Seattle Kraken player Morgan Geekie, rt, battles with Calgary Flames player Adam Ruzicka, lt, from Slovakia, during NHL, Eishockey Herren, USA play in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, on Nov. 1, 2022. digital photo by Larry MacDougal Morgan Geekie, Adam Ruzicka
Seattle Kraken player Morgan Geekie, rt, battles with Calgary Flames player Adam Ruzicka, lt, from Slovakia, during NHL, Eishockey Herren, USA play in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, on Nov. 1, 2022. digital photo by Larry MacDougal Morgan Geekie, Adam Ruzicka
The Calgary Flames have made a clear statement about stability and long-term planning by extending their entire coaching staff for another two NHL seasons. This decision has arrived despite the team missing the Stanley Cup playoffs for three consecutive seasons.
The organization will keep the same coaches in place and shows that it trusts its current leadership group under Head Coach Ryan Huska. Dave Lowry, Trent Cull, Cail MacLean, Jamie Pringle, and Jason LaBarbera are those who received a 2-year extension.
They will now be associated with the Calgary Flames in their respective roles until the 2027-28 NHL season. The team was well-coached last season, and their penalty kill performed well, indicating strong defensive coaching. Although the power play struggled, the team felt it was due to player performance rather than coaching.
Ryan Huska had already received a two-year contract extension last fall. Among the many retentions, there was one key leader who departed the organization.
Joe Cirella, who worked as an assistant coach with the AHL team Calgary Wranglers, is moving on after 9 years with the organization.
Inside the Calgary Flames Coaching Staff: Backgrounds Behind the Extended Bench Leadership
Now, having understood the broader picture about the coaching staff, let’s look at the background of the Calgary Flames coaches who received the contract extensions.
Dave Lowry joined the Flames before last season from the Seattle Kraken and replaced Brad Larsen. He has coached in the NHL with the Flames (twice), Kings, Jets, and Kraken, and in the WHL with the Hitmen, Victoria, and Brandon.
As a player, he had over 1,000 NHL games for Vancouver, St. Louis, Florida, San Jose, and Calgary under his belt. The 61-year-old mainly works with the Flames’ forwards.
Fellow assistant coach Trent Cull moved to a full-time NHL role with the Calgary Flames before last season. He replaced Dan Lambert after serving as the previous two years as head coach of Calgary’s AHL affiliation 2024–25.
Earlier, he also worked as an assistant with Vancouver and coached in the AHL with Syracuse, Utica, Abbotsford, and Calgary, and in the OHL with Guelph and Sudbury. The 52-year-old handles the Flames' defensemen and runs the penalty kill.
The team's third assistant coach, Cail MacLean, has been with the Flames since 2021. He previously coached in the AHL with Abbotsford and Stockton, and in the ECHL with South Carolina and Adirondack. The 49-year-old runs the Flames’ power play.
The team's video coach, Jamie Pringle, has been associated with the Calgary Flames since 2011. He joined after working for three years as the video coach for Florida. His prior experiences include stints at Ottawa, Hockey Canada, and in the OHL with Belleville and Kingston.
The last name, goaltending coach Jason LaBarbera, joined the Flames in 2020 after four seasons as a goalie coach with the Calgary Hitmen. The 46-year-old had a long NHL playing career with the Rangers, Kings, Canucks, Coyotes, Oilers, Blackhawks, Ducks, and Flyers.
Calgary finished at No. 8 in the Wild Card Division of the Western Conference with 77 points this season. The last time they reached the playoffs was in the 2021-22 season. The franchise has won the Stanley Cup only once, in 1988-89.
Written by
Kapil Manghnani
Edited by
Yask Kotak