Kisio accepts AHL assistant coaching job with Silver Knights

LETHBRIDGE, Alta. –

After eight seasons with the Lethbridge Hurricanes, head coach Brent Kisio is moving on after accepting a new coaching job in the American Hockey League (AHL).

It’s a big step in the right direction for his coaching career, but he leaves the Canes organization with a heavy heart.

“My goal was to leave this place and leave the jersey in a better place and that’s what I wanted to do and I hope I did that,” Kisio said during Thursday’s announcement at the ENMAX Center.

Both Kisio and ‘Cane’s general manager Peter Anholt say it’s a tough goodbye for the organizations longest-tenured and winningest head coach.

“It’s obviously bittersweet to leave Lethbridge, a place my family has come to know as home,” Kisio said.

“We love it here and my family will be staying here when I go on my own for my first year, but this is home for us.”

“At some point it’s a slam dunk for the Wall of Honor,” Anholt said.

“He came in here to an organization that was struggling and put a stamp on this team from the beginning.”

During his Lethbridge career, Kisio had 267 wins in 484 games, ranking first in games coached and total wins in ‘Canes history, and was the only coach to reach the 200-game plateau victories.

He is looking forward to bringing his talents to the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights, where he has accepted an assistant coaching position and is looking forward to learning a few things along the way.

“I’m fortunate to be part of another great organization that’s won a cup, getting to hang around NHL coaches and get to hang around the AHL club and see those experiences and learn more and grow as a coach,” he said.

Kisio says there were several highlights during his time in Lethbridge.

These include a seventh overtime playoff win against the Medicine Hat Tigers in 2017 and earning the opportunity to help Team Canada bring home gold as an assistant coach at the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championships.

Brent Kisio receives a gold medal at the 2023 World Junior Hockey Championships, where he was an assistant coach for Team Canada

However, working with the developing players on the ‘Canes is something that will hold true for years to come.

“We have some great kids and you want to be a part of their development,” Kisio said.

“You want to help them achieve their goals, you want to see them play in the NHL one day, and I’m going to really miss being a part of that process with them.”

Kisio’s impact on the team and the community will not soon be forgotten, having helped set the standard for ‘Canes hockey in Lethbridge for nearly a decade.

“There are always some non-negotiables that I think Brent has really established here and so those non-negotiables will continue with whoever is the head coach,” Anholt told the media earlier today.

“To leave here and leave the big men is always hard, but in coaching you have to try to push yourself, you have to try to move up and this will be another step in my career,” Kisio added.

The Canes have yet to announce Kisio’s replacement, but with training camp starting on August 31, fans can expect that news to emerge in the coming weeks.

The Hurricanes’ preseason begins Sept. 5 against the Medicine Hat Tigers, with their home opener set for Sept. 22 against the Swift Current Broncos.