New Kraken assistant coach Aaron Schneekloth has always been more about the journey than the NHL destination he’d long hoped to arrive at ever since his Calgary childhood in the 1980s.
Between his hometown Flames back then and the Edmonton Oilers’ dynasty a few hours north, it was all NHL all the time during the uncontested heyday for professional hockey in the province of Alberta. Those two teams made eight consecutive Stanley Cup Finals between them from 1983-1990 – winning six – while young hockey player Schneekloth dreamed of someday reaching the NHL himself.
But it wasn’t until last month, more than four decades of playing and coaching later, that Schneekloth finally got the chance. He agreed to join a Kraken staff headed up by new head coach Lane Lambert, following a 19-year stint on the ice and behind the bench for the now-AHL Colorado Eagles and myriad pro teams prior.
“It’s the ultimate goal,” Schneekloth agreed. “But you want to find your own path and your own journey to advance.”
And Schneekloth’s path has been rather unique, culminating with his childhood NHL dream coming true rather late in the hockey life of a coach turning 47 on Tuesday. He really has focused on the journey over the destination, something he feels strengthened him as a coach devoted to honing his craft rather than climbing ladders.
“I believe you’ve got to stay present in the moment, present in your position,” he said. “I think that’s the only way to establish growth and respect. I don’t believe in running and chasing that next job. I think it’s important to be grounded and respected in your position.
“That’s the only way you can have success.”
And a Kraken team looking to recreate the success of their 2022-23 playoff season stands to benefit from some of that grounded approach. The team’s strength lies more in overall depth and balance than any one or two elite stars, requiring a consistent, hard-work approach that checks ego at the door.
Schneekloth learned to park his ego early on in his pro career as a defenseman. His pro stopovers included stints with the lower-level South Carolina Stingrays, New Mexico Scorpions and Austin Ice Bats, along with Grand Rapids and Houston in the stronger AHL.
He joined Colorado in his late-20s when the Eagles were then playing in the Central Hockey League. Seven years later, they were in the ECHL when he retired as a player and began a dozen-season stint with the Eagles as an assistant and head coach in three different pro leagues.
He eventually won two ECHL titles his first two years after being promoted as Eagles head coach, then went back to serving as an assistant for five seasons under Greg Cronin when Colorado moved up to AHL play. When Cronin left for the NHL two years ago to become the Anaheim Ducks’ head coach, Schneekloth again took over the Eagles’ top job and went 83-46-15 overall.
His successes got folks talking throughout the hockey world, though Schneekloth had long ago come to terms with his standing and didn’t assume any NHL ticket loomed. The Kraken call came somewhat out of the blue, as Schneekloth had no connection to anyone with the organization other than playing for former head coach Dave Hakstol at the University of North Dakota and winning an NCAA title there in 2000.
“Honestly, I didn’t have any expectations to go and pursue any calls,” he said. “Obviously, coaches at this level are like players. I mean, everybody wants to advance and get to the highest level. And I’ve been in the AHL for seven years now – two as a head coach and five as an assistant. And I also saw some of the opportunities Greg Cronin received over the years. But you never know.”
He was “ecstatic” when the Kraken called and quickly sensed “a strong connection” with new head coach Lambert. Any hesitation over going back to being an assistant rather than remaining an AHL head coach quickly evaporated when reminding himself of his journey to date.
“These are kind of the steps I’ve taken my whole career to this point,” Schneekloth said. “ECHL assistant, ECHL head coach. AHL assistant to AHL head coach. And it just felt like this was the right step for me to check that next box and be on an NHL bench.”
Still, he’s coming to a new organization from one he’d spent nearly two decades at. Schneekloth is an Eagles legend, named the ECHL’s Defenseman of the Year in 2012 after being voted the CHL’s Most Outstanding Defenseman in both 2009 and 2010.
A member of both the CHL’s All-Decade Team and the Eagles All-Decade Team, he led the Colorado franchise in all-time points (356), goals (111) and assists (245) by a blueliner.
But he’s now a rookie with the Kraken organization and at the NHL level. Any impressions he makes from here will all be firsts.
It helps that he keeps in touch with former Kraken coach Hakstol – hired last week by the Eagles’ parent Colorado Avalanche club as an assistant — who “familiarized” Schneekloth with the organization, it’s personnel and Seattle itself. Schneekloth said he intentionally waited until after the Kraken hired him before speaking with Hakstol or anyone else, wanting to “navigate the process on my own” without any outside influences.
Like Schneekloth, Hakstol had also never coached or played at the NHL level before breaking in as a Philadelphia Flyers bench boss a decade ago. As for his own NHL debut, Schneekloth plans to trust his experiences — feeling they’ve left him better prepared for his NHL dream than at any point prior.
“There’s no question,” he said. “I mean, I didn’t have an NHL career. I didn’t have a big AHL career. So, my path is different. But obviously, coaching an AHL team and working every day with an NHL organization gives you some insight in how the game is played and how players react and what it takes to play at the next level.”
A level his own journey has finally arrived at. And where he hopes a new one can begin.
