Blues tab Mike Yeo as Ken Hitchcock's successor in 2017
The St. Louis Blues added Mike Yeo to their coaching staff Monday as an associate for the coming season, while also announcing he'll take over as head coach for the retiring Ken Hitchcock in 2017-18.
Rick Wilson has also been added to the staff for 2016-17 as an assistant coach.
General manager Doug Armstrong said in a statement:
We’re excited to have Mike Yeo join us an an associate coach for next season and to become the next head coach for the St. Louis Blues for three years after that. For being 42 years old, he’s got a lot of experience. He’s won a Stanley Cup in Pittsburgh, he’s taken an American League team to the finals and you saw the good job he did in Minnesota in taking that team to the second round. What excites me is his experience, but with his age, he can really relate to today’s players and it’s an exciting day for our team.
"I want to be surrounded by good people," Yeo said. "I know we have that here, from ownership to management to coaches to the team they've built.
"I want to win Stanley Cups. I believe we've got a group that should go into every season with that mentality."
Hitchcock signed a one-year deal on May 31 to remain as head coach for the 2016-17 season, while announcing that it would be his last as a NHL bench boss.
"I feel really confident that the team and the franchise is going to be in great shape with Mike at the helm," Hitchcock said. "We feel like we've got a great staff. It's a staff that’s really connected to each other and sees the game in a similar fashion. For the future and for the present, we're in terrific shape. We've got people that are teachers first and coaches second.
"I think it's going to allow the players to grow more."
Rick Wilson has been behind the bench for 27 NHL seasons in various roles and won a Cup with Hitchcock in Dallas in 1999. #stlblues
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) June 13, 2016
The Blues were eliminated in the Western Conference Final by the San Jose Sharks in six games, exorcising some playoff demons in the process.
Yeo spent the last five seasons with the Minnesota Wild. He was fired after 55 games this season, with the Wild sitting at 23-22-10. He has a lifetime 173-132-44 record as a NHL head coach.
The Wild made the playoffs in three of four seasons under Yeo, never advancing past the second round.