Avalanche hire Brett McLean as Dave Hakstol officially leaves town

The Colorado Avalanche didn’t waste any time hiring their new assistant coach.

As was reported earlier this week, Dave Hakstol has left the team to take the head-coaching position at Arizona State University.

Enter Brett McLean, who actually played for the Avalanche for two seasons spanning 2005-06 and 2006-07.

“Firstly, we want to thank ‘Hak’ for his hard work and dedication while he was on our staff, and we wish him and his family all the best as he takes on a new challenge as head coach at Arizona State,” Avalanche president and GM Joe Sakic said in a release from the team. “In Brett, we’re getting an experienced coach and someone who is familiar with the culture here.”

McLean was an assistant coach with the Canucks last season, in charge of their power play. That’ll be his task in Colorado — fixing a power play unit that only scored on 17.1 percent of their chances last year under Hakstol. McLean had Vancouver converting at a 21.8 percent clip.

The Avalanche have scored five power play goals through seven games on this young season, but four of those came in the opener against the Kings. They went 0-4 versus the Stars in a 3-2 loss on Wednesday night, plus gave up a shorthanded goal. The power play was never good enough under Hakstol’s guidance.

“I’ve known Brett dating back to when we were teammates. I can speak to his outstanding character and work ethic, and I’m confident our players will thrive in the areas he’ll be coaching them in. Circumstances are unusual when this kind of an adjustment is made to the coaching staff so early into a season, but we’re fortunate it worked out bringing Brett onboard and we’re excited to see his contributions,” Sakic concluded.

Prior to his lone campaign with the Canucks, McLean spent eight years in the Minnesota Wild organization. In the final two, he was head coach of the AHL’s Iowa Wild for two seasons (2023-24 to 2024-25). 

“I am honored and excited for this opportunity to be an assistant coach with the Avalanche,” McLean said via the team. “I enjoyed my time here as a player, and I am eager to re-join the organization as a coach. I’m looking forward to returning to Colorado, getting acclimated to this team quickly and getting to know everyone here so that we won’t miss a beat and can keep our focus on winning games.”

McLean is 48-years-old and enjoyed a 19-year professional playing career, including 385 games across six NHL seasons. He tallied 162 points (56 goals/106 assists) with the Avalanche, Blackhawks and Panthers. 

The 4-2-1 Avs are next in action on Friday night against the Penguins. We’ll see if McLean can have an immediate impact on the power play unit.

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