Canucks hire Ryan Papaioannou as new Abbotsford AHL head coach
The 45-year-old led the Brooks Bandits to four championships in 14 seasons, coaching defenseman Cale Makar before his NHL rise.
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The Vancouver Canucks have hired Ryan Papaioannou as the new head coach of their AHL affiliate, the Abbotsford Canucks. The 45-year-old Calgary native takes over after the team's search saw Jussi Ahokas reject the role over compensation concerns.
Papaioannou spent 14 years as head coach and general manager of the Brooks Bandits in the Alberta Junior Hockey League, where he won four championships and coached Cale Makar, who is now considered one of the NHL's best defensemen. He made the jump to professional coaching last year, taking the helm of the ECHL's Wheeling Nailers, an affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins. In his first season, he led the Nailers to a Conference Finals berth—their first appearance that deep in the playoffs in 10 years—and compiled 46 regular-season wins, their best record since 2003-04.
The hiring closes out a busy and largely successful offseason for the Canucks front office.
The facts
Who is the new head coach of the Abbotsford Canucks?
Ryan Papaioannou, a 45-year-old Calgary native, is the new head coach of the Abbotsford Canucks, the Vancouver Canucks' AHL affiliate.
How many championships did Papaioannou win with the Brooks Bandits?
Ryan Papaioannou won four championships during his 14 years as head coach and general manager of the Brooks Bandits in the Alberta Junior Hockey League.
What did Papaioannou accomplish in his first season with the Wheeling Nailers?
In his first season with the ECHL's Wheeling Nailers, Ryan Papaioannou led the team to a Conference Finals berth—their first appearance that deep in the playoffs in 10 years—and compiled 46 regular-season wins, their best record since 2003-04.
