Spirit Head Coach Chris Lazary departs to pursue further opportunities
Saginaw, Mich. – Spirit GM Dave Drinkill announced Wednesday afternoon that Head Coach Chris Lazary will be departing the organization for another coaching opportunity.
“First off, I want to thank Chris for putting everything he had into our organization since his hiring in 2016,” said Drinkill. “He has done an outstanding job developing young talent, creating a culture of winning, and helping to build this organization into one of the premier programs in junior hockey. I look forward to watching Chris start the next chapter of his coaching career and wish him nothing but the best. He will be missed tremendously here in Saginaw, but we will continue to build on our success from the last eight years.”
Lazary had been with the organization since the 2016-17 season, when he joined as an associate coach. He spent eight seasons as the tenth head coach in franchise history after being promoted in November of 2018. Three of Saginaw’s West Division titles (2019, 2020, 2024) came under Lazary’s tenure, as well as two trips to the Western Conference Final and the team’s 2024 Memorial Cup Championship. A 50-win, 102-point regular season in 2023-2024 (50-16-1-1) was the team’s best to date.
“On behalf of Dick Garber and the Saginaw Spirit staff, we are forever grateful to Chris Lazary for his eight seasons as our head coach,” said President and Managing Partner Craig Goslin. “His commitment to excellence, resilience, and work ethic are the values that have made him an exceptional coach. We wish Chris, his wife Jackie, and their children all the best in their new home. Chris and the entire Lazary family will always be a major ingredient to the fabric of the 2024 Memorial Cup Championship and the Spirit Family.”
In his time behind the Spirit bench, Lazary established a new franchise record for coaching wins at 249. He guided the Spirit through 507 regular season, playoff, and Memorial Cup games, and is the organization’s longest-tenured head coach. Lazary concludes his time in Saginaw with a regular season record of 249-171-16-12.
The Spirit won five playoff series during Lazary’s time in Saginaw and had a postseason record of 26-28. Their tournament record during their 2024 Memorial Cup Championship was 4-1, including round robin, semi-final, and championship games.
“The past ten years with the Saginaw Spirit have been the most rewarding of my coaching career,” said Lazary. “I want to thank Dick Garber, Craig Goslin, Brandon Bordeaux, Dave Drinkill, Brian Prout, our players, staff, billets, and the incredible fans for believing in me and supporting our vision. Together, we built something I’m incredibly proud of, culminating in a Memorial Cup Championship and the development of so many outstanding young men. Accepting this new opportunity was an incredibly difficult decision because of what Saginaw means to me and my family. It is a unique opportunity for continued growth, but Saginaw will hold a special place in my heart. I will always be grateful to have been a part of this remarkable organization.”
Since his first season as head coach in 2018-19, 18 players have gone on to be selected in the NHL Draft from Lazary’s Spirit teams. Five of those players, including Nikita Klepov in 2026 (15th overall, Anaheim), were top-15 picks. Under the guidance of Lazary, this gives Saginaw the most players selected in that range from any CHL team since 2020.
The organization will begin the search for Saginaw’s next head coach immediately.
