Lalonde named Red Wings head coach

Former Toledo Walleye head coach Derek Lalonde has been named head coach of the National Hockey League’s Detroit Red Wings.

Lalonde led the Walleye to a 97-35-12 in two seasons with the club from 2014-16. He received the John Brophy Award as ECHL Coach of the Year in 2014-15 after leading Toledo to a 58-point improvement over the previous season as the Walleye captured the Brabham Cup as ECHL regular-season champions with a 50-15-7 record for 107 points.

Prior to the 2016-17 season, he was named the head coach for the American Hockey League’s Iowa Wild, leading the team to a 69-58-25 mark over two seasons before joining the staff of the National Hockey League’s Tampa Bay Lightning as an assistant coach prior to the 2018-19 season. Lalonde was part of the Lightning’s two Stanley Cup championship teams in 2020 and 2021, and the squad that advanced to the 2022 Stanley Cup Final.

With Lalonde’s hiring by the Red Wings, six NHL teams are currently led by a former ECHL head coach: Buffalo’s Don Granato (Columbus/Peoria), Colorado’s Jared Bednar (South Caroliona), Washington’s Peter Laviolette (Wheeling), Vancouver’s Bruce Boudreau (Mississippi) and Vegas’ Bruce Cassidy (Jacksonville/Trenton).