Chiefs name Brad Lauer as new Head Coach
Spokane, Wash. — The Spokane Chiefs have named the WHL’s all-time leader in winning percentage (.742), Brad Lauer, as the team’s new head coach ahead of the 2024-25 season. Lauer has signed a multi-year contract and becomes the 16th full-time head coach in franchise history.
“I would like to thank owner Bobby Brett, President Mark Miles and General Manager Matt Bardsley for this opportunity to be the next head coach of the Spokane Chiefs,” Lauer said. “I’m grateful and excited to lead a team with such a rich hockey history. During this process, I had great conversations with Matt regarding the organization, community and direction of the team. I’m looking forward to working with our players and staff to reach our full potential.”
“We are very excited to have Brad lead our team as the next Head Coach for the Spokane Chiefs,” General Manager Matt Bardsley said. “He led his team to tremendous success in the WHL during his four seasons with the Edmonton Oil Kings, as well as preparing and developing his players for the next level. With Brad’s nine years of NHL coaching experience, and most recently with the Winnipeg Jets, he has a great understanding of what it takes for today’s junior players to not only play in the NHL, but succeed there. Brad is an excellent communicator and teacher of the game. He is well-respected in the hockey industry and we received strong endorsements from executives within the WHL and NHL. We would like to welcome Brad along with his wife Daria and two daughters Camryn and Addison to Spokane.”
The Humboldt, Saskatchewan native has spent the last two seasons with the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League as an Assistant Coach. Prior to that, Lauer spent four seasons as the bench boss for the Edmonton Oil Kings, where he led the team to a WHL Championship in 2021-22 — their third Ed Chynoweth Cup in franchise history. Under Lauer’s guidance, the Oil Kings posted a 154-46-13-10 record highlighted by a historic 2021-22 season, which saw new franchise records for longest win-streak in a single season (14 games) and best winning percentage (.765). During the abbreviated 2020-21 season, the Oil Kings finished with the best record in the entire WHL after going 20-2-0-1 (.891) in the 23-game campaign. Following the 2019-20 season, Lauer was named the WHL’s Coach of the Year, becoming the first Oil Kings coach in franchise history to win the Dunc McCallum Memorial Trophy.
Each of Lauer’s four seasons in Edmonton, the Oil Kings were Central Division champions in the Eastern Conference.
Before he joined Edmonton, the 57-year-old spent a decade coaching at the professional level as an assistant coach with the Tampa Bay Lighting (NHL), Anaheim Ducks (NHL), Syracuse Crunch (AHL), Ottawa Senators (NHL) and Milwaukee Admirals (AHL). Before making the move to pro hockey, he spent five seasons as an assistant coach with the Kootenay Ice from 2002-07.
As a player, Lauer spent his junior hockey career with the Regina Pats from 1983-86 and played in 189 games (74-91-165). In 1985, he was drafted in the second round (34th-overall) by the New York Islanders and went on to play pro hockey for 16 seasons in the NHL, IHL, AHL and BISL. He appeared in 323 NHL games and recorded 111 points (44G-67A) with the New York Islanders, Chicago Blackhawks, Ottawa Senators and Pittsburgh Penguins.
The Chiefs will start their 2024-25 campaign on the road against the Prince George Cougars on September 20.
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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.
