Colorado Eagles hire former Avalanche forward Dan Hinote as associate head coach

The Colorado Eagles tapped into the big club’s past to fill out its coaching staff.

Dan Hinote, a forward who played six seasons with the Avalanche and hoisted the Stanley Cup in 2001, was named associate head coach of the Colorado Eagles on Wednesday. He will serve under Aaron Schneekloth, who ascended to head coach last offseason after Greg Cronin was hired by the Anaheim Ducks.

The 47-year-old Hinote joins the Avs’ AHL affiliate following four seasons as an assistant coach with the Nashville Predators, who reached the playoffs in three of those four years. Hinote coached with the Columbus Blue Jackets for four seasons starting in 2010 before moving into a scouting role with the organization. After that, he was behind the bench with the United States National Team Development program from 2018 to ’20.

“Dan has a diverse background in professional hockey, including a decade as a player in the NHL and nearly a decade as a coach in the NHL,” Avalanche assistant general manager Kevin McDonald said in a release announcing the hire. “He is a strong teacher of the game and relates well to younger players with his experience playing in college hockey, at the major junior level as well as his time as a coach with Team USA’s Under 17 and 18 teams.”

As a player, Hinote was a depth forward and trusted penalty killer who accumulated 65 points (27 goals, 38 assists) in 353 regular-season games with Colorado. The Avs reached the postseason in each of his six seasons, advancing to the conference finals three times and winning the Cup once. He dressed in all 23 games during that Cup run.