Kevin McDonald enters his third season as the General Manager of the Eagles, while also serving in his third year as Assistant General Manager for the NHL's Colorado Avalanche.

McDonald was the recipient of the 2022 Thomas Ebright Memorial Award, which is annually presented for outstanding career contributions to the American Hockey League. He served as the General Manager of the Blues' American Hockey League affiliate beginning in 2018 and in that role, was also a pro scout for St. Louis. With his guidance and input in team personnel decisions, McDonald played an important role in the Blues capturing the 2019 Stanley Cup Championship.

The Lawrence, Massachusetts, native joined the Blues organization prior to the 2001-02 season as a professional scout and was promoted to Director of Professional Scouting within two seasons, taking on the role in 2003. McDonald took on the role of General Manager of the Blues' former AHL affiliate, the Peoria Rivermen, in June 2005 before being named an Assistant General Manager for St. Louis in May 2009.

McDonald began his career in professional hockey in 1988 as a member of the New York Rangers' communications department. Following the Rangers' Stanley Cup Championship run in 1993-94, he moved into the Rangers' hockey operations department and worked as an assistant to Rangers General Manager Neil Smith during the lockout shortened 1994-95 season.

McDonald resides in North Andover, Massachusetts, where he lives with his wife Lauren, his two children Sean and Kayleigh, and his three step-children Joseph, Jenna, and Daniel.

Ahokas, 45, is in his first season with the Eagles, after spending the previous three seasons as the Head Coach of the OHL's Kitchener Rangers. The club won at least 40 games every season under his watch, compiling a 135-52-13-4 record in that span, and culminated his tenure with both a 2025-26 Memorial Cup championship and a 2025-26 OHL championship. The 2025-26 campaign saw Kitchener post the best record in the Western Conference in the regular season, and Ahokas was rewarded by being selected as the coach representative on the Second All-Star Team. That followed 2024-25 when he took home the Matt Leyden Trophy as coach of the year as well as First Team All-Star coaching honors.

Numerous Rangers received league recognitions during Ahokas’ three-year stay, including the 2025-26 OHL Most Outstanding Player in Sam O’Reilly. The 2025-26 Second All-Star Team saw Kitchener defenseman Cameron Reid named to that squad, in 2024-25 goaltender Jackson Parsons was tabbed the OHL Goaltender of the Year and grabbed a spot on the First All-Star Team; and in 2023-24, Hunter Brzustewicz (Second All-Star Team), Reid (First All-Rookie Team) and Tanner Lam (Second All-Rookie Team) all received league recognition. Additionally, Ahokas coached Avalanche prospect Christian Humphreys over the last two seasons and he produced 118 points (38g/80a) in 91 games since joining the Rangers.

 Prior to joining the Rangers, Ahokas was the head coach for four seasons with both KooKoo Kouvola (2019-20 through 2020-21) and Turku TPS (2021-22 through 2022-23) in the SM-Liiga, Finland’s highest professional league. He earned the Kalevi Numminen Trophy as Liiga coach of the year in 2019-20 and guided TPS to a second-place finish in the Liiga Playoffs in 2021-22. He also was a head coach in the under-20 circuit from 2010-13.
In international competition, Ahokas served on Finland’s staff in a variety of roles in both the IIHF World Junior Championships as well as the IIHF Under-18 World Championships. He held the reigns as Head Coach for the Finns in every under-20 showcase from 2017-19 and won gold in 2019. Additional medals include winning gold at the 2016 IIHF Under-18 World Championship as the head coach and silver at the 2015 under-18 tournament as the video coach. The Oulu, Finland, native also served as the video coach for the Women’s National Team at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver and finished as a bronze medalist. In both 2009 and 2008, Ahokas took home bronze with the women at the World Championship as an assistant.
Ahokas was a goaltender in his playing days and appeared in four games in Finland’s under-20 circuit over the 1997-98 and 1999-00 seasons. He mixed in one game for Victoria in the British Columbia Hockey League in 1998-99.

