Cirella makes jump to pro hockey

It will be a complete changing of the guard when the 2018-19 Ontario Hockey League season begins for the Soo Greyhounds.

Already looking to replace Coach Drew Bannister and Assistant Coach Ryan Ward, who have moved on to jobs with the American Hockey League San Antonio Rampage in the same capacities they held in Sault Ste. Marie, the Greyhounds will now be looking to replace Associate Coach Joe Cirella.

The AHL’s Stockton Heat, affiliate of the NHL’s Calgary Flames, announced Wednesday that the team has hired Cirella as an assistant coach.

Cirella will work with new Stockton Coach Cail MacLean.

“I’m excited to join Cail MacLean and the rest of the Stockton Heat hockey staff and look forward to working with and developing Flames prospects, helping them achieve their dreams of becoming fulltime contributors with the Calgary Flames hockey club,” Cirella said in a prepared statement. “I’d like to thank the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds for six memorable years with the club and I’d also like to thank Brad Treliving, Brad Pascall, Craig Conroy, Cail MacLean and the Flames organization for this opportunity and I look forward to getting to work with the club.”

Cirella joined the Greyhounds as an assistant coach in July 2012 and spent six seasons with the organization, five of which were as an associate coach.

“As someone who played for Joe and then was fortunate enough to work with over the past four years, I can say that he’s not only a great coach, but a great person,” Greyhounds General Manager Kyle Raftis said in a prepared statement.

Prior to joining the Greyhounds, Cirella spent six seasons as an assistant coach with the OHL’s Oshawa Generals.