in a 6-2 stomping, one where they looked like an NHL team playing a junior team. In hockey, everyone is searching for the next startup. Everyone wants to find the next great thing before it catches on from a front office to a bench, or on the ice. Ahokas looks like that coach in hockey and now puts it to the test in the AHL. Ahokas As The TrendsetterThe NHL has seen a surplus of talent from Finland, Sweden, and other European countries in recent seasons. Yet, there aren’t many coaches from those countries to show for that shift. Some of that has to do with familiarity, while most of that is because of the risk. Teams don’t want to hire a coach who comes from a different background and have it go wrong. It’s why Anders Sorenson was the first and only Swedish-born coach in NHL history, and he only got the job as an interim when the Chicago Blackhawks fired Luke Richardson halfway through 2024-25. Ahokas is a coach who put the Finnish brand of hockey on the map. The positionless style where defensemen and forwards are interchangeable, who can play in any situation. The ability to roll four lines with even ice time, yet find the hot hand in a big game and lean on it. The Rangers had top prospects, and Ahokas knew it, and it’s why Sam O’Reilly and Dylan Edwards combined for 53 points in the 18-game playoff run. Kitchener Rangers’ Memorial Cup Head Coach Jussi Ahokas Heads To AHL Col