DENVER – The Colorado Avalanche Hockey Club announced today the organization has hired Jussi Ahokas as the head coach of the franchise’s American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Colorado Eagles
Ahokas replaces Mark Letestu, who was hired by the Vegas Golden Knights as an assistant coach. Overall, Ahokas becomes the fourth head coach in the Eagles’ AHL history, joining Greg Cronin (2018-23), Aaron Schneekloth (2023-25) and Letestu (2025-26). Cronin left the Eagles to become head coach of the Anaheim Ducks while Schneekloth left to become assistant coach with the Seattle Kraken.
Ahokas, 45, most recently served as the head coach of the Ontario Hockey League’s Kitchener Rangers from 2023-24 to 2025-26. The club won at least 40 games every season under his watch, compiling a 135-52-13-4 record in that span, and culminated his tenure with both a 2025-26 Memorial Cup championship and a 2025-26 OHL championship. The 2025-26 campaign saw Kitchener post the best record in the Western Conference in the regular season, and Ahokas was rewarded by being selected as the coach representative on the Second All-Star Team. That followed 2024-25 when he took home the Matt Leyden Trophy as coach of the year as well as First Team All-Star coaching honors.
Numerous Rangers received league recognitions during Ahokas’ three-year stay, including the 2025-26 OHL Most Outstanding Player in Sam O’Reilly. The 2025-26 Second All-Star Team saw Kitchener defenseman Cameron Reid named to that squad, in 2024-25 goaltender Jackson Parsons was tabbed the OHL Goaltender of the Year and grabbed a spot on the First All-Star Team; and in 2023-24, Hunter Brzustewicz (Second All-Star Team), Reid (First All-Rookie Team) and Tanner Lam (Second All-Rookie Team) all received league recognition. Additionally, Ahokas coached Avalanche prospect Christian Humphreys over the last two seasons and he produced 118 points (38g/80a) in 91 games since joining the Rangers.
“Jussi has done a great job with every team and every league he’s been a part of as a head coach, and we’re excited to welcome him into the Avalanche and Eagles family,” said Avalanche Assistant General Manager and Eagles General Manager Kevin McDonald. “His track record of winning games in a variety of leagues and international tournaments is impressive, and he’ll be a great fit for our team in Loveland.”
Prior to joining the Rangers, Ahokas was the head coach for four seasons with both KooKoo Kouvola (2019-20 through 2020-21) and Turku TPS (2021-22 through 2022-23) in the SM-Liiga, Finland’s highest professional league. He earned the Kalevi Numminen Trophy as Liiga coach of the year in 2019-20 and guided TPS to a second-place finish in the Liiga Playoffs in 2021-22. He also was a head coach in the under-20 circuit from 2010-13.
In international competition, Ahokas served on Finland’s staff in a variety of roles in both the IIHF World Junior Championships as well as the IIHF Under-18 World Championships. He held the reigns as Head Coach for the Finns in every under-20 showcase from 2017-19 and won gold in 2019. Additional medals include winning gold at the 2016 IIHF Under-18 World Championship as the head coach and silver at the 2015 under-18 tournament as the video coach. The Oulu, Finland, native also served as the video coach for the Women’s National Team at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver and finished as a bronze medalist. In both 2009 and 2008, Ahokas took home bronze with the women at the World Championship as an assistant.
Ahokas was a goaltender in his playing days and appeared in four games in Finland’s under-20 circuit in the 1997-98 and 1999-00 seasons. He mixed in one game for Victoria in the British Columbia Hockey League in 1998-99.
