Minnesota hopes the revolving coaching door in AHL Iowa has stopped spinning.
Per the Star-Tribune, the club will soon announce that Derek Lalonde is the next bench boss of their minor league affiliate, taking on a position that’s been in a constant state of upheaval.
That state began in November of 2014, when Kurt Kleinendorst was fired after an ugly 2-10 start to the year. The Wild replaced Kleinendorst with John Torchetti, who held the mantle until midway through this past season, when Minnesota fired Mike Yeo.
GM Chuck Fletcher then made the decision to bring up Torchetti from Iowa to replace Yeo, slapping an interim tag on Torchetti and his replacement at the AHL level -- David Cunniff, who coached the club for 24 games to close out the regular season.
After Bruce Boudreau got the Wild coaching job last month, Torchetti took an assistant’s gig in Detroit. No word yet on where Cunniff will land.
Lalonde, 41, has no coaching experience at the AHL level, though he has been behind the bench in the NCAA, USHL and ECHL levels. He’s spent the last two seasons in Toledo, the East Coast affiliate of the Red Wings.