Chiefs Associate Coach Stefan Legein accepts coaching position with AHL’s Belleville Sens
The Spokane Chiefs would like to congratulate Stefan Legein on accepting an Assistant Coach position with the Belleville Sens. Belleville is the American Hockey League affiliate for the Ottawa Senators.
“We are excited for Stefan and his family for this tremendous opportunity in Belleville,” General Manager Matt Bardsley said. “This move will allow him his first professional coaching opportunity, which happens to be close to his family. Stefan made a big impact with our players’ development and our organization. We will miss him, but he has a bright future in the coaching industry and we wish him all the best going forward.”
A native of Oakville, Ontario, Legein joined the Chiefs as an Associate Coach prior to the 2022-23 season and spent 136 games behind the bench for Spokane.
“I want to thank Bobby [Brett], Mark [Miles], Matt [Bardsley], and all the staff of the Spokane Chiefs for the last two years,” Legein said. “My family and I could not have had a better experience, from the arena to the fans to the city itself. Spokane is one of the top destinations, not only in the Western League, but in all of hockey. I am very grateful for the opportunity to grow myself as a coach and person while working with world-class people. I also wanted to say thank you to the players for making the job so fun and enjoyable every day. A coach is nothing without players and I was so fortunate to have the group I did for two seasons. I’ll be watching from afar, once a Chief always a Chief.”
In Legein’s two years working with the defense, Saige Weinstein signed a free agent contract with the Colorado Avalanche in the fall of 2023. Will McIsaac and Nathan Mayes were also both selected in this weekend’s NHL Draft by the St. Louis Blues and Toronto Maple Leafs, respectively. Brayden Crampton went from 16 points in 2022-23 to 57 points this past season.
The power play went from 20th in the league at 16.9% in Legein’s first season to 7th in 2023-24 at 24.3%.
Under Legein, the Chiefs improved from a 15-43-6-2 record in 2022-23 (40 points) to a 30-32-5-1 record in 2023-24 (66 points), doubling their wins and returning to the WHL playoffs.
The 35-year-old came to Spokane by way of the Saint John Sea Dogs, who won the 2022 Memorial Cup.
As a player, Legein spent four seasons in the CHL with the Mississauga/Niagra IceDogs (OHL) from 2004-08, where he piled up 136 points (77G-59A) in 202 games. He was selected by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the second round (37th overall) of the 2007 NHL Draft.
From Oakville, Ontario, Legein represented his country at the 2008 World Junior Championship and helped lead Canada to a gold medal.
Legein then moved on to the AHL from 2008-14, spending 32 games with the Syracuse Crunch (3G-1A), 112 with the Adirondack Phantoms (29G-22A), 114 with the Manchester Monarchs (19G-23A) and seven with the Toronto Marlies (3GA).
After playing professionally overseas for two seasons, Legein finished his playing career in 2015-16 playing 38 games with the Manchester Monarchs and 11 with the Tulsa Oilers on the ECHL.
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The Spokane Chiefs are a member of the U.S. Division of the Western Hockey League, the world’s finest development league for junior hockey players. Since 1985 the Chiefs have been a pillar in the Spokane community, offering family-friendly entertainment and a winning tradition, which includes: two Memorial Cup Championships in 1991 & 2008, two WHL Championships in 1991 & 2008 and four Western Conference Championships in 1991, 1996, 2000 & 2008. Over 60 alumni have gone on to play in the National Hockey League.
