The Lethbridge Hurricanes are moving into the upcoming WHL season without the longest-tenured and winningest coach in team history.
After 267 regular season wins, Brent Kisio is vacating the head coaching role and joining the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights’ AHL affiliate, becoming an assistant with the Henderson Silver Knights.
“It’s exciting,” Kisio said. “Leaving here and leaving great people is always hard, but in coaching you have to try to push yourself and try to move up. This will be another step in my career.”
Kisio’s arrival in 2015 had an immediate impact on the franchise.
The ‘Canes were in a stretch of missing the playoffs for six straight seasons before Kisio stepped behind the bench.
Lethbridge returned to the playoffs in his first year, never missing the postseason during Kisio’s eight-year tenure, a run including back-to-back conference championship appearances in 2017 and 2018. That first conference run included one of Kisio’s favourite moments with the ‘Canes.
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“That overtime goal that (Tyler) Wong scores against Medicine Hat. We had so many guys hurt in that series, so much adversity, for us to go to Medicine Hat and win that one game in Game 7, short-handed in overtime, that obviously stands out as a great moment,” Kisio said.
“I remember there was a Moose Jaw kind of fight night that was here too. There’s so many memories I could go on and on.”
For me, he’s a slam dunk for the wall of honour at some point,” said ‘Canes general manager Peter Anholt.
“He came here to an organization that was floundering and he put a stamp on this team right off the bat.”
The success translating at the international level as well, with Kisio winning a pair of gold medals as part of Team Canada, including one as an assistant with the 2023 world junior team.
“That was a pretty special experience too,” Kisio said. “The players are the ones on the ice who make us look good and I’ve been lucky to have a lot of great ones.”
It’s that track record that got the attention of Henderson staff, who say Kisio was even in contention for the head coaching position, before that role went to Golden Knights assistant Ryan Craig.
“Those are great experiences for any coach,” Silver Knights general manager Tim Speltz said. “You’re working with elite players, you’re working with the best of the best and you’ve got all the challenges that come with that. With Brent, the only thing lacking on his resume (for the head coaching role) in our opinion, was the fact he didn’t have experience in the program and I thought this might be a fit.”
As for finding Kisio’s successor, Anholt says the search is already underway to find a new head coach, with hopes of completing that process next week.
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