Mark Letestu, a veteran of 11 NHL seasons, has been named head coach of the AHL’s Colorado Eagles, per a release from the Colorado Avalanche.
Lestestu, 40, spent the last four seasons as an assistant coach for the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters. In that time, the Monsters recorded a record of 136-117-23-16 and qualified for the playoffs each of the last two seasons. Letestu also coached one season in the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) as an assistant during the 2012-13 season.
In the team release, Lestestu noted how grateful and excited he was for the opportunity. He said:
“I am excited and ready for this challenge to lead their AHL franchise. Thank you to the Kroenke family, Joe Sakic, Chris MacFarland and Kevin McDonald for their trust in me, as well as a big thank you to Martin Lind, Ryan Bach and the entire Eagles organization. Most importantly thanks to my family for all of their support throughout my playing career and now my coaching career. I can’t wait to get the season going.”
Letestu, played collegiately at Western Michigan University during the 2006-07 season and ranked 14th in points among all NCAA skaters. This led the forward to sign with the Pittsburgh Penguins as an undrafted free agent in March of 2007. He spent four seasons in the minors before making his NHL debut with the Penguins during the 2009-10 season. He also spent time with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Edmonton Oilers, and Winnipeg Jets. His best season came in 2016–17 with the Oilers, when he recorded a career-high 16 goals and 35 points, and added five goals and 11 points in 13 playoff games. Through 567 career NHL games, Letestu scored 93 goals and 210 points. Always a threat on penalty kills, he added 10 career shorthanded goals.