Ducks hire former Leafs, Islanders assistant Greg Cronin as head coach

The Anaheim Ducks' head coaching search is over, with the franchise naming Greg Cronin the 11th bench boss in team history.

Cronin comes to the Ducks having spent the past five seasons as the head coach of the Colorado Eagles, the Avalanche's AHL affiliate. The 60-year-old has 36 years of prior coaching and player development experience, including 12 seasons as an NHL assistant coach.

His ability to to develop young talent was particularly appealing for the Ducks, who featured one of the league's youngest rosters in 2022-23. Anaheim hopes young franchise cornerstones like Trevor Zegras and Mason McTavish, among others, can take another step forward under Cronin's guidance.

"While we did cast a wide net in searching for the next head coach, it became clear to me that Greg would be the ideal fit for the position," Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek said in a press release. "Being a young team, I felt we needed a teacher of the finer points of the game, and someone who has worked extensively over time with talented young players, helping them develop into successful NHL players.

"Greg has done all that and more, and we are excited to name him head coach of the Anaheim Ducks."

Prior to joining the Eagles, Cronin spent seven straight seasons as an assistant coach in the NHL. He served on the Toronto Maple Leafs' staff from 2011-14, then joined the New York Islanders the following year and remained there until 2017-18.

"I'm excited and honored to be named head coach of the Anaheim Ducks," Cronin said. "This team has a fantastic future ahead, and I'm very grateful to the Samueli family and Pat Verbeek for entrusting me with this amazing opportunity."

Anaheim struggled mightily in 2022-23, finishing the season with an NHL-worst 58 points. The Ducks hold the second-overall selection in this month's draft.