The Flames have promoted AHL Calgary head coach Trent Cull to their NHL bench to serve as an interim assistant, per a team announcement. He replaces Brad Larsen for the time being, who’s been out on an indefinite personal leave of absence since Dec. 8.
It will mark the 51-year-old Cull’s second time serving on an NHL bench. He was promoted to an assistant role with the Canucks in 2022 after five years as their AHL head coach but was fired midway through the 2022-23 campaign alongside Bruce Boudreau. Cull returned to coaching the following offseason, signing on as Calgary’s AHL head coach. He replaced Mitch Love in the role after he moved to Washington to take a job with the Capitals as an assistant.
Under Cull, the Wranglers have a 55-36-10 record since the beginning of last season. Cull previously served as an AHL assistant with the Syracuse Crunch from 2006 to 2010 and again from 2013 to 2017. In the meantime, he was the head coach of the Ontario Hockey League’s Sudbury Wolves.
Replacing Cull as the interim AHL bench boss will be longtime NHL defenseman Joe Cirella. Cirella has been with the Flames’ farm club as an assistant since the 2018-19 campaign, which was prefaced by a lengthy career in the Ontario Hockey League as an assistant and associate coach. Cirella also served as an assistant with the Panthers in the 1997-98 season, his first after retirement.
This guy has a cool name.