Todd Nelson is officially the new head coach of the Grand Rapids Griffins.
News broke of the expected hiring earlier in the week, and was made official by the Red Wings’ AHL affiliate via press release Friday.
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Nelson, 46, served as interim head coach of the Edmonton Oilers following the firing of Dallas Eakins in December, and finished the 2014-15 season with a 17-25-9 record. His future was up in the air after the Oilers hired Todd McLellan in May, and while the team reportedly hoped to keep him on staff, they gave him permission to look at other opportunities.
Nelson has plenty of AHL experience, including coaching the Oilers’ former AHL affiliate Oklahoma City Barons for parts of five years prior to being promoted in December.
The Griffins had been on the hunt for a new coach since Jeff Blashill’s promotion to the Red Wings bench, and turned to a familiar face: Nelson was an assistant coach with the Griffins in 2002-03 – his first year as a full-time coach.
In fact, Nelson’s history with the team runs even deeper than that: On July 24, 1996, Nelson became the first-ever player to sign with the Griffins prior to the team’s inaugural season. He would go on to play 236 career games with the team and is considered one of the most accomplished defencemen in franchise history.
