The Coachella Valley Firebirds have hired Derek Laxdal as their new head coach, the team announced Friday.

The Firebirds former head coach Dan Bylsma was hired as the head coach of the Seattle Kraken in May but stayed on with the Firebirds until they were eliminated in the Calder Cup Finals.

A product of Stonewall, Man., Laxdal joins the Firebirds with an extensive coaching background. Since getting his first coaching job in the ECHL as a player/assistant coach in 1994, Laxdal has worked for numerous teams in the WPHL (Odessa Jackalopes) CHL (Odessa Jackalopes, Wichita Thunder), ECHL (Idaho Steelheads), WHL (Edmonton Oil Kings), AHL (Texas Stars), NHL (Dallas Stars) and OHL (Oshawa Generals).

Prior to coaching though, Laxdal enjoyed a lengthy playing career as well. Drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the eighth round of the 1984 NHL Draft, Laxdal went on to have a 16-year pro career and play in 67 NHL games.

Derek Laxdal named new head coach of the Coachella Valley Firebirds - YouTube

Laxdal’s career saw him make stops in the NHL, AHL, ECHL, WPHL, Finland, Germany, and England.

As Laxdal gets set to take on his second AHL head coaching gig (he served as head coach of Texas from 2014-2020), he will be taking over a Firebirds team that has been one of the strongest teams in the AHL since their inception. Having experienced his own success over the past few seasons with the Oshawa Generals, Laxdal should be able to step in and not lose a step.

Coachella Valley Firebirds Add Brennan Sonne To Coaching Staff

Sonne Joins the Firebirds After Historic Season with the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades

Today, the Coachella Firebirds, the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Seattle Kraken, announced the hiring of Brennan Sonne as an assistant coach, joining newly-named head coach Derek Laxdal.

“Brennan is a great addition to our coaching staff. He’s an up-and-coming coach who has a proven track record in the WHL of building relationships and developing players,” said Laxdal. “We’re excited to have him join myself, Stu Bickel and the rest of our great staff as we get started in the Coachella Valley.”

“I am beyond grateful for the opportunity, and my wife, daughter, and I are thrilled to be joining the Coachella Valley community,” said Sonne. “I intend on working tirelessly towards assisting the rest of the staff, developing future Kraken, and continuing the already winning tradition of the Firebirds franchise.”

Brennan Sonne joins Coachella Valley Firebirds as new assistant coach - KESQ

Sonne, 37, joins Coachella from the Western Hockey League’s (WHL) Saskatoon Blades, where he served as head coach, leading his team to a 105-point (50-13-5) record in 2023-24. Under Sonne’s tutelage, the Blades earned the Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy, awarded to the WHL team with the best regular-season record. The 2023-24 season was the first time in franchise history that Saskatoon surpassed the 100-point mark in back-to-back campaigns after the team recorded 101 points (48-15-5) the season prior. Sonne was named the 2023-24 East Division finalist for the WHL Coach of the Year for the second consecutive year after winning the award in 2022-23.

Behind the bench with the Blades for three seasons (2021-22 to 2023-24), Sonne had a record of 136-54-14, including three consecutive WHL playoff runs and two Eastern Conference Final appearances.

Coachella Valley Firebirds Add Brennan Sonne As Assistant Coach - The Hockey News Seattle Kraken News, Analysis and More

He spent six seasons in the WHL between Saskatoon and the Everett Silvertips, where he was an assistant coach from 2014-15 to 2016-17. Sonne’s coaching career also includes four seasons (2017-18 to 2020-21) as the head coach of the Ducs d’Angers in the Syberglace Ligue Magnus, the top hockey league in France. Internationally, the Maple Ridge, British Columbia, native was an assistant coach for Canada’s White U17 World Hockey Challenge roster, winning a gold medal with the team in 2024.

Prior to his coaching career, Sonne played in 149 WHL games between the Everett Silvertips (2005-05 to 2007-8), Red Deer Rebels (2007-08) and Edmonton Oil Kings (2007-08) and appeared in 65 collegiate hockey games with the University of British Columbia (2008-09 and 2010-11). In total, he played eight seasons in several leagues including the British Columbia Hockey League, WHL, USports and the South China Ice Hockey League.

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