Branham, 43, enters his fourth season as an Eagles assistant coach after spending the previous eight seasons as the head coach and general manager of the ECHL’s Utah Grizzlies. After beginning his career as Utah’s bench boss in 2013, Branham has since become the winningest and longest-tenured coach in Grizzlies history. The Eagles River, Wisconsin native guided the Grizzlies to a record of 284-205-76 and six playoff appearances during his time in West Valley City.
Prior to earning his first head coaching position, Branham spent three seasons as an assistant coach with the ECHL’s Reading Royals from 2010-2013. During his time with the Royals, the team went 143-89-23 in the regular season and captured the 2013 Kelly Cup title.
Branham was drafted in the third round of the 2000 NHL Entry Draft by the Vancouver Canucks and played 284 professional games in the ECHL and AHL during his playing career as a defenseman from 2002-2010.

Army, 34, is in his first season with the Eagles and most recently was the Head Coach of the ECHL’s Wheeling Nailers, where he was the winningest coach in franchise history. After being tabbed a midseason replacement in 2020-21, Army received the full-time head coaching duties ahead of the 2021-22 season and held that position each of the last four campaigns. Including his stint as the interim bench boss, Army compiled a 153-137-19 record from 2020-25 and qualified for the Kelly Cup Playoffs in three of those seasons, including each of the last two. Army also held the Director of Hockey Operations title from 2021-25.
 
A native of North Kingstown, R.I., Army began his coaching career serving as an assistant with the ECHL’s Worcester Railers over parts of the 2018-20 seasons. He joined the Nailers ahead of the 2020-21 campaign as an assistant before being promoted to interim head coach while the season was in progress. The Railers registered a 32-29-11 record in 2018-19 and fell five points shy of a playoff berth.
A forward in his playing days, Army played five seasons of professional hockey in both the AHL and ECHL. He suited up in 97 regular-season AHL contests and recorded 26 points (11g/15a) over the 2015-18 campaigns with the Portland Pirates, Ontario Reign, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, Texas Stars, Milwaukee Admirals and Tucson Roadrunners. Army played his entire ECHL career with the Nailers and collected 130 points (59g/71a) in 159 regular-season showings from 2013-18. The right-shot forward also notched 12 points (4g/8a) in 29 ECHL postseason games, including 10 points (4g/6a) in 2015-16 when Wheeling made it to the Kelly Cup finals.
 
Army was selected to the 2014-15 ECHL All-Rookie Team when he led the club with 29 goals and finished second on Wheeling with 66 points. He was also twice named ECHL Player of the Week (April 6-12, 2015 and Oct. 19-25, 2015).
 
Prior to turning pro, Army competed collegiately at Providence College from 2010-14. He compiled 76 points (38g/38a) in 149 games during his four-year college career.
 
Army’s father, Tim, is currently an assistant with the Anaheim Ducks and spent six seasons on the Avalanche coaching staff as both a video coach and assistant from 2011-17. Derek was also coached by Tim for one season at Providence (2010-11).

Zaba, 41, spent the last seven seasons with the USHL’s Tri-City Storm as the club’s goaltending coach. During his tenure, Tri-City produced three different USHL Goaltenders of the Year and compiled a 237-128-24-19 regular-season team record from 2017-24. Additionally, two Storm goaltending alumni Zaba coached went on to be selected in an NHL Draft. Prior to joining the Storm, Zaba spent two seasons as a Volunteer Assistant Coach with Colorado College from 2015-17.
A native of Yorkton, Saskatchewan, Zaba played eight seasons of professional hockey as a goaltender from 2007-15 and appeared in one game for the New York Rangers on Jan. 23, 2010. The netminder played 66 AHL games with the Hartford Wolf Pack over parts of the 2008-10 campaigns and suited up in 31 ECHL contests from 2007-10. Zaba concluded his pro playing career with a two-year run in the Italian Hockey League from 2010-12, winning the championship in 2011-12, and the ICE Hockey League, Austria’s highest pro league, from 2012 15.

Reirden, 23, is entering his first season on Colorado's coaching staff. Prior to joining the Eagles, Reirden most recently was a part of the Arizona State University ice hockey program where he collaborated closely with the Director of Operations and coaching staff to deliver video and analytical support related to the Sun Devils’ games.

