[News] Cail Maclean named Stockton Heat head coach

[sureLoss]

https://twitter.com/user/status/1003690737286778882

the stockton heat, calgary's american hockey league affiliate, announced today that cail maclean will take over the head coaching reigns after serving as the assistant coach last season. The remaining stockton coaching staff will be announced in the coming weeks.

Maclean, a native of middleton, nova scotia, started his coaching career at the conclusion of his playing career in the echl with south carolina and won the kelly cup as the stingrays assistant coach in 2008-09. He was then promoted to head coach for the 2009-10 season and spent two years as the stingrays bench boss before joining the flames ahl affiliate abbotsford heat as an assistant coach between 2011-13. He became the head coach for the flames echl affiliate in adirondack for the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons before returning to the ahl as the stockton heat assistant coach last season.

The 41-year-old had a 15-year playing career that started in 1993 with the ohl's kingston frontenacs where he spent the following four seasons. He went on to play 747 professional games spanning 11 years between the ahl, ihl and echl highlighted with a trip to the echl kelly cup finals in 2000-01 where he captained the trenton titans.

Cail maclean and his wife keri have a daughter ashton.

[Reggie Dunlop]

Unsurprising.

[Phaneufenstein]

Please let me know if I should be outraged by this.
Thanks!

[Since1984]

Originally Posted by Phaneufenstein

Please let me know if I should be outraged by this.
Thanks!

It is funny when some posters have a specific set of requirements/goals/criteria's for a coach in the organization and it be so far off from what the Flames Organization's requirements/goals/criteria's are for the Coach.

A few people were completely dumbfounded by Huska's hiring as an assistant Coach strictly due to his record in the AHL. When in all actuality, he was mandated by the Organization to focus on player development over wins. Having those players develop in to strong young men on and off the ice while understanding what is needed/expected to be a pro. We have seen more NHL ready player graduation from the AHL under Huska than we have had in the previous years.

But hey, you can't have all posters agree on everything or we wouldn't have this great community!

As for the hire itself,I feel Cail will step up and continue his rise to a solid elite level coach in AHL while still delivering sold NHL ready players to the Flames.

[Roof-Daddy]

Originally Posted by Phaneufenstein

Please let me know if I should be outraged by this.
Thanks!

We have to wait and see if he can win the Calder Cup with a bunch of 20-23 year old mid range prospects playing all the key roles and minutes.

If he can't, then clearly he's no good.

[Hot_Flatus]

Originally Posted by Since1984

It is funny when some posters have a specific set of requirements/goals/criteria's for a coach in the organization and it be so far off from what the Flames Organization's requirements/goals/criteria's are for the Coach.

A few people were completely dumbfounded by Huska's hiring as an assistant Coach strictly due to his record in the AHL. When in all actuality, he was mandated by the Organization to focus on player development over wins. Having those players develop in to strong young men on and off the ice while understanding what is needed/expected to be a pro. We have seen more NHL ready player graduation from the AHL under Huska than we have had in the previous years.

But hey, you can't have all posters agree on everything or we wouldn't have this great community!

As for the hire itself,I feel Cail will step up and continue his rise to a solid elite level coach in AHL while still delivering sold NHL ready players to the Flames.

Does any NHL organization really mandate anything other than developing players at the AHL level? He's done a pretty good job down there but I don't think wins/losses or a lack thereof have anything to do with an organizational mandate on the part of the Flames.

As a coach your goal is always win as many games as possible and a really good coach will find a way to do both more often than naught imo. Considering how often he had a depleted lineup due to call-ups, injuries etc I'd say he basically polished a turd for the last two years. Good for him on the promotion.

[Erick Estrada]

I'm still surprised there was outrage over the assistant coach hires.

[dammage79]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

I'm still surprised there was outrage over the assistant coach hires.

There really wasn't other than one single poster who's had zero love for Huska for years.

Anyone who disliked the Ward hire hasn't posted here as far as I know.


On to this hire of McLean, the Flames have been hyping him hard for a week now. I think this was as big a secret as the Peter's hire. As there wasn't really a secret. Glad to see the Flames promote from within reward hard work. Even in an administrative or coaching capacity. Good luck Cail. Keep up the good development or our prospects.

[keenan87]

The real question is.... who is going to be his assistant?!?! AV? Sutter?

[activeStick]

Originally Posted by Phaneufenstein

Please let me know if I should be outraged by this.
Thanks!

Give me some time to Google his stats over the last few years so I can be an expert and predict the future.

[sempuki]

Originally Posted by dammage79

There really wasn't other than one single poster who's had zero love for Huska for years.

Anyone who disliked the Ward hire hasn't posted here as far as I know.


On to this hire of McLean, the Flames have been hyping him hard for a week now. I think this was as big a secret as the Peter's hire. As there wasn't really a secret. Glad to see the Flames promote from within reward hard work. Even in an administrative or coaching capacity. Good luck Cail. Keep up the good development or our prospects.

There are those of us who don't even like NyQuil, and have watched Heat games live under Huska. This is more a GG style X and Os coach with zero charisma. At leas Troy Ward was a coach the players liked and liked to play for. Huska was brought in to be a yes man after Troy Ward refused to toe the company line (implement Hartley's NHL system, development over winning). Apparently he's only been hired because other teams were looking at him and they didn't want to lose him. Assistants working on D tend to fly under the radar, so we'll see how long he lasts.

[colbym72]

Pat Steinberg @Fan960Steinberg
1m
New Stockton Heat head coach Cail MacLean says Rasmus Andersson has a great chance to be a full-time NHLer this season with a good summer.

Also says Oliver Kylington is “on the cusp” of challenging for NHL work. #Flames

[devo22]

Fan960 interview mit MacLean.

https://www.sportsnet.ca/960/the-big...tyle-coaching/

[1qqaaz]

It seems like he has paid his dues. He obviously knows about the prospects in the Flames system.

He has been in the organization for 7 years? That's more than most of the staff, for sure.

[Buck Murdock]

Any word on Dominic Pittis?

[btimbit]

https://twitter.com/user/status/1003792540821172225

https://twitter.com/user/status/1003792716839284736

[Nelson]

Originally Posted by btimbit

https://twitter.com/user/status/1003792540821172225

https://twitter.com/user/status/1003792716839284736

Based on the interview posted above, I do not doubt it.

[Geeoff]

Originally Posted by colbym72

Pat Steinberg @Fan960Steinberg
1m
New Stockton Heat head coach Cail MacLean says Rasmus Andersson has a great chance to be a full-time NHLer this season with a good summer.

Also says Oliver Kylington is “on the cusp” of challenging for NHL work. #Flames

I think Andersson is already better than Kulak. So it's really down to how rigid Peters is with L/RHD and whether we trade any dmen in the off-season.

[Nelson]

Originally Posted by Geeoff

I think Andersson is already better than Kulak. So it's really down to how rigid Peters is with L/RHD and whether we trade any dmen in the off-season.

I don’t know about that, but I don’t think it’s necessary to think of Andersson supplanting Kulak because Stone is not as good as Kulak. Andersson should fit perfectly on the 3rd pair with Kulak.

[Hot_Flatus]

Originally Posted by Geeoff

I think Andersson is already better than Kulak. So it's really down to how rigid Peters is with L/RHD and whether we trade any dmen in the off-season.

It will be telling if we see the typical, washed up, journeyman FA signing like Bartkowski or if foolish PTO offers continue to plugs like Grossman, Glass etc. If this staff is actually willing to walk the walk and finally open the door from Stockton, the Flames may actually improve from within again quite substantially.