Mike Yeo to Succeed Ken Hitchcock Behind the Blues Bench in 2017-2018

The St. Louis Blues announced on Monday that associate coach Mike Yeo will succeed head coach Ken Hitchcock following the 2016-2017 National Hockey League Season. 

Hitchcock announced that the upcoming season will indeed be his final one behind the bench in the NHL. The Blues signed Yeo as an associate coach, along with Rick Wilson as an assistant coach to work behind the bench in with Hitchcock at the beginning of June.

Yeo’s four-year deal, which includes the final three seasons serving as the head coach, runs through the 2019-2020 NHL season. When the Blues brought Yeo into town, he was met at the airport by Hitchcock, where the two of them spent about two hours conversing with each other. 

The pair then went on to meet with Blues general manager Doug Armstrong, assistant general manager Martin Brodeur and senior advisor to Armstrong, Al MacInnis. Prior to meeting with the Blues, Yeo was linked to the coaching positions within the Ottawa Senators, Anaheim Ducks and Calgary Flames, but Armstong followed up with about three or four calls after an initial meeting with him. 

Armstrong said, “There is a comfort level with him working with Ken for the year. I am excited about his age as far as the growth pattern with our team. We are transferring into an area where younger players are going to take a bigger role and I think he fits with his experience and his young age. I think he is a good fit for us moving forward.”

 

Armstrong first reached out to Yeo, back in 2010, when the Blues were looking for a coach for their American Hockey League affiliate in Peoria, Illinois, but he turned it down for the position in Houston with the Minnesota Wild’s AHL affiliate. 

The 42-year-old Yeo, spent the past five seasons behind the Wild’s bench, before being replaced by John Torchetti on February 14. During his time with the Wild he led Minnesota to a 173-132-44 record and three Stanley Cup playoffs appearances. In 2015, Yeo’s Wild eliminated the Blues in the opening round of the playoffs.

Yeo said, “I thought all of the situations that were available were great, but when Doug and I started talking, this quickly jumped to the top of my list and my family’s list as far as places to live, the markets to be in. But I want to win, and I feel this is a place with the ownership, the management, with the coaches, with the players, I really believe it is a place I can come and be successful."  

He added, “On top of that, I am 42 years old, I have got a good amount of experience behind me. I have had a decent run in Minnesota. But I am not looking to be a decent coach. I am looking to be a great coach and I think the opportunity to work with a guy like Hitchcock, to have that opportunity to learn in the group before you jump into that coaching position, I just felt like this was a perfect fit and that is why I was so excited about it.”

 

Before he became the bench boss for the Wild, he led the Houston Aeros to the 2011 Calder Cup Final. He also spent 10 seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins organization, six of them in the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the AHL and another four on Dan Bylsma’s staff in the NHL. Including serving as Bylma’s assistant coach on the 2009 Stanley Cup Championship team. 

Yeo who was 11-17 in 28 postseason games, will now get to work with the young players like Vladimir Tarasenko, Jaden Schwartz, Robby Fabbri and Colton Parayko. Yeo said “I take great into putting in the work and doing what we can to develop the young players. I just think when you look at where the game is at, you look at a team like St. Louis, and obviously, it is a team that is ready to win right now, but the window is not closing. This team is built for success for a number of years. A lot of these young players, they will get better and the team will get better.”  

He added, “I am incredibly excited to get the chance to work with such great people, to get the chance to work with a team as strong as this one and to do it in a market with fans as passionate and supportive as I have witnessed from the St. Louis market. My family and I are incredibly excited and I am looking forward to joining the community and being a part of this great organization.”

Hitchcock, Yeo and Wilson will be joined on the staff by returning coaches, Ray Bennett, goalie coach, Jim Corsi and video coordinator, Sean Ferrell.