Prior to Arizona State, Reirden worked with the Pittsburgh Penguins as a Data Analytics Intern where he conducted an audit of Sportlogiq. He assessed the vendor’s definition of on-ice events in comparison to the club’s philosophies and finished with a final presentation to the front office.

Travis’ father, Todd, is currently an assistant coach for the Philadelphia Flyers. Todd has been on the bench in pro hockey since 2008-09 – including two seasons as Head Coach of the Washington Capitals from 2018-20 – and was an Associate Head Coach for the Capitals club in 2017-18 that hoisted Lord Stanley. He also played five seasons in the NHL, amassing 183 games (11g/35a).

Strecker, is in his second season as the Eagles Head Athletic Trainer after serving as the team’s Assistant Athletic Trainer during the 2022-23 campaign. Prior to his time with the Eagles, Strecker spent four seasons as the Head Athletic Trainer and Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Tri-City Storm of the USHL.
Strecker previously worked at Gillette Physical Therapy in Gillette, Wyoming. He provided
athletic training services to the Gillette Wild (NA3HL) Hockey program, along with Gillette
College Rodeo, Gillette College Men and Women's Basketball, Gillette College Men and
Women's Soccer, Moorcroft High School athletics, Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship, Little
Guy Football League, and American Legion Baseball.
Strecker earned his bachelor's degree in athletic training from the University of Nebraska-Kearney in 2017.

Colton Funk is in his first year with the Colorado Eagles after serving as the head athletic therapist with the Halifax Mooseheads in the QMJHL. Prior to joining the Mooseheads, he spent 8 years as a member of the St. Olaf Sports Medicine Team, after first being an assistant athletic trainer in August 2017, and later being promoted to Co-Director of Sports Medicine in 2019. While at St. Olaf, he primarily worked with football, men's and women's golf, men's and women's hockey, and men's and women's indoor/outdoor track and field.

Prior to coming to St. Olaf, Funk served as the graduate athletic trainer at the University of Virginia, working with the men's and women's cross country and track & field teams, as well as the men's golf program. Funk also served as an outreach athletic trainer for the Cavaliers' club hockey team through PT Plus in Charlottesville.

The Rhinelander, Wis. native earned his Bachelor of Science degree in athletic training from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point in 2016 and went on to earn his Post-Professional Master's degree in athletic training and kinesiology at the University of Virginia. He completed his research thesis, titled "Sensorimotor Deficits in Long Distance Runners with Medial Plantar Pain," and systematic review titled, "The Effects of Orthotics on Pain and Function in Patients Presenting with Plantar Fasciitis - A Systematic Review."

While at UW-Stevens Point, he was also a part of the sports medicine staff for the 2016 NCAA Division III National Championship men's hockey team.

 

The Colorado Eagles, proud AHL affiliate of the Colorado Avalanche, have announced that the team has hired Chris Mayes to serve as the team’s head equipment manager.

Deweese is entering his first season in the AHL after spending the past three seasons as the head equipment manager for the Sioux Falls Stampede of the USHL.

A Fairbanks, Alaska native, Deweese attended the University of Alaska-Anchorage, where he joined the hockey program as a student volunteer, working with both the equipment staff and hockey operations department.

A native of La Crosse, Wisconsin, Fowler attended the University of Wisconsin, where he received a bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology. During his tenure at UW-Madison he interned with the school’s Olympic strength and conditioning department. From there, Fowler moved on to Boston College where he served as a strength and conditioning graduate assistant, working with both the men's and women's hockey teams. During his time at Boston College, he also received his master's degree in exercise and sport science.
Fowler is entering his first season as the team’s Strength and Conditioning Coach.

Dolphin is entering his first season in the AHL. He is a native of New Canaan, Connecticut, and graduated from Springfield College with a bachelor’s degree in Applied Exercise Science. During his time at Springfield, he interned at Cressey Sports Performance and worked at Prentiss Hockey Performance. Dolphin then spent two years in Cincinnati, Ohio, serving as the Head Coach at a private sports performance gym while also working with the Cincinnati Cyclones during the 2024-25 season.