St. Louis Blues Add Mike Yeo as Associate Coach, Head Coach in Waiting; Add Rick Wilson as Assistant
The St. Louis Blues have found the coach that will take over for Ken Hitchcock in 2017-18.
The St. Louis Blues announced on Monday morning that they’ve assembled their coaching staff for the 2016-17 season. Former Minnesota Wild coach Mike Yeo will take over as associate coach. Of more significance, though, is that Yeo has signed a four-year contract with the Blues and will take over as head coach when Ken Hitchcock retires at the end of next season.
Yeo went 173-132-44 while making three playoff appearances in five seasons with the Wild. He was fired after 55 games this past season, at which point the Wild were 23-22-10, though they ended up advancing to the postseason again after his dismissal. Prior to the start of his head coaching career in Minnesota, he served as an assistant with the Pittsburgh Penguins from 2005-11, winning a Stanley Cup in 2009.
The 65-year-old Wilson, who was a defenseman with the Blues from 1974-76, has served as an assistant for both Yeo and Hitchcock in the past. His most recent coaching job was in Minnesota, where he assisted Yeo for the entirety of his stint as head coach, then stayed on through the end of 2015-16 after Yeo was let go at midseason.
More from Arch Authority
- St. Louis Cardinals: Randal Grichuk to begin Double-A rehab stint
- John Brebbia deserves a shot as the St. Louis Cardinals’ closer
- St. Louis Cardinals place Randal Grichuk on DL, recall José Martínez
- St. Louis Cardinals release RHP Corey Baker from organization
- St. Louis Cardinals activate Kolten Wong and Kevin Siegrist from DL, option Luke Weaver and Alex Mejia to Triple-A
He also had a 16-season stint with the Dallas Stars organization (dating back to their time as the Minnesota North Stars) prior to his time with the Wild. During that time, he served as an assistant to Hitchcock for his seven seasons as the Stars’ head coach, helping out with the 1998-99 team that won the Stanley Cup. Wilson actually took over for Hitchcock on an interim basis in 2001-02, going 13-11-7-1 after Hitchcock was fired at midseason.
Wilson will replace Brad Shaw and serve as the primary coach for the defensemen and the coordinator for the penalty kill unit. Yeo, meanwhile, will take over Kirk Muller‘s responsibilities, and he’ll have major responsibility over the power play unit in 2016-17.
Next: What to Make of Doug Armstrong's Offseason Plans
Assistant coach Ray Bennett, goaltending coach Jim Corsi, and video coach Sean Ferrell have also been officially confirmed as returning to the staff in 2016-17. Bennett has spent the past 10 seasons on the Blues’ staff, and if he meshes well with Yeo this season, he may have a chance to work with his fourth head coach after Hitchcock retires. Ferrell has been the video coach since 2013, while Corsi has coached the goaltenders since 2014.