Flames officially name new head coach

The Calgary Flames officially announced that Ryan Huska has been named as the 24th coach in franchise history.

Huska takes over from Darryl Sutter, who was relieved earlier this spring after winning the Jack Adams Award in 2022.

“While continuity and familiarity are a benefit, we have witnessed first-hand Ryan’s work ethic; he is a clear communicator who builds trust with his players; and he’s a critical thinker with a plan,” GM Craig Conroy said.

“Ryan provides 11 seasons of bench experience as a head coach from the WHL and the AHL and over 20 years coaching in total, including knowledge gained as an assistant coach in Calgary for the past five seasons. Ryan has earned this opportunity and we are confident he is the right coach for our team.”

Huska has been with the Flames organization since 2014-15, when he started as the AHL’s Adirondack Flames bench boss. He stuck with the club when it moved to Stockton, eventually earning a promotion to assistant coach in 2018-19. Huska did serve as interim coach in 2021 ahead of Sutter’s arrival, taking over for Geoff Ward in March of that season.

As a player, Huska was a three-time Memorial Cup champion with the Kamloops Blazers. He was drafted 76th overall by the Chicago Blackhawks in 1993 and played his lone NHL game during the 1997-98 season. He spent his pro career split between the IHL and AHL, recording 70 and 39 points between the two leagues, respectively.

“My position coming into this is a little different than most as I know our players very well,” Huska said. “We have good people in our dressing room, excellent hockey players who want to win. My job is to inspire them every single day to help get our team to the next level.”

Other rumored candidates included Calgary Wranglers coach Mitch Love, current Flames assistant Kirk Muller and former Vancouver Canucks boss Travis Green.

The Flames missed the playoffs in 2022-23 after finishing fifth in the Pacific Division. It was a big step back after winning the division and finishing third in the Western Conference. The losses of Johnny Gaudreau (Columbus) and Matt Tkachuk (Florida) didn’t help, but the team elected to make big changes this summer. That meant not bringing back GM Brad Treliving, who was replaced by Conroy earlier this offseason.