Photo: Katie Fri
The Columbus Blue Jackets have named Trent Vogelhuber as an assistant coach for the NHL club, and have hired Nick Bootland to succeed Vogelhuber as head coach of the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters.
Vogelhuber spent four seasons as head coach of the Monsters, leading the team to a record of 145-108-21-14 (.564) in 288 games. Cleveland reached the Calder Cup Playoffs each of the last three years, winning the North Division title in 2023-24 and advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals that spring. He also served as a coach at the 2024 AHL All-Star Classic.
Vogelhuber, 37, was elevated to head coach after four seasons as an assistant in Cleveland. Born in the Cleveland area and raised in the Columbus suburb of Dublin, Ohio, in 2007 Vogelhuber became the first area native to be drafted by the Blue Jackets. He played six pro seasons, including 267 games in the AHL, and was an alternate captain when the Monsters won the Calder Cup in 2015-16.
Bootland, 47, joins the Blue Jackets organization following four seasons as an assistant coach with the Hershey Bears, where he helped the team to Calder Cup championships in 2023 and 2024.
This is Bootland’s first head-coaching position at the AHL level. He previously spent 14 years as head coach and director of hockey operations of the Kalamazoo Wings in the United Hockey League (2008-09) and ECHL (2009-22).
A ninth-round selection by the Dallas Stars in the 1996 NHL Draft, Bootland played 10 seasons of professional hockey, including 329 AHL games with Hershey (1998-2001, 2002-03) and the Cleveland Barons (2001-05).
