The Colorado Eagles have their next head coach, and this one arrives with a résumé that’s turning heads.
On Friday morning, the Colorado Avalanche organization filled the vacant job by naming Jussi Ahokas to lead its AHL affiliate. It’s the third straight summer the Eagles have brought in a new bench boss, and the hope is obvious: third time’s the charm.
Ahokas comes in with real buzz. He most recently guided the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers to the Memorial Cup, and he’s built a strong reputation over years of success with Finland’s National Junior teams. That kind of track record made him a sought-after name, and word out of Vancouver is that he passed on an offer to coach Abbotsford because the money wasn’t there.
Colorado may not be known as an organizational big spender, but the Avalanche have invested in the Eagles in an effort to keep that team’s competitive standard intact. There’s also another layer here. With Jared Bednar’s long-term future uncertain, it makes sense to bring a rising coach into the organization and let him develop inside the system.
Ahokas also sat down to talk about his coaching philosophy and the way he works with young players in an extensive interview.
And on the development side, there’s fresh material from the Avalanche’s recently completed development camp. The recap focuses on forwards Jake Fisher and Christian Humphreys, along with the on-ice and off-ice work the prospects went through during their week in the Mile High City.
In Other News...
Mikko Rantanens Post-Avs Saga Sounds Even Messier In Hindsight
Mikko Rantanens stop in Carolina already looked like one of the stranger detours of the NHL season, and the fallout has only made the whole sequence feel more jarring in hindsight. After leaving Colorado in a trade to the Hurricanes, the winger never seemed to settle in, then was moved again at the deadline to Dallas as Carolina kept reshaping its roster around a situation that never really clicked.
Jordan Staal later called the stretch awkward and unusual, a fair description for a player of Rantanens stature changing teams twice in such short order. The Hurricanes did land Logan Stankoven and a pile of draft capital in the second deal, and the organization wound up lifting the Stanley Cup the next season, which only adds another layer to a saga that still stands out as one of the oddest in recent memory. [Read more 🡒]
Avalanche Just Made A Quiet Forward Move Fans Need To Decode
The Avalanche added another forward to the pipeline with the signing of Georgii Merkulov, a move that fits the kind of low-key roster planning teams often make well before it becomes relevant on the ice. Merkulov has spent time with the Bruins organization and their Providence affiliate, and his path has also taken him through the NCAA, USHL and overseas leagues, giving Colorado a look at a player with a varied development track.
What makes this one worth watching is the timing and the fit. The contract is set to begin in the 2026-27 season, so this is less about an immediate depth fix and more about adding a forward whose North American resume already includes a handful of NHL appearances and a track record of producing in the AHL. For a team that is always balancing present contention with future flexibility, these are the kinds of moves that can quietly matter later. [Read more 🡒]
Avalanche Still Have A Real Reason To Watch Zakhar Bardakov
Zakhar Bardakovs path back to North America is still one the Avalanche have reason to monitor. After spending his rookie NHL season in Colorado, the forward returned to the KHL and signed a one-year deal with SKA, but he has made it clear he views this as a temporary stop while he adds more experience overseas.
Colorado also still holds Bardakovs NHL rights through a qualifying offer, which keeps the door open if he decides he is ready to come back. For the Avalanche, that means this is not just a lost prospect story, but a situation worth tracking closely as Bardakov works through his year in Russia and looks ahead to another shot in the NHL. [Read more 🡒]