Former Vancouver Canucks assistant coach Brett McLean has been hired to join the Colorado Avalanche coaching staff under head coach Jared Bednar.
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The Colorado Avalanche have announced they hired Brett McLean as an assistant coach on head coach Jared Bednar’s staff.
The move follows McLean’s departure from the Vancouver Canucks after the team overhauled its coaching staff during the offseason after the 2025-26 campaign, which ended with Vancouver finishing dead last in the Western Conference.
Avalanche President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Joe Sakic said in a statement that the organization wanted to thank Dave Hakstol for his work before his departure, adding that it is getting “an experienced coach” who understands the Avalanche’s culture.
Sakic also said he has known McLean “dating back to when we were teammates,” and expressed confidence that players will “thrive in the areas he’ll be coaching them in.”
McLean said he is “honored and excited for this opportunity” to work as an assistant coach with the Avalanche, noting he enjoyed his time as a player and is “eager to re-join the organization as a coach.”
According to the release, McLean joined Vancouver as an assistant coach in 2025 and was let go after one season.
The story also notes McLean was originally drafted 242nd overall by the Dallas Stars in 1997, reached the NHL with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2002, and later played for Colorado and the Florida Panthers before continuing his career overseas in Switzerland and Austria.
McLean retired in 2017 after 18 professional seasons, then transitioned into coaching with the Minnesota Wild organization, spending eight years between AHL and NHL levels and including two seasons as Iowa’s head coach.
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