Jussi Ahokas Named Head Coach of Colorado Eagles
(Denver, CO = Won Jeong) The Colorado Eagles, the AHL affiliate of the Colorado Avalanche, have appointed Jussi Ahokas as their new head coach ahead of the 2026-27 season.
The Colorado Avalanche Hockey Club announced on July 17, 2026, that Finnish native Jussi Ahokas has been named head coach of the Colorado Eagles, the organization’s American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate. Ahokas replaces Mark Letestu, who recently joined the Vegas Golden Knights as an assistant coach.
At 45 years old, Ahokas becomes the fourth head coach in the Eagles’ AHL history. Prior to this role, he served as head coach of the Ontario Hockey League’s (OHL) Kitchener Rangers from 2023 to 2026. During his tenure, the Rangers won at least 40 games each season, compiling a 135-52-13-4 record. His leadership culminated in the 2025-26 season with both an OHL championship and a Memorial Cup victory. That season, Kitchener posted the best regular-season record in the Western Conference, and Ahokas was selected as the coach representative on the Second All-Star Team.
Ahokas earned the Matt Leyden Trophy as OHL Coach of the Year and First Team All-Star coaching honors in the 2024-25 season. Under his guidance, several Rangers players received league accolades, including Sam O’Reilly, who was named OHL Most Outstanding Player in 2025-26, and defenseman Cameron Reid, who made the Second All-Star Team the same year. Goaltender Jackson Parsons was named OHL Goaltender of the Year and First All-Star Team in 2024-25. Other recognized players during Ahokas’ tenure included Hunter Brzustewicz, Reid, and Tanner Lam.
Kevin McDonald, Colorado Avalanche Assistant General Manager and Colorado Eagles General Manager, said, “Jussi Ahokas has done a great job with every team and league he’s been a part of as a head coach, and we’re excited to welcome him into the Avalanche and Eagles family. 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.”
Before coaching the Kitchener Rangers, Ahokas spent four seasons (2019-2023) as head coach in Finland’s top professional league, the SM-Liiga, leading KooKoo Kouvola and Turku TPS. He won the Kalevi Numminen Trophy as Liiga Coach of the Year in 2019-20 and guided TPS to a second-place finish in the 2021-22 Liiga Playoffs.
Internationally, Ahokas served as head coach of Finland’s U20 national team from 2017 to 2019, winning gold at the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championship. He also led Finland to gold at the 2016 IIHF U18 World Championship and earned a silver medal as video coach at the 2015 U18 tournament. Additionally, he was video coach for the Finnish Women’s National Team at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, where the team won bronze.
As a player, Ahokas was a goaltender who appeared in Finland’s U20 league and played briefly in the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) in Canada.
This coaching appointment marks a new chapter for the Colorado Eagles as they prepare for the 2026-27 season under Ahokas’ leadership.
