SEATTLE (June 17, 2025) — The Seattle Kraken announced today that Aaron Schneekloth and Chris Taylor have been hired as assistant coaches and Colin Zulianello has been hired as the goaltending coach on Lane Lambert's coaching staff. Schneekloth, Taylor and Zulianello join a coaching staff that includes assistant coach Jessica Campbell, assistant coach—video Tim Ohashi and video analyst Brady Morgan.
"I'm excited to have Aaron, Chris and Colin join our coaching staff," said Lambert. "Each of them brings a wealth of experience and a unique voice to the locker room, and Colin's familiarity with the goalies in our system will be a huge benefit heading into the upcoming season."
Schneekloth, 46, joins the Kraken after spending the past two seasons as head coach of the American Hockey League's (AHL) Colorado Eagles, where he guided the club to a combined record of 83-46-15 (181 points) and two consecutive Calder Cup Playoff appearances. With Schneekloth at the helm during the 2024-25 campaign, the Eagles earned the most wins (43) in a single season and sat atop the Pacific Division with a 43-21-8 mark (94 points) for the first time since the team was promoted to the AHL in 2018. Schneekloth spent the past 12 years on the Eagles' coaching staff, which included a pair of championship seasons as the team's head coach while the Eagles were in the ECHL. He led the club to back-to-back Kelly Cup titles in 2016-17 and 2017-18, posting a combined mark of 95-38-11 (.698) followed by a 32-12 record in the playoffs. The Calgary, Alberta, native was a runner-up for ECHL Coach of the Year in both seasons.
A former defenseman, Schneekloth played 12 seasons professionally, including the last seven with the Eagles, helping the team win a CHL championship in 2007. He was named the ECHL's Defenseman of the Year in 2012, while being voted the CHL's Most Outstanding Defenseman in both 2009 and 2010. A four-time All-Star and a member of both the CHL's All-Decade Team and the Colorado Eagles All-Decade Team, Schneekloth was also named to the All-ECHL Team in 2012 and was voted to the All-CHL Team on three separate occasions (2008, 2009 & 2010). He retired in 2013 as the Eagles' all-time leader in points (356), goals (111) and assists (245) by a blueliner. He also won an NCAA championship with the University of North Dakota in 2000.
Taylor, 53, joins Seattle after spending the past five seasons as an assistant coach with the New Jersey Devils. With Taylor behind the bench, the Devils qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs in two of the past three seasons. The 2024-25 campaign saw the Devils finish in third place in the Metropolitan Division with 91 points (42-33-7), a 10-point improvement over the season prior. Taylor's professional coaching career spans 14 years, beginning in 2011-12 as a development coach for the American Hockey League's Rochester Americans. The following season, Taylor became an assistant coach with the Amerks, a position he held for four years. Taylor joined the AHL's Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the same capacity for the 2016-17 season. He returned to Rochester to serve as head coach for three seasons (2017-20) and guided the team to a 116-65-33 record in 214 games over that span. His points percentage (.620) was the fourth best in the AHL during the three-year span. In his lone season with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, the Penguins recorded a 43-27-6 record (92 points), going to the Conference Semi-Finals.
A native of Stratford, Ontario, Taylor earned 32 points (11g/21a) in 149 career NHL regular-season games with Buffalo, Boston and the New York Islanders. He also played 11 seasons in the AHL, recording 560 points (167g/393a) and adding 36 points (10g/26a) in 41 Calder Cup Playoff contests. Taylor was originally selected by the Islanders with the 27th overall pick in the 1990 NHL Draft.
Zulianello, 46, spent the past three seasons as the goaltending coach of Seattle's AHL affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds. Over the course of his time there, he worked closely with Kraken goaltender Joey Daccord and prospect Nikke Kokko, who finished the 2024-25 campaign ranked first among AHL rookie netminders in wins (20), goals-against average (2.26) and save percentage (.913), while also being named to the AHL All-Rookie Team. Prior to working for Coachella Valley, Zulianello spent three seasons as the goaltending coach for the Stockton Heat (AHL) from 2016-19.
Zulianello's playing career includes 122 career regular-season appearances in the ECHL from 2001-05 with Las Vegas, Idaho, San Diego, Long Beach, Charlotte, Augusta and Mississippi, four games in the AHL with Springfield from 2001-03 and four years of college hockey with Colorado College from 1997-2001. A native of Thunder Bay, Ontario, Zulianello has a master's degree in education from Lakehead University.
