The Avalanche have not made huge strides in the player department since June but have made some big moves in the front office and staff.
Andrew Cogliano announced his retirement after the season ended and moved into the position of assistant to the general manager. He immediately made an impact at the 2024 NHL Draft as a part of the team’s pro and amateur scouting staff. He will be involved in player development and will work with the AHL’s Colorado Eagles.
The team announced it hired former goaltender Pavel Francouz as a goaltending scout in early July. He announced his retirement in April but said he had been working with the team this past season.
“He (Director of Goaltending Evaluation/Special Projects Craig Billington) told me what they’re trying to accomplish,” Francouz said at development camp. “Trying to get the depth in the goalie position and he offered me to help out with the scouting and that’s how it all started. This operation lasted the whole season. We were preparing the list for the draft.”
Former Avalanche forward Dan Hinote will assist Eagles head coach Aaron Schneekloth this upcoming season. The 47-year-old played his first six NHL seasons with Colorado and won a Stanley Cup in 2001.
Hinote was an assistant coach with the Nashville Predators for the past four seasons. Prior to joining the Preds, he spent 2018-20 as an associate coach the United States National Team Development program’s Under-17 and Under-18 squads. From 2010-14, he was behind the bench for the Columbus Blue Jackets before he moved into a professional scouting role with the team.
“Dan has a diverse background in professional hockey, including a decade as a player in the NHL and nearly a decade as a coach in the NHL,” Avalanche assistant GM Kevin McDonald said. “He is a strong teacher of the game and relates well to younger players with his experience playing in college hockey, at the major junior level as well as his time as a coach with Team USA’s Under 17 and 18 teams. We are excited to have Dan back with the Avalanche organization and look forward to having him behind the Eagles bench this season.”
Colorado’s new director of amateur scouting, Nick Pryor, spent the last three seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins in the same role. He managed the organization’s scouting at all amateur levels in both North America and Europe. The 33-year-old was an amateur scout with the Philadelphia Flyers from 2013-21 after his four years as a defenseman at the University of Maine.
Alexi Pianosi is the Avalanche’s new head strength and conditioning coach. He was with the Penguins’ strength and conditioning staff the last seven seasons. Before he joined the Pens, he was the part of the QMJHL’s Halifax Mooseheads’ staff and has owned a private business working with professional and semi-pro players since 2009. The 35-year-old has worked closely with fellow Halifax native Nathan MacKinnon during the offseason for nearly 15 years.